Ticking noise from Ideal Icos boiler?

[MJN]

Hi everyone,

I've recently moved into a newish (2007) property which came complete with an Ideal Icos H15 heat-only boiler. No sniggering at the back please; I've read the general derision on here on these animals however so far so good - it's working well without any hint of problems… well almost…

I can hear what you might describe as a 'ticking' sound from within the boiler. If I was to hazard a guess to its source I'd say it was either the front panel controls or, perhaps more likely, the PCB unit behind it. The ticking is similar to that from the constant background noise of a mechanical washing machine timer or similar wind-up clock.

The noise is constant i.e. occurs regardless of whether the boiler is sat idle, fired up, post-firing etc. I'd say the frequency rate of the ticks is around 8 per second.

Given that the noise occurs in its idle state, and I am not aware of any moving parts that could account for it, I am at a loss as to what the problem, if it is a problem, might be?

Can anyone shed and light? Is this something someone has come across before? As I say, the boiler 'works' but I just can't help thinking that this isn't right and whilst far from intrusive (I'm the only one that's noticed it) I do wonder if it's a telltale sign of impending doom then with winter round the corner I'd rather be ready to tackle it sooner rather later. I am also curious as to what it actually is i.e. if it is the PCB what component? (This is more out of curiosity rather than wanting to effect a board repair)

More than happy to provide further details if required.

Regards,

Mathew

 

[45yearsagasman]

Would you describe this as an electrical/buzzing noise? If so It may be associated with a tiny water leak and its worth getting an RGI in to remove all covers and have a good check round.Pcb's and user control are easily water damaged.

 

[MJN]

Even accepting differences in perception I would definitely say it is a mechanical sound rather than electrical/buzzing. That said, I strongly suspect the source to be electrical - given the lack of mechanical activity when it occurs - so whether it might be electrically-induced mechanical resonance I don't know.

It's such a distinctive noise - not to mention regular and persistant - so I'm sure the answer must the there somewhere.

Thanks for the pointer anyway as at the moment I'm flying blind. I will see if I can observe any evidence of past or present water leakage.

I'm hoping that if there's one benefit to having a boiler whose reputation seems to precede it, it's that there'll be no shortage of people on here who have plenty of experiencing diagnosing and repairing them!

Cheers,

Mathew

 

[45yearsagasman]

Cheers Matt, They do keep us gainfully employed!

 

[MJN]

45yearsagasman,

Do you happen to have a copy of the installation sheet for the orange (v9) PCB? The reason I ask is that I've just found this thread which covers my exact symptoms and, as per that thread, I've now narrowed down the source of the noise to the control panel. It looks like my PCB has been replaced (when did the orange v9 come out?) and possibly not had the jumpers set correctly for my control panel.

If you do have a copy, and could perhaps check it for me to see what's what, it'd be really appreciated.

Mathew

 

[45yearsagasman]

Sorry Matt,each pcb comes with instructions and I always leave them with the boiler.

 

[MJN]

No problem; thanks anyway though.

If only this installer did the same!