Damsel in distress!!!!! ;-)

[quality]

The boiler probably has not heated the water enough to cause it to expand and increase the pressure so I would still suggest the expansion vessel in at fault however it may simply just needs re - pressurizing as opposed to replacing hth

 

[kerry]

oh thanks!...you don't think it might be the thermostat part gone on the boiler then? Ive looked at the glow worm site and it says the part costs approx £350 and it made me wonder if Homeserve just didnt want to cough up! Kerry

 

[peteh20]

send me an email with your number it will be easier for me to talk to you and give you direction [email protected]

 

[kerry]

have emailed you number....whenever is convenient for you, no rush!

thanks for that Pete....really appreciate your help! will keep you posted! ;-)

 

[fuzzy]

hi,Im Kerry and Im hoping somebody could shed some light on my current situation! 3 differnt plumbers have been out to my glow worm combi boiler over the last few weeks but the problem is still occuring! the pressure on my boiler drops to 1 and then shuts down. the first plumber said that a valve was really dirty and dirty water was going outside through the copper pipe. anyway, he cleaned it and said the problem was sorted. wrong! a couple of days after that the same thing happend and so on and so on! the last plumber that came said there was nothing wrong with the boiler and that the only other way we could be loosing pressure would be through a leak in the system. He asked me if there were any pipes under floors downstairs and he said no, then he said that it couldnt be that then because a leak of that amount of water every couple of days would be apparent! then, before he left he said that it must be in the system somewhere!!!! I am so confused because first they tell me one thing and then they tell me something different and I just dont know what to think. I live here alone and cant afford to get a plumber out to test the system. to be honest, I dont think there is a leak, I still think its the boiler! there isnt any water going outside from the copper pipe any more but there is another pipe upstairs at the other side of the house and the pipe does go to the boiler but none of the plumbers have mentioned this! during the summer I could hear a constant dripping sound through this pipe and wonder could that be the problem maybe? can any of you possibly help me with this problem because I dont know what else to do! home serve say the boiler isnt at fault and I am certain there isnt a leak anywhere so where do I go from there? today the same thing happend again as I knew it would and I have had to fill the system up yet again. I must have done this at least 20 times now over the months and im not getting the problem resolved! are they right in what they are telling me? does any body else have other ideas perhaps that havent been mentioned to me? I really hope so! I wouldnt ask but I really am at a loss! thanks guys

They normally shut down at around half a bar not one? You can often set it at 1 when cold. obviously when it warms up the pressure increases. The pressure vessel is there to accomodate the expanded water. If it is broken then it over pressurises and the pressure relief valve will release all the expanded water. Then when it cools down it will be too low and a safety feature will not allow the boiler to fire again.

YOU need to fill to 1 bar cold. turn the boiler on at full heat and watch the presusre gauge. Does it creep up to over 3 bar? that will tell me alot. Let me know what happens. It will take 30minutes of your time to watch it heat up. Good luck and post your findings

 

[kerry]

have just hooked up a paint skuttle outside on copper pipe to see if any water is coming out although i havent been aware of any since the plumber cleaned the expansion vessel or pressure relief valve, cant remember which it was! lol....tiles that it would drip on to are always dry during the day so just incase its happening during the night I thought id be miss marple for the next day or two and do my own investigating! although I did just nearly break my neck when I fell off the ladder trying to hook it on! lol

 

[Blackcatgas]

They normally shut down at around half a bar not one? You can often set it at 1 when cold. obviously when it warms up the pressure increases. The pressure vessel is there to accomodate the expanded water. If it is broken then it over pressurises and the pressure relief valve will release all the expanded water. Then when it cools down it will be too low and a safety feature will not allow the boiler to fire again.

YOU need to fill to 1 bar cold. turn the boiler on at full heat and watch the presusre gauge. Does it creep up to over 3 bar? that will tell me alot. Let me know what happens. It will take 30minutes of your time to watch it heat up. Good luck and post your findings

Re: Damsel in distress!!!!! ;-)
Hiya!...I fill it to approx 1 1/2 when I fill it....it goes up to roughly between 2 1/2 and 3 when been on ages!.....;-)
me again!... thanks for that! will get my dad to check tomorrow when he comes!....once the pressure was as high as just over 4 on the gauge!....I read in the manual that it is supposed to have an automatic cut out on the boiler at 4 but it didnt!!!!!......I really am having a nightmare with Homeserve over this....they've even told me not to bother them again about a problem that isnt down to the boiler!!!!!! :-

Boiler isnt losing pressure when "cold", My original opinion hasnt changed, Expansion vessel. Without looking at it though I cant be 100% sure.

 

[kerry]

havent used hot water for over a week and pressure didnt drop....just thought id put it to the test and ran a bath.... bet you know what im gona say all of you!....boiler shut down as soon as I started running the hot water! :-( thing is, the pressure remains at around 1 1/4!!!

 

[fuzzy]

havent used hot water for over a week and pressure didnt drop....just thought id put it to the test and ran a bath.... bet you know what im gona say all of you!....boiler shut down as soon as I started running the hot water! :-( thing is, the pressure remains at around 1 1/4!!!

It may not be the pressure leading to the problem. If the water to water heat exchanger is blocked up it could overheat when running the hot tap and maybe shut of on the overheat stat? Should be a clue that it only happens when you use the hot water

Anyone else any ideas?

