Vaillant ecoTEC plus shuts down with Low Water Pressure

[AnthonyNI]

Hi Folks,
Moved into a new house 3 weeks ago (not a new build).
Previous owners had a Oil to Gas conversion done 2 years ago this week.
Copper cylinder has been removed and a Vaillant ecoTEC plus gas combi boiler fitted.

When we moved in 3 weeks ago the previous owners left a note saying "Water pressure will occasionally drop causing the boiler to go off - turn both valves under the boiler for a minute then turn them back again and it will start to work."

So in the last 3 weeks this has happened 5 times. Usually it happens overnight so the 4 kids wake up to a freezing house or while you are out for the day so again coming home to a cold house. Common denominator seems to be when the boiler is off for a few hours and it doesn't come back on and there is an error on the screen that it shut down due to low water pressure.

The instruction manual says the boiler will shut down if it detects water pressure drops below 0.5bar. Northern Ireland Water have been out last week and measured the supply at 4bar and checked that there had never been any call logged by any other resident in the area for low water pressure.

I pushed the point that it was intermittent and although measuring 4bar while he was there could it possibly drop below 0.5bar intermittently? He suggested that wasn't a possibility as 0.5bar is virtually no flow and others would complain also.

So if it's not the mains water supply what else could it be?

Thanks,

A.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The street Pressure has nothing to do with it. The 0.5 refers to the pressure on the heating system.

You have a leak.

Call a Heating engineer.

 

[AnthonyNI]

Eeek! Previous owners said it had been like that since it was installed! No obvious signs of anything anywhere. Guess I'll need to get an engineer out...

Actually re-reading their note and it actually says: Water pressure in the street will occasionally drop... So they have been living with this problem for nearly 2 years when it's something within the house that they should have got fixed...

Need a quote for a new bathroom refit and to move a rad so will look for someone local who can do the lot for us.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The boiler's insides will not be in a pretty state if it's being topped up that often since new.

 

[Agile]

You may be better looking for two different people as bathrooms can be done by any general plumber.

Boilers need a gas registered engineer.

Some will do both works but they might work out more expensive that getting two people who each specialise in each job?

Tony

 

[sooey]

Some will do both works but they might work out more expensive that getting two people who each specialise in each job?

Why would you say that? It's more likely that using the one person would be cheapest. (providing that they know what they're doing of course).

 

[Dan Robinson]

You know Tony and his barny ideas .

 

[Phill Peck]

Sounds to me like the previous owners have been fobbed off by their gas engineer

 

[stardanny]

Is there any heating pipes under ground floor?
Can you see any damp, water stain anywhere?
Can you see the relief pipe dripping outside?

Daniel.