Help! Boiler has broken Christmas week!

[Aquaman]

It's the Big Freeze, and Christmas week and what happens last night....my boiler goes down!! Can anyoone suggest what it might be before I try and find an engineer today.

It's a 4 yr old Worcester Bosch 28i junior combi, yesterday I noticed the house was very hot and when I went to the boiler it was making a sound like boiling water in a kettle, it's never sounded like that. So I turned it off by via the wireless thermostat.

3 or 4 hours when I tried to turn it on it starts by making the same noise, and then makes a horrible booming type noise before the reset button starts flashing and it stops. Pressing the reset does nothing and it does exactly the same thing after pressing. So that is what happens when you thy to heat the rads. Trying the hot water it is very slow but eventually gets luke warm.

Can anyone please advise on what could be wrong.....and an estimate of how much money I'm about to lose! that's if I can find someone to come out!

Thanks in advance!

 

[YELLERBELLY]

Have you checked your system pressure?

 

[Aquaman]

Yep, the pressure a had dropped a little but I refilled it to recommend mark

 

[YELLERBELLY]

Better get on the phone then

 

[xr4x4]

have you checked the pumps running?

 

[Aquaman]

have you checked the pumps running?

Wouldn't know how too!
The first person I called said it could be a frozen condensate pipe? Could this be the case from these symptoms?

 

[morlomanc]

yes as previous check pump, also is it a steamer? check condense.

 

[Aquaman]

yes as previous check pump, also is it a steamer? check condense.

After pouring boiling water on the plastic condensate pipe outside it has got a slow dribble of water exiting the pipe....could I have found the prob?

If not what do you mean by quote "as previous check pump"

 

[xr4x4]

have you checked the pumps running?

Wouldn't know how too!
The first person I called said it could be a frozen condensate pipe? Could this be the case from these symptoms?

as its bloodly freezing, it could be the condensate.

pump should be inside boiler.

 

[spirovent]

it will be the condensate pipe freezin up if it was bubbling like a kettle, get the hair dryer on it inside and hotwater on the outside, its the white plastic pipe which runs outside

 

[morlomanc]

is the noise as its shutting down like a gurgling noise? then its the condense not getting away from the trap in the boiler. the pipe outside what diameter? is it lagged if its overflow? but if the noise is a clanging/banging sound then the waters not getting away from the boiler. try undoing large screw in center of pump inside boiler, there should be some water escape so have bowl ready and protect electrics- and hold a small driver against the motor to see if its actually moving when the boilers calling

 

[Aquaman]

Thanks for your help.......i'm checking the condensate pipe which is the white 22mm pipe....there is quite a length of it outside (about 50cm) and every time I pour boiling water over it some water exits at the other end. I have the front of the boiler off so I am going to try a few more kettles of water on the pipe then try turning the boiler on again. Just above where the condensate pipe enters the boiler there is a see through box with clear pipes visable inside....Is this where I should watch when testing again?

 

[morlomanc]

try and ensure its completely free, and then either upgrade to 1.25/ 1.5 or make sure its well lagged if leaving the overflow. although with this very cold snap i,ve been to some where even 2 inch has been frozen!

 

[Aquaman]

try and ensure its completely free, and then either upgrade to 1.25/ 1.5 or make sure its well lagged if leaving the overflow. although with this very cold snap i,ve been to some where even 2 inch has been frozen!

In the clear box above where the condensate pipe enters the boiler there is about 10cm of water......should this box be empty and therefore proving the point the pipe is frozen?

 

[morlomanc]

no its a trap so it should always have water in it. indeed when its first installed we need to fill it to m.i before fitting it in the boiler