 

[Philbot44]

It may not be the pressure leading to the problem. If the water to water heat exchanger is blocked up it could overheat when running the hot tap and maybe shut of on the overheat stat? Should be a clue that it only happens when you use the hot water

Anyone else any ideas?

I think you have nailed the initial problem i.e. pressure vessel and Kerry needs to carryout the checks to confirm is faulty before suggesting any other solution. Its quite possible that this fault has now created a new problem with the hot water so before anything else you should confirm the expansion vessel is ok.

There is nothing worse than running a boiler that you know has a problem, its not going to do the boiler any good refilling it with fresh water all the time too.

I know you have tried to get them guys to fix it but you really should eliminate the expansion vessel fault as soon as possible.

Hope that helps.

 

[kerry]

hi all!...thanks for that Phil!

Today I'd just had enough of the whole thing and couldn't take much more so decided to get back on the Phone to Homeserve/Glow Worm!....why should I have all this stress and bother when I pay those to do a job.....anyway, after speaking to around 5 different people that refused to tell me their managers name I told them that I was recording our conversation and that it was in their best interest to put me through to someone in authority!....wasnt recording it but it did the trick! lol.....once again I had to explain the whole damn thing and the longer I was on the phone the more worked up I got!....I told the woman if they are so convinced I have a leak in the the system to come and and prove it!....She was speechless but really had no choice but to agree because I wouldnt let her!.....she said that all three of the plumbers said there was no prob with the boiler and I asked her how they could possibly know that as the last two didnt even remove the boiler casing! she actually couldnt believe what I was telling her and said that she would get a plumber to me to check expansion vessel and heat exchanger properly (ye, right!) and that if they still said the boiler wasnt faulty they would turn off the boiler and do some 24 hour test on the system to see if it was leaking!.....this time im not gona be here alone to deal with them though, ive asked my brother to be there to deal with them because their attitudes towards me and the way they spoke to me in my own home was terrible and I just don't want it again. It wouldnt normally bother me, I can hold my own with anyone but im not well and id prefer to avoid any confrontation really. Ive had to reschedule their appointment for tomorrow to next friday because my brother has other commitments but I will keep you all posted as to what happens!.....I cant wait for them to tell me where this leak is that's not there! lol.....its probably best they dont see me because i dont think id be able to contain my temper again!.....cant believe that this company has got me so wound up, its just ridiculous and beyond a joke now!.....ive also told them that unless I get a satisfactory outcome I will contact Watchdog for certain! lol.....although I laugh, that is actually something that I may well do.......right, im sure ive bored you all enough, you'll be sick to death of me before long.....hope you dont mind me keep picking your brains, cant thank you enough for all your continuing kind help, thanks, Kerry

 

[peteh20]

good luck with it, stick to your guns and hang in there

 

[kerry]

thanks Pete, something tells me Im gona need it!....if no joy will still do the things you've suggested but just want them to point out to me where this leak is....I just want to prove a point! will let you know, Kerry ;-)

 

[kerry]

Right, the Plumber from Homeserve/Glow Worm has just been and once again im left disgusted with his apparent lack of Plumbing knowledge! He tested the PRV, Expansion Vessel and Heat exchanger and said they were all ok. When I asked him what he thought the prob could possibly be he said I havent a clue to be honest!. He did tell me that the none return valve on the filling loop is faulty and when he removed it a load of water came out like one of you suggested it might if that was faulty! He didnt seem to know much more about that and if when we replace it would it rectify my problem? He spoke to a colleague of his on the phone and he told him to reduce boiler shut down pressure to 1 bar because it has been going off at 1 1/4. But, get this! He didnt have a clue how to reduce the pressure and the phone a friend had to explain!!!!!!! he phoned him up on several occasions asking advice! As you can imagine I didnt have any confidence in this guy at all! Then, when hed done that he was going to leave and told me he would come back to do a test on the system to make sure it isnt that that was leaking but could I wait a month to call him back because otherwise theyd note it down that he had failed to sort the prob if we called him back before thirty days! he also suggested that it would be warmer then to not have the heating on which I agree with but this wasnt his proper reason behind him suggesting that! He was just getting in his van when I noticed that the outside copper pipe was chucking water out! I called him back and he made it blatantly obvious he wasnt happy! I said, why dont you just replace the expansion vessel because we have had a prob with it previously but he just said lets just see how it goes and if you're still getting the boiler prob after ive reduced the pressure and youve put a new filling loop on just ring up and ill come back and do it then! From the help you guys have been giving me I honestly believe I know more about this than that excuse for a Plumber does and im not kidding! So, once again im picking your brains! lol.....because when he removed the filling loop there was water coming out could this have been a possible cause for the pressure dropping on the boiler and shutting off? I asked him what his opinion was about this and he said, to be honest I really dont have a clue!!!!!!!!....If you're reading this Pete, thanks for your kind help and you were right about the possiblility of water in the filling loop, nice one and thanks for taking the time to ring and explain all this to me but also, thanks to all of you genius's out there, I wouldnt have been able to hold my own talking about expansion vessels, prv's, heat exchangers etc if you hadnt all of helped me! Its been like hitting my head up against a brick wall, it really has! Im kind of hoping that replacing the filling loop will sort the prob but would appreciate any views on this when you have a spare minute! thanks again, Kerry ;-)

 

[glyn white]

Hi Kerri,

Been viewing this as a unknowledgeable bystander. Really think you have grounds to go to Trading Standards or better still Watchdog. You have been treated shoddily.

Glyn