Boiler is banging and hissing - help please im freezing!!

[ianm55]

i have a potterton suprima 30, i got in from work tonight and my boiler had no power to the boiler itself or the box where you set the times, i checked the main fusebox and it had tripped my fuse, when i switched it on i had power to my setting box but not to my boiler, the earliest i can get a plumber in is tommorow but one of them i phoned said it could be my pcb, i changed the fuse in that and the boiler has came back on but it constantly keeps hissing and every now and again i get banging from it, does anyone have any idea what this could be?? any help is greatly appreciated

 

[corgiman]

either the pump has gone or it has run dry as it sounds like is boiling to me. Check to see if the pump is running, you should hear it. then check the small tank in the loft to see if has water in (only if the pump isnt running)

if the pump aint running and you have water in the system it may well be the PCB but before you muck around changing boards check with potterton that they wont do it for free for you

 

[ianm55]

thanks for the quick reply but im a novice at this, where do i find the pump and what does it look like?
also ive phoned potterton and they said i only had a 2 year guarantee which ran out before i moved in.

another thing, the central heating and hot water are both switched on, im getting hot water but my radiators aren't heating up

 

[corgiman]

Balls to that warrantee stuff

Go and see what watchdog have to say about the suprima

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/homes/homes_20070220.shtml

and then ring them again with your boilers serial number and ask them again whether they are going to change the PCB for free, whilst mentioning watch dog ALOT

the pump is (usually) a round red thing in the airing cupboard by the cylinder

 

[ianm55]

i've been in the airing cupboard and found a black plastic thing thats like a round shape with a flat bit with a switch on top, is this it? if it is its not making any noise or vibrating.
im getting hot water but my radiators are not warming up.
thanks for that watchdog link the robbing tw*ts!!

 

[corgiman]

if you are getting hot water then the pump is working, but you valve(s) may not.

can you see a valve where three pipes meet and has a plastic/metal box on it?

 

[ianm55]

is it any of these?

 

[corgiman]

see that white thing on its side in the first pic, its a myson/potterton powerhead and it needs to be replaced.

on the white head (in the grey area) is a groove with a tab like doings that you can over ride the valve into mid position (which will give you heating while the hot water cylinder needs heat)

just push the tab up and move it into that groove and let it spring back so that it locks

I hope this makes sense

 

[ianm55]

i've done that but i had to turn it off because it started banging really loudly, any ideas what the banging is and is it anything to worry about?

is that what you thinks wrong with it? how much would this cost to fix?

 

[corgiman]

can you hear the pump running? its that grey round thing

 

[ianm55]

ive turned the boiler off now cos it was banging that loudly but when it was on i couldn't hear it running

 

[patagonia]

I'm (obviously from my posts) not a heating engineer but we have a similar problem, except that we can't turn off our heating. I wonder if you have another motorised valve which governs the heating which has failed. Ours is near the boiler whereas the one governing the hot water is in the airing cupboard. It was the CH MV which was banging though at first we thought the banging was coming from the boiler. Unless of course the experts here have recognised a different type of valve in your airing cupboard from the picture. Hope your plumber turns up early tomorrow. We have to wait till next Wed. but at least we are warm.

 

[corgiman]

it wont be nothing to do0 with the Valve but the pump is at fault

and seeing as you are not very good at this type of stuff you will have to wait to see if the pump or the PCB needs replacing

 

[ianm55]

just had a call from the engineer and he's coming tomorow, thanks for your help!

 

[corgiman]

I am sorry I could not sort it remotely mate

lets us know the outcome