Temperamental Biasi - bin it or persevere?

[BBBB]

Moved into my house December 2019 with a Biasi Riva Advance HE installed over 10 years ago (found out from their service line it's not under warranty).

Had a couple of intermittent faults with it over the past 18 months but for the most part its been ok. New problem started this week - hot water flows hot/cold for a couple of mins then it shuts off completely. LEDs indicate 'safety thermostat lock out' error.

Local GSE (not Biasi affiliated) said it's possibly a sensor but could be the heat exchanger, which isn't worth replacing due to costs involved. Said he's going to speak to Biasi tomorrow about parts and get back to me.

After he left, I ran the heating full blast as it's not been on at all for a good few weeks now. While CH on, the DHW seemed to be ok - little bit of temp fluctuation but not too drastic and it didn't cut out. After running it for a few hours, it now seems the DHW is ok, without the heating on.

The morning shower will be the full test to see if it cuts out again, but does that sound like something that warrants a full replacement or is it worth repairing, seeing as it mostly functions as expected?

I don't want to get a new boiler yet as I'm planning to do a loft conversion within a year or two and would ideally hold off until then.

Thanks

 

[kidgreen61]

Almost certainly needs plate heat exchanger cleaning or replacing.
Simple job for competent person.

 

[ianmcd]

Local GSE (not Biasi affiliated) said it's possibly a sensor but could be the heat exchanger, which isn't worth replacing due to costs involved. Said he's going to speak to Biasi tomorrow about parts and get back to me.

Its ane wengineer you need , not a new boiler, no one should have to call up a manu for advice on this, very simple fix

 

[Agile]

I am surprised that you expected a 10 year old boiler to still be under warranty.

A typical boiler lifetime is only expected to be about 8-12 years.

As said, most likely to be a blocked secondary heat exchanger, it is a common problem caused by not cleaning the system properly when installing or later by leaving the filling loop partly open.

Takes about 40 min to replace it or an hour to clean it which is what I usually do for most clients.

 

[BBBB]

Thanks all for your input. He called back and said that he suspects it's the heat plate, but he wants to strip it down to inspect it (I checked and he's not going to clean it) then we'll know whether to order the new part. Sounds like he's creating unnecessary work to me.

Guess it's time to find another engineer?

 

[sxturbo]

Thanks all for your input. He called back and said that he suspects it's the heat plate, but he wants to strip it down to inspect it (I checked and he's not going to clean it) then we'll know whether to order the new part. Sounds like he's creating unnecessary work to me.

Guess it's time to find another engineer?

If he's stripping it to inspect he might aswell clean it and reinstall it to see if it fixes the problem.

I don't see the point in stripping it only to put it back as is.

He'll have to order the part in anyway and would be unlikely he will leave you without the boiler operational whilst waiting for the part to arrive. Especially if it has to come from Italy will take a wee while.

If it were me I'd dump it in a bowl of brick acid (excellent at dissolving scale) leave it for 10 minutes then rinse it off. Not sure what the pros would use

But does seem. Waste of time taking it out to look at it ns put it back as is

 

[BBBB]

I am surprised that you expected a 10 year old boiler to still be under warranty.

Thanks @Agile it's my first time dealing with this - previously I've had a landlord to deal with boiler problems. As I didn't know how old it was when I moved in, Biasi customer service was the obvious first point of contact - I knew it wasn't a new boiler but it also didn't look ancient so I thought it was worth checking for a warranty.

 

[BBBB]

But does seem. Waste of time taking it out to look at it ns put it back as is

My thoughts exactly! cheers

 

[Agile]

You can get a pretty good indication of its condition by doing a thermal survey on the heat exchanger.

Any significant blockage and the flow reduces and consequently the temperature differential across the primary side increases.

 

[Gasguru]

Untitled

• Gasguru
• 25 Oct 2011
• 1

Kamco FX2...simmer for 10 mins rocking it to expell air and gas. Obviously it's hazardous and all precutions are taken. In 20 years I've only replaced a few plates with brand new...the rest are cleaned.

Untitled

• Gasguru
• 30 Sep 2010
• 7