Keston C36 leaking flue

[rwb]

The flue pipe assembly on the inside of the boiler is leaking around the rubber connectors top and bottom. All the internal cables etc are clear of the leak and the water is collected in a jug under the boiler.

This is due to a previous leak (now fixed) when the boiler was installed - from the flue outlet connection on the top of the boiler - and the leaking condensate ran back down the outside of the flue pipe and corroded the jubilee clips around the rubber connections.

Three of the clips have been replaced but one of them (top, nearest boiler top) just doesn't seem to make the connection watertight - maybe I have overtightened or damaged the rubber, anyway a steady drip of condensate from here.

The fourth jubilee clip at the bottom of the flue pipe I got off Ok, well it disintegrated but I can't get a replacement down past the rubber seal and into position because there doesn't seem enough space and it is awkward getting access to work in that area.

So my questions are - any ideas on sealing the existing pipe connections to stop them leaking?

If I replace the whole internal flue assembly will I have the same difficulty with that bottom connection?

How much should I expect to pay to have the flue replaced by a corgi engineer.

Any help on this will be greatly appreciated.

rwb

 

[gavinda]

iirc this flue is integral to the heat exhchanger and must be replaced as a whole unit. Quality design . even worse iove had three of my customers co detectors trigger due to this fault. personally id suggest calling it quitsb with the keston and buying something safe and reliable. like a worcester.

 

[rwb]

Gavinda, if it weren't for the fact that the boiler was only 2.5 years old I certainly would consider replacing it as you say. However I have to live in hope that I might get a few more years out of it. In the meantime I'd be interested to know if you have any direct experience with this model and could you shed some light on the questions I asked earlier.

rwb.

 

[gavinda]

not got my work laptop running now.... ill have a look and see if im familiar with this tomorrow and will let you know any further ideas i have. in the mean time im sure another knowledgable bod will be along.

 

[Agile]

Luckily I have not dealt with this particular problem myself yet.

However it seems tho be a common problem that the flue hose disintergrates and needs to be replaced with the new improved version.

As far as I am aware this is totally replaceable and a task that is needed on most boilers at about 2-3 years.

Tony

 

[gavinda]

oh... is this the one with the corrogated flue hose... but i thought that was only on the inlet. and as condense is isvilved i presumed it was an outlet problem, hence comment about co detector . should have said turn the damn thing off but fuzzy head forgot

 

[Mymonkeylovin]

Best thing you can do with the boiler is throw it away. How Keston keep going is a mystery to me. Have had the same issues with mine and that is only three years old. Take the case off and it looks 15 years old. Have the same issues with customers of mine with them. I always advise a BG contract. Takes the pain away of big repair bills! Agree with gavinda, worcester is the way forward. Will cost you less in the long run.

 

[gavinda]

ive actually been working on a keston thats 8 years old last week? its had a new heat exchanger , all new stats. a new burner . an new pcb. new air filter.and a fan. its triggers bloody broom . yes im a bg 'parts changer' but all these faults occured seperately. my customer is very pleased he's on a contract. my manager however is not .

 

[rwb]

oh... is this the one with the corrogated flue hose... but i thought that was only on the inlet. and as condense is isvilved i presumed it was an outlet problem, hence comment about co detector . should have said turn the damn thing off but fuzzy head forgot

Gavinda, the flue hose doesn't look like a corrugated one. There is a rubber joiner to the flue outlet at the bottom of the heat exchanger connecting a pipe which goes up nearly to the top of the boiler where there is another rubber joiner connecting the pipe to the flue outlet on the top of the boiler.

It is this pipe assembly that is causing the problem. The rubber joiners are attached using jubilee clips and it seems as if they are not creating a proper seal in 1 possibly 2 places. I don't want to tighten them any further for fear of causing more damage. I think also one of the rubber joiners may have a small split or hole, difficult to see.

The boiler is working fine and the leaking water is not risking any cables or connections, but neatly runs into a jug below the boiler.

I have seen some info on various pastes and sprays that seal leaking pipes and wondered if anyone has any experience of any that actually work, even if it is only temporary.

thanks fo all help so far, rwb

 

[gavinda]

i really must say STOP. this water is products of combustion. whatyou cant see is the carbon monoxide that may be leaking as well. get someone suitably qualified to look at this asap. dont wanna read about you in the paper. .

 

[twgas]

I must agree with Gavinda, stop using your boiler, if condensate can leak through the flue pipe so can the fumes - that may well mean CARBON MONOXIDE