gloworm swiftflow 80 keeps tripping after about 4mins no hot water

[cypher007]

ok you guys are not gonna believe this but my Dads swiftflow 80 combi's decided to pack up now. it fires for about 4 mins then turns off, I thought pump, but he says the rad furthest from the boiler is getting heat. the hot water is not working at all.

my other thought is blocked heat exchanger, as he hasn't been keeping the system correctly dosed.

 

[newcastle phill]

Does heating work as it should
Are you gas safe registered

 

[cypher007]

Does heating work as it should
Are you gas safe registered

Not gs.

no the heating trips after about 4mins, as if over temp. No hot water at all.

i guess my Dad just wants to know if it's a riteoff?

 

[chris watkins]

Has the system got water in it ? if sealed check pressure not just on the gauge check for water at highest rads, if O/Vented check water in F&E cistern.
Where are the rads that are not working working, upstairs ?

edit : should look a post title - if he still has a permeant pilot combi then it may be time to renew it & sort out the system.

 

[cypher007]

Has the system got water in it ? if sealed check pressure not just on the gauge check for water at highest rads, if O/Vented check water in F&E cistern.
Where are the rads that are not working working, upstairs ?

edit : should look a post title - if he still has a permeant pilot combi then it may be time to renew it & sort out the system.

its a bungalow. all the rads seem to start getting warm, I think, he said the furthest ones were starting to warm, so he thought the pump must be ok. yes its got a pilot light, he wanted one like this as he thought it would be more reliable. to be honest the thing that's gone wrong on it the most has been the fan.

ill get him to check the water level.

 

[bigads28]

It could easy be the pump sticking once it gets hot. I feel the boiler might done though if it's not an easy fix, it must be a good age!

 

[cypher007]

It could easy be the pump sticking once it gets hot. I feel the boiler might done though if it's not an easy fix, it must be a good age!

yeah it must be nearly 20 years old. it doesn't get used much though as my mum has a condition which is aggravated by heat. she told me this morning she has 6 jumpers on.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Tell him how much its costing just keeping the pilot light going ! at least £2. a week

 

[jam1979]

Could be blocked heat ex and coil may just want a reset gud flush and make sure any avv s are open

 

[cypher007]

I phoned him earlier and it seems hes managed to get it going again. now hes wondering if they should just use it for hot water and try and use electric heaters and a hot air gas fire for heating.

ive told him to fit a spirotech and use some sentinel x400 to clean the system out. good idea or not?

 

[Rickster123]

The best idea would be to get a gas safe engineer in to have a look. It may well be a simple fix.

giving out advice on changing a fan isn't a great idea IMHO.

 

[Millsy 82]

You need to get the boiler looked at by a qualified person.

I was working on these boilers 10 years ago and they were old then and i would say it probably has had it's day.

You can't do anything to it as it is a combi everything is inside. There is no point in risking it.

 

[cypher007]

it did one bath of hot water for me mum. then my dad got about half a bath full and it stopped heating again.