Please help - Central heating issue.

[FastFerret]

Hello everyone.
My first post, driven by desperation. I have an issue with the central heating side of my Glow worm Homeglow BBU back boiler unit.

The timer switch has three positions - Water only - Off - Water and Heating. With the switch in anything other than 'OFF' the upstairs Immersion heater and bathroom towel rack are always hot - which is fine, no problem always been like this, However, this last few weeks the central heating radiators are no longer working.

I called a plumber in and he took one look and said "forget it, can't do anything with these units, you need to spend £3000 and put in a new combi boiler".

I fired up the CH and drained the downstairs radiator until hot water came through which is where my confusion comes in