How to restart boiler - damsel in distress

[Roger465]

My girlfriend has lost her hot water and heating. The timer is on ok; it's a combi boiler, and the hot tap is full on, but it doesn't fire up.

Apparently last time somebody reset it for her, but I don't know how... can anybody tell anything from this pic, or is it a plumber job?

Thanks

 

[Roger465]

Actually... is that mains power light off? At the top left of the picture?

 

[ianmcd]

Circled in Blue, these are re-settble overheat thermostats, press both , if either clicks when you press it the boiler will come back on

 

[Roger465]

Circled in Blue, these are re-settble overheat thermostats, press both , if either clicks when you press it the boiler will come back on

You know, I saw those and did wonder... they both seem kinda permanently pushed up inside, so maybe knackered..?

I'll give them a rattle though... thanks very much

 

[Madrab]

They usually only pop out when they trip, normally they're loose and can stay up inside the switch.

 

[Roger465]

Thanks guys... OK back at me computer now, very hard to do things on the phone I find.

Right - of the two red thingies, the one on the right is just a blanking plug; the one on the left moves in and out freely. I gave it a shove anyway, but nothing happened.

I concluded that the recessed button on the red burner might be the reset switch, so I gave it a long press, but nothing.

I'm guessing it's plumber time? I read somewhere that these could only be reset a couple of times with the button, after that it had to be done using diagnostics or something - and it has apparently been reset before, so could that be it?

Real pain arranging a plumber, as there's noboy there during the day... any final suggestions before we get him in?

Oh, and the oil tank's nearly full.

Cheers

 

[Roger465]

Just remembered the smae thing happened to my parents' boiler (same model I think) last winter, and from memory some photovoltaic cell had sooted up from the burner running a bit on the rich side... OK, thanks everybody, but she's going to phone the plumber 1st thing tomorrow.

Turns out it's 2 years since it was serviced but her flat is small and warm, so it doesn't get massively used...

Will report back as always

 

[oilboffin]

A warmflow boiler check for a pressure switch.Bob

 

[Roger465]

A warmflow boiler check for a pressure switch.Bob

Thanks Bob - do you mean the water pressure as shown on the little gauge? I thought that was a little low, so let a small amount of water in to take it up to just above 1 bar (cold).

But the control panel has two lights lit… the bottom two in the photo, though the one up from the bottom doesn't really show in my photo. I found the manual online, and it seems to suggest those are the low pressure and burner lockout warning lamps – do I need to let even more water in? What would happen if I let too much in – is there any way of letting it out again?

Thanks

 

[Roger465]

Is this the pressure you mean?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Pressure is over 1 bar, should be ample for the boiler to run. Problem lies somewhere else I suspect.

 

[dilalio]

Thanks Bob - do you mean the water pressure as shown on the little gauge? I thought that was a little low, so let a small amount of water in to take it up to just above 1 bar (cold).

No. Bob is referring to an internal pressure switch... Within the boiler.

 

[Roger465]

No. Bob is referring to an internal pressure switch... Within the boiler.

Ah right. Well I think I've done what little I can here, so I've told her to phone the plumber this morning... will report back!

 

[oilboffin]

Hey ho pressure needs to be higher on a warmflow needs to be over 1.5bar and these switches jam for a hobby terrible things.Bob

 

[oilboffin]

Another fault is the expansion hose gets blocked and you read the gauge and it shows pressure but the pressure isn't in the boiler as the hose is blocked.Bob