Fuse blowing intermittantly procombi a 32

[paulsd]

hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

Am currently having issues with a Vokera Procombi A 32.
After last weeks heavy rains and winds our boiler cut out, it turns out it was rainwater coming down the flue and had got the fan wet subsequently killing it in the process.
Had the fan replaced for new, rather than have it reconditioned/repaired as the guy who fixes them tells me that the repairs are not always successful and that recently guys had been bringing repaired fans back to the shop as they were breaking down again after being repaired.

Now the original fault on the boiler was no lcd display, and the fuse that I replaced was blowing straight away, in seconds.( the fuse is the 3.15amp fuse, thats after the incoming fuse spur but before the two on the pcb)
The flue was altered accordingly and re-weathered to hopefully prevent this problem happening again, also a plastic sheild was placed above the fan as a precautionary step incase water ever did get in again.

So fan fitted and everything working o.k.
After between 24-48 hours later the boiler cuts out again, same problem no lcd display.

So I check the fan fully expecting to have had water all over it, but there was`nt, it was completely dry. ( bearing in mind there was heavy wind and rain at the time )
So I check the same fuse and its blown, I replace that fuse and the boiler starts just fine.
But after a few hours the boiler cuts out again, same problem.
In my eyes it feels as if the guy from spares place has sold me a reconditioned fan and palmed it off as a new one, its broken down in the same time frame as the repair guy had said it would had it been repaired.

There are a few other mitigating circumstances that may or may not be relevant.
One time when the boiler blew a fuse it left a charred black sooty mark on what I believe to be the spark electrode( or possibly the condensate level sensor ) and on that particular ` blow ` it also seemed as though a lead that runs to the ignition transformer had soot markings on also ( a copper metal lead that has a clear pvc sheath along it )

Also probably unrelated but I had to re-pressurise the boiler probably 12 months ago and just recently the pressure seemed a little low, probably just over 0.5 bar maybe 0.75 bar.( when cold )

I would greatly appreciate any help. I take it my next step is to check polarity/resistance of the pump or fan perhaps?
P.s the pump seems to be working fine when the boiler is running.
Thanks people.

 

[Blagard]

No, your next step is to call in a qualified heating engineer to sort it out - definitely not the same one as before.

 

[paulsd]

Why, what has he done so badly, or is it a case of what has he done right?

 

[JBPHS]

As Blagard said above, you need to call out a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Observe Rule 10 of this site.

James.

 

[Agile]

The blowing fuse is most likely to be caused by the pump.

However, you seem very content at touching any part of the boiler whereas you should only be accessing safe areas which do not involve gas/combustion aspects such as the fan.

Get an engineer!

Tony

 

[paulsd]

Well to be honest, I thought you could maintain replace anypart that is`nt the gasvalve or running gas pipe, also some of those rules don`t apply if you are the homeowner. (Perhaps the combustiin chamber should`nt be accessed either)
I`m not here to teach you guys to suck eggs and tell you what I can and can`t touch, because you obviously know alot more than me, but it would be devastating to have to pay out perhaps 200-300 quid when its probably something small that I have missed( or perhaps the fan is knackered).
There is no money in the household at the moment, and potentialy that money needed to pag for the works would come from a loan shark which I don`t wanna do, we are all massively overdrawn and struggling for work( I know, I speak for half the country when I say this.)
I am not out to harm or kill anyone, and would certainly not risk something. just to save a few hundred quid, but we have spent out alot.

Tony, the pump seems to be running fine, but the whole system is blowing a fuse after a few hours.

No money, no heating, no hot water. ******, perhaps I should`nt have started the thing in the first place.

 

[JBPHS]

Understand what your saying mate. But a boiler is classed as a 'gas fitting'. There are certain tests that must be carried out by a competent person after any work on any gas appliance has been completed.

You may not be aware that Gas Safe engineers are kept up to date with Safety Alerts that arise after appliances have made it onto the UK market. Some of these can be electrical components that effect the safety of the appliance.

