Boiler only works when it feels like it.

[DonnyMark]

Hi, I hope someone can help.

I have a Ideal Classic boiler (not combi and not the de-lux with the glass front) in my house which has worked fine for the 4 years i've been in the house. Up until about 4 weeks ago that is when it stopped working. About 2 weeks before it stopped it was making some strange noises (sounded like metal rubbing against itself) but i didn't think it too out of the ordinary as our pipes make some noise on occasion anyway, then it stopped working.. I got a Plumber out who replaced the Fan at a cost of £280 and it worked great for about 2 - 3 days then it stopped again.
This is where it gets strange!!
The boiler is now doing the same as when the fan went i.e, there is power to the boiler but it is not trying to fire, the pump is running constantly and working fine. If i wobble the boiler very slightly it clicks and fires and works as it should for about 5-10 mins then goes back to its original state of no fire in the boiler at all but the pump and everything else still pumping. If I go back and wobble it slightly again it will fire and go through this cycle again. (it also fires ok if i turn all the power to the boiler off and go through the 'light the boiler cycle' then goes out after 5-10 mins as mentioned before)
After i have got it going like this a few times and it has gone out it will sometimes re-light itself and work as it should for a while and warm the house and hot water up for a few hours (in the evening for example) but then the house will be cold again in the morning as it has stopped firing itself but the pump is still running

I got the plumber out who changed the fan and he said i need to replece the boiler and it will cost £1800. This seems like a ok price to change the boiler but as my house is up for sale i dont really want to spend this kind of money if i can help it, especially as i just spent £280 on it.

I had a brief conversation with someone corgi registered and he said it could be the Stat! does he mean a thermostat in the boiler?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[gas4you]

Are you saying that you cannot hear the fan spinning when it won't fire?

Are you sure he fitted a new fan, an original Ideal part?

Him saying you need a new boiler sounds a load of hogwash to me and at £280 for a fan change to me it sounds like a rip off.

I'm quite expensive with my repairs, but using a genuine Ideal part would only have cost £220, with a full 12 month warranty on parts and installation.

 

[ajstoneservices]

If i wobble the boiler very slightly it clicks and fires and works

.

Loose connection.

 

[DonnyMark]

Thanks Dave,

The fan isnt spinning when it wont fire. The boiler isnt doing anything at that stage, there is a orange light coming from behind the part of the boiler with the on/off switch and the conrtol knob on it, thats how i know there is power to it but it's not making any attempt to fire.

cheers

 

[gas4you]

I would want to check for 240VAC at the fan terminals, and if it is there get him back to change the fan.

In your case I would advise calling him back straightaway instead of checking it yourself, as this involves removing the case, a RGI job on your boiler.

 

[DonnyMark]

Thanks to both of you for you help.

Dave, i'm not 100% sure it was a Ideal part.

I think i'll take your advice and get him out to look at the fan/connections.

 

[gas4you]

You should do, you have paid an awful lot of good money for something that at present is useless

 

[Agile]

It sounds as if the PCB may be faulty.

Was there anything actually wrong with the old fan when he changed it?

Tony

 

[DonnyMark]

Although when he came out last and told me i needed a new boiler he didnt even look inside the boiler or take the front casing off to investigate, so i have lost faith in him a bit

 

[DonnyMark]

I think so Tony, when he turned it before he changed it, it made some noises that didn't sound good. But as im no plumber he could have been fooling me.

 

[gas4you]

If he is genuine, he won't mind you calling and explaining his repair hasn't worked. It can happn to us all at times. It's the way one reacts to the customer that sets the genuine engineers apart from the useless chancers and rogues.

 

[DonnyMark]

Dave,
Thats why ive lost faith in him really. When i originally called him to say it wasn't working as it should, he told me i needed a new one and quoted me £1800 to fit it. He didn't even take the cover off the boiler to investigate why it wasn't working.

 

[gas4you]

Dave,
Thats why ive lost faith in him really. When i originally called him to say it wasn't working as it should, he told me i needed a new one and quoted me £1800 to fit it. He didn't even take the cover off the boiler to investigate why it wasn't working.

A definite chancer and a rogue in my book then

I could never treat a customer like that after spending all that money with me

Sorry you've had such a bad experience

 

[ajstoneservices]

About 2 weeks before it stopped it was making some strange noises (sounded like metal rubbing against itself)

.

Sounds like the fan to me.

The boiler is now doing the same as when the fan went

.

Making a noise?.

If I go back and wobble it slightly again it will fire and go through this cycle again.

.

Sounds like you have a loose connection.

 

[DonnyMark]

Sorry, no not making a noise. I meant that the boiler is now doing nothing, not even trying to fire unless i wobble it slightly or go through the re-light sequence, as it was after the fan had gone completely. It only made a noise before it stopped working.