Baxi Solo 2 PF 80 Boiler

[Andy_leeds]

Can anyone help? This boiler will not light unless you take off the front cover to get more air to the boiler or you hold a piece of cardboard over the flue for a few seconds which seems to build up pressure and forces the boiler to light.

Two separate heating engineers have looked at this boiler and the pressure switch has been changed, but this had no effect. It has been suggested that it could be the fan or a blocked flue or the circuit board not delivering voltage.

The electrode sparks with a good healthy spark every time and almost always there is a pilot light of varying strength that stays on for a few seconds but it does not light the boiler, unless you do either of the 2 things mentioned in the 1st paragraph, then it lights every time. The fan works and the boiler was last serviced only in the summer.

The boiler is 7 years old. Is is better just to replace it?

Any help or details of Baxi specialists in the West/North Yorkshire area who could look at the boiler would be very gratefully received

 

[DP]

Boiler service should have included removing fan. cleaning impellers, cleaning venturi, cleaning pilot and main injectors (as applicable). That is just the start. It carries on with gas rating the appliance and examning the burner for goof flame picture.

If you are having to open the sealed combustion chamber or alter the flow of flue gases by resctricting the flue, you are effecting the air to gas mix which is then igniting. That would seem to indicate the boiler has not been properly serviced.

How long did the service take?

 

[boilerbeasty]

Is the fan actually running at the start up of the boiler ? And are the fins the right shape, clean etc. Is the flue clean ?
Obviously starting to check air flow etc is wandering into CORGI country - be careful.

 

[Andy_leeds]

Thank you very much for your replies. The service was thorough, by a contractor that I know and trust. The fan does start ok but sometimes it is a bit noisy as if it is grating on the casing. If you spray it with WD40 and adjust the rubber mountings then it seems to spin smoothly.

 

[ollski]

Need a new fan, if it's grating on the case it's knackered anyway. The boiler should never start with the case off...that is the whole point of an air pressure switch, get the engineer who fitted it to come back and do it properly.

 

[galwag]

actually a lot of boilers can and do fire up without casing on but they certainly shouldnt if the fan is not running.
one example of this is the old potterton netaheat which if you remove the case will still fire up. The inner casing is under positive pressure.
This is why there has been a number of fatalities due to poor fitting casing or a missing or damaged case seal.