Need some advice re our boiler

[Theresa]

Hi guys,

We just had this boiler installed before Christmas by the landlord (after a lot of hoo-hah and trouble I might add).

For the last few weeks there has been a rather stinky smell in the house, confined to the kitchen and bathroom mainly (Boiler is located in bathroom).

Today, my fiance mentioned he could smell the stinky smell near the boiler cupboard and so I opened it to look at the boiler, make sure it was running ok etc. The pressure gauge is on '0', now reading the little bit of info on the lid it says it should be between 2 and 3 and that 0 might indicate a leak in the system somewhere - could this be the reason for the smell?

The smell varies between a stagnant water/drain smell and a really pungent smell of rotten eggs/sulphur.

This is a new boiler, so the landlord will be raging if it needs something done to it. I don't have the heating on at the moment, I have it set on the thermostat to like 5 degrees, which is the automatic setting for the thermostat just to stop pipes freezing - don't know if that would affect the pressure?

Any advice would be great, do I just try to re-pressurize it or do I get the plumber out for a potential leak somewhere??

The boiler is a: Worcester Greenstar 30i ErP Condensing Combi Boiler.

Many thanks in advance guys!

 

[SimonG]

Put up some photos of the boiler and pipework. Could be an issue with the condensate piping.

 

[Theresa]

Hopefully these upload ok, if not I'll try another way. It all looks quite dry in there! Smell seems to be just after running hot water though, showering for example and when I do the dishes?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Last pic white pipe can you take a better pic at the bottom (of the hole in the floor ) please

 

[SimonG]

Do you know where that white pipe ends?

 

[Chalked]

Is it next to a shower, or bath?

If so, the bath/shower is leaking and mat be the cause of your smell. Call of the landlords plumber to sort the boiler ( unrelated to smell) and the leaky bath/ shower.

 

[Theresa]

I've lifted that bit of chip-board flooring and had a look. There are a lot of pipes all in grey protective foam, and below that it looks pretty damn wet down there, although no overpowering smells or anything.

as to where the white pipe ends, it might be outside the house? There are two pipes on the back side of the house but in terms of whether they are this pipe or not I can't be certain. One is bent like a shephard's crook, the other is just a little white pipe poking out a few inches.

Also - apologies for the dead Jenny there, I wish I could feel sympathy for the little mite but I cannot stand them and so ain't even touching it to move it

 

[SimonG]

Last pic white pipe can you take a better pic at the bottom (of the hole in the floor ) please

Aye. Can't quite make it out. Can see a grey waste fitting, but can't see if its bunged or just left open.

 

[Theresa]

The boiler is next to the shower, but the smell is also in the kitchen - that is next door to the bathroom though. I resealed the shower recently, but could it be a leak from the drain or something?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Is that just earth down there (under the floor ) and any chance of seeing if you could get a pic of the termination of the White pipe into the waste ?? ( white tee) Thanks

 

[SimonG]

That all looks really wet under there. Could have disturbed something when fitting condensate.

Looks very similar to a bungalow that had a smelly bathroom. The shower waste was off and dumping straight into the subfloor.

 

[Chalked]

Looks like a waste pipe is discharging straight under the floor,! Shouldn't be that wet under there.

 

[Theresa]

It looks like it might be concrete and leaves (Where they have come from I'll never know) at the bottom. The termination of that white pipe goes into a grey one that goes two ways (one way would appear to lead into the kitchen as that is the next room and the other room where the smell comes by the way). I've been outside the house as there is a cubby hole just under the kitchen with a door, but the wall of this ends with the kitchen wall so I can't see backwards into the bathroom, and by the looks of it there's no way to really get a closer look.

The position of the boiler is inside a cupboard in the bathroom that is raised, so I can't reach down far enough to get the grey foam off the pipers for a better look.

What I will say is if that grey pipe leads somehow through the kitchen, in this cubby hole under the house there is a pool of water we assumed was from flooding in Feb time - I don't know if that gives you any clues. I did get as close as I could without falling in! Once my fiance is home he can give it a go as he is much taller than me (6ft 5 compared to my 5ft 2!)





The white pipe terminates into that lighter grew one that looks like it has two screw ends on either side.

 

[Dotty]

I think you might need a small skinny plumber who's not afraid of squishy dead things to go down there and have a look.

Whereabouts are you, Theresa?

 

[Theresa]

I live in Castle Douglas in Scotland - and skinny plumbers are pretty rare around here! The landlord is supposed to be coming up in a week or so, I could always suggest she takes a dive down there seeing as she is so reluctant to pay for a plumber

 

[Dotty]

I live in Castle Douglas in Scotland - and skinny plumbers are pretty rare around here! The landlord is supposed to be coming up in a week or so, I could always suggest she takes a dive down there seeing as she is so reluctant to pay for a plumber

By the looks of things she might need a snorkel!

Not sure we've any one near you, skinny or otherwise.

There's a couple of us over here in Northern Ireland but I think the callout fee would be eyewatering......

 

[Theresa]

Haha probably! Although it would be worth it just to get the Irish accent (Which I love!). Thanks very much guys, you've let me know it's a plumber job which is what I wanted to know before I approach our landlord with it.

There have always been problems with the central heating in this house. Our last boiler did not hold pressure either and I am anxious now it could actually be an issue with the whole central heating system. Since moving in we've also been told the whole house needs rewired in terms of electrics as well so it wouldn't surprise me if there was also a new central heating system needed!

As I said she is coming up herself in a week, so I will show her the subfloor and the smell which is now sitting in the bathroom this morning and she can decide herself what she wants to do. In the meantime - I think me and my family had best start looking for a better and cheaper private let, considering we pay £700 a month for the pleasure of living here and there has been no ends of problems from the start!

I really appreciate all your help though, if it had been something we could fix ourselves we would have! <3 <3