I hope you now understand the importance of a Gas Safe registered engineer working on your boiler. Chances are that it's a simple problem, but without an engineers knowledge, you may not know what to look out for.

James.

 

[Agile]

You could connect the pump to an external supply with a three amp fuse and see what happens then.

You still have 3333333-4 hours heating.

Why do people think boiler repairs will cost £200-£300 ?

I would charge my fixed diagnostic fee and the cost of the new pump ( or other faulty part ). Usually well under £200

Tony

 

[paulsd]

The further this saga goes on the I am starting to realise that yes, I have been careless in the way I have gone about things, I do understand that James- especially were you talked about the warning updates that gas safe issue when boilers/parts become liable to breakdown, I will never be able to access that information because Im just not gas safe registered.
The most disturbing thing is, the answer could be sitting there staring me in the face- and I just would`nt know it.
The trouble is I get stubborn, because I have done fifteen years in plumbing, I think I can take anything on- but in reality it just does`nt work like that.....its illegal!

Have just spoke to the guy that sold me the fan and he is adament it was a new fan tha. It he sold me, which is fair enough because it did look like it was new.
Have also spoken to Vokera and they seem to think that there seems to be a power surge somewhere after I explained about the charring on the ignition electrode and he then seems to think the ignition transformer needs changing and there was no possible test I could do on the multimeter to check for proper functioning.
Basically his advice was what I have been hearing all along, that I need to get one of their engineers out to sort it ( as far as I know, 250 quid, probably plus vat, flat fee to fix the boiler no matter how many parts it needs, within reason.)
One more thing I left out but is probably crucially important, on the left hand side of the combustion chamber there is a metal clip that holds the flue gas thermostat onto the plastic boxing that carries flue gases and codensate to and from the heat exchanger, that clip has obviously got hot and melted a small hole in the plastic flue, the leak has then dropped down out of the CC and wetted wires close to the pcb.
Now I assumed this had caused water to get to the pcb cutting the fuse out. My reckoning was the water had dried out, thats why the boiler fired up after I put a new fuse in it, so that stood out as my new

 

[Agile]

The more you tell us the more dangerous you sound!

Get an RGI asap.

A good independent should be a fraction of the cost of the manufacturer.

I have no reason the blame the new fan so don't know why the last chap cannot be called again.

Tony

 

[paulsd]

Continued* that needed rectifying to get it up and running again. There was water dripping out of the bottom of the CC so it definitely needed sorting, the pcb was`nt actually wet but the wires close to it were, I figured some had dried out.
So, to fix this new leak, I turned the clip 180 degrees and smeared a big dollop of LSX in the hole and also smeared some around the pipe, that enters the combustion chamber and this seemed to stop the leak and in my mind fix the boiler for good.
Obviously applying lsx like that is probably bad practice( feel free to shoot me down ).
The guy from Vokera seems to think that the plastic flue liner needs replacing.
Anyhow like I mentioned earlier after a few hours the boiler cut out again.

The thing is Tony surely the chances of the fan and pump going at the same time are slim, I knew the fan had gone because I saw the water damage and this was confirmed by the guy at the spares place.
If I was to run a live to the pump then it would either not start at all, meaning the impellars are knackered or the motor had blown on it, I mean what would cause it to run for a while then blow?
Some of the symptoms now are pointing to some sort of overheat limit stat somewhere but I really am ****img in the wind now.

I will definitely be calling in a gas safe guy now, thats for sure- but the problem is which makes more sense financially and logically?
I could pay £250 (probably plus vat) and have a four year old boiler fixed by Vokera`s engineers.
I could call a local guy, and realistically expect to pay in excess of £150 and hope that the possible new parts required are cheaper ones.
Or perhaps have the boiler replaced, bearing in mind the boiler to buy, was around £450 and has already had over £300 chucked at it.
Of course all of this is brought into perspective when I realise I don`t have the money to pay for it, at all.

I now realise that the £300 already spent should of been used to pay for Vokera`s engineers to come out and sort it in the first place, ******.