Makes u wander who designed that tho bloody stupid...
Boiler Fault Finding & Repair / sources/courses?
- Thread starter StevenJD
- Start date
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I never get round to doing most of the things on my list.
But I have often thought that a handy pocket book listing all the popular older boilers with brief details of their MO and examples of their common faults might be popular with engineers?
Probably one of the things that would not sell well because the trend is to replace rather than repair. Not because anything is not possible to repair but replacing a boiler is more lucrative for the engineer.
Tony
But I have often thought that a handy pocket book listing all the popular older boilers with brief details of their MO and examples of their common faults might be popular with engineers?
Probably one of the things that would not sell well because the trend is to replace rather than repair. Not because anything is not possible to repair but replacing a boiler is more lucrative for the engineer.
Tony
H
holty
.except for the divertor valves now and again.and the problem were on about. i still think they run rings round the newer models.great boiler to work on.
H
holty
have to disagree on that bit, in some circumstances.i will always try and repair. yet when you go to a boiler that has been placed on a bad system,and chucked in.you do begin to wander is it worth it.example 4 year old isar.main heat ex had gone.basically customer is looking at around 4-600 repair bill.is it then worth it for such a crap boiler.certain boilers i will still keep alive,e.g baxi bermudas,vaillants etc. but some aint just worth it.
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No of course there are some models which are just unreliable like the Sonya Duvals, Suprimas and Potty Envoys.
On the other hand there are some of the older combis like the vaillant Sine 18 and the Ideal Sprint which still work very well and are well worth repairing if you can get the parts.
My first choice is to repair in every case. Thats cheaper for the customer and greener for the planet.
Tomorrow I am going to repair a Sine 18 which British Gas have given up on in spite of their maintenance contract.
Tony
On the other hand there are some of the older combis like the vaillant Sine 18 and the Ideal Sprint which still work very well and are well worth repairing if you can get the parts.
My first choice is to repair in every case. Thats cheaper for the customer and greener for the planet.
Tomorrow I am going to repair a Sine 18 which British Gas have given up on in spite of their maintenance contract.
Tony
Yep those are the 3 I saw on their website. I would likemto attend all 3 of them, I think you have to do them in that order anyway.
I'd like to get my hands on a few old boilers (as suggested in a post I searched) so I can take them apart, get to study the parts, get the feel of them, etc.. does anyone know where you can pick up old boilers/combi's from?
Just follow the ropey Transit pickups and Nissan Cabstars with the ****** in the front. They can sniff out a scrap boiler from about 25 miles, and steal it from under your feet.
Seriously, they have quite a good scrap value at the moment so no one is giving them away.
Seriously, they have quite a good scrap value at the moment so no one is giving them away.
steven i got a spare boiler tfrom my mates i went through the exams with. one works for eon and he installs, i think he sells his others to an old boy he knows for £25 each.
but old boilers and new are on ebay every day, just set the preference "nearest distance" on your choices, so you are not going so far
but old boilers and new are on ebay every day, just set the preference "nearest distance" on your choices, so you are not going so far
D
Deleted member 105431
MR.COMBI has a very bad reputation in my area, I wouldn't touch him with a bargepole.
The baxi courses are excellent however and they won't sell you an overpriced multimeter or a tacky dvd.
"Those who can't; teach."
The baxi courses are excellent however and they won't sell you an overpriced multimeter or a tacky dvd.
"Those who can't; teach."
I have no idea whether Mr Combi teaches a good course or not but I doubt that a one day course could deliver any really indepth knowledge of fault finding on a wide range of boilers. As others have said, it takes time and experience to learn about fault finding and repair. The best way, IMHO is to take different manufacturer's courses and learn their unique systems, one at a time.
Of course some of the knowledge does transfer and is pretty general but a one day course can only give you general knowledge really. Perhaps thats where some of the negative comments have originated from, because installers expected in-depth knowledge and already knew the basics.
As with most things in life, there are no quick fixes. If you want to really learn, it will take time and effort. Vaillant's courses have always been very good. Viesmann's course was also worthwhile. For those who are a little unsure, a basic course on the use of a multi meter is worth its weight in gold and will save you hours of head scratching!
Of course some of the knowledge does transfer and is pretty general but a one day course can only give you general knowledge really. Perhaps thats where some of the negative comments have originated from, because installers expected in-depth knowledge and already knew the basics.
As with most things in life, there are no quick fixes. If you want to really learn, it will take time and effort. Vaillant's courses have always been very good. Viesmann's course was also worthwhile. For those who are a little unsure, a basic course on the use of a multi meter is worth its weight in gold and will save you hours of head scratching!
Seems a strange request from a qualified gasman mate, are you not working at the moment? The best way to learn how to faultfind is clearly by doing a course. You can only get basics there though.
By far you will improve your competence level by actually going out and doing it for real; make your mistakes; you'll misdiagnose etc but thats what experience is. I think if you are not actually working then approach a company and ask if you could shadow someone for experience. Dunno if they would ever let you but it is worth a try.
Good luck
By far you will improve your competence level by actually going out and doing it for real; make your mistakes; you'll misdiagnose etc but thats what experience is. I think if you are not actually working then approach a company and ask if you could shadow someone for experience. Dunno if they would ever let you but it is worth a try.
Good luck
D
DeltaT
100% agree with you GreenCat
I have watched people's comments on this course and some others and tried to come to a conclusion why they have not been perceived by many as very helpful.
The bigest problem appears to be that they are promoted as going to teach people in one day how to repair boilers regardless of their past experience and technical background. I am very lucky because my background is of a wide ranging technical nature with a concentration on electronics.
Most of the people going on that course either dont know how to use a multimeter or think they will learn in 30 minutes. The reality is that a full understanding of basic electronics and Ohms Laws is needed just to be able to establish what tests can be done and most importantly what readings obtained actually mean. Most would need a full day to learn what they need to know.
In one day I could teach anyone with an electronics background pretty well how to repair a standard cpmbi boiler like a Performa. Not much longer to add the combustion aspects of a premix boiler because they would already understand pulse driven motors and Hall effect speed indicators but they would lack the gas aspects and that would be a new experience for them.
There is a simple question which anyone would need to be able to answer if they are going to fully understand boiler operation. If the Performa fan has a resistance of 48 Ohms then what current will be taken when 230vac is applied to it.
There is more to repairing boilers than just changing parts!
Tony
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