Blocked Heat Exchanger

[addey]

Hello all

The heat exchanger on my Potterton Prima is blocked - the air vents are solid with soot/crap. I have managed to clear many of the holes using pipe cleaners but there are far more that are still blocked! Is there any quick solution to clearing these blockages? Any chemical i can pour over the HE (bear in mind it is still in situ)?

The heating engineer who discovered the blockages suggested it was a pretty fruitless task and recommened replacing the HE (~£500) or new boiler. Any opinions?

Thanks....

 

[Agile]

Cleaning the combustion side of the heat exchanger shoule be done by a competent registered engineer. The forum rules and common sense do not permit us to give you detailed advice on this forum.

The most important aspect is to get sooted up there much have been a combustion fault and that will mean that the boiler is potentially extremely dangerous.

The advice is to get any work done by a registered gas engineer.

Its a pretty old boiler anyway and whilst still reliable they are due for replacement.

Tony

 

[Gasman77]

Leave the boiler off - primas can have rotted inner flues which will cause CO. Do not run it until an RGI has looked at it. You could kill yourself and your family

 

[addey]

Thanks for your replies

Sorry I should have clarified that the guy who came on Friday is gas safe and I have no intention of running the boiler! The fact that most if it is in pieces on the floor kind of limits that option.....

I said i would have a go at clearing it over the weekend whilst deciding whether to fix/replace - I was kind of hoping to get it clear, then subject to his inspection get it up and running again. However that is looking increasingly less likely.

So my options are fix (new heat exchanger) or replace. Would i be throwing money away by fixing? i.e. will something else go wrong in the near future? To my untrained eye, the internals don't look great (corrosion etc.)......

 

[Agile]

For less than £500 you can get a cheap new condensing boiler!

Of course there may be fitting costs.

To clean off soot you can often burn it off with a gas blowlamp.

But has the RGI identified the underlying combustion fault?

Tony

 

[Whitespirit66]

Of course there may be fitting costs.
Tony

Surely, you're not suggesting that fitting costs are optional, and that he goes the DIY route to avoid them??

Shame on you Mr Glazier!

 

[Gasman77]

Agile what do mean there may be fitting costs?? course there will be!!

Or do you fit them for free?

 

[thefloosyonthebeach]

heat ex sooted? Is it a CF? Well, youve not had it serviced have you?

Do you have an 09 plate sitting in your garage?

 

[addey]

heat ex sooted? Is it a CF? Well, youve not had it serviced have you?

Do you have an 09 plate sitting in your garage?

For your information I only bought the property in December. Funnily enough the previous owners had a British Gas contract and supposedly have had it serviced......

Do you have anything constructive to add that might help me out rather than making judgements based on a couple of forum posts?

 

[petit_pablo]

The boiler can soot up in a matter of days/weeks. Its why its sooted up that badly thats the issue, unfortunately it may not be obvious until the boiler is operational again

 

[Agile]

Thats why it needs the RGI to recommission it.

With the particular objective of identifying the combustion fault before it blocks again.

I have only seen fanned primas! Did they make open flued versions?

A local secondhand furniture place had five new fanned Primas at £100 each a few years ago shortly after condensing boilers became necessary.

Tony

 

[petit_pablo]

I have only seen fanned primas! Did they make open flued versions?


Tony

Dont think there is a CF version.

 

[addey]

He didn't really seem to know why it had become blocked up - what are the likely scenarios? He said that he's never seen one so bad before though... Hardly any heat was getting through, yet the front panel of the boiler was too hot to touch after being on for less than 2 minutes!

I'm becoming resigned to a new boiler though. Whereabouts in London are you Tony? I'm very interested in your "there may be fitting costs" quote

What should i be looking for in a new boiler? And what extras should be included in the installation e.g. powerflush of rads etc.?

 

[thefloosyonthebeach]

I have only seen fanned primas! Did they make open flued versions?


Tony

Dont think there is a CF version.

They do, and its listed here as a band G boiler.
http://www.electricityprices.org.uk/category-g-boilers-rating-list/

Ive not seen many but I service the F, the B & the CF versions.

 

[petit_pablo]

I can only see the prima B on that list.

In terms of scrappage that list is poor its got classic FFs on it. Theres no way any FF classic is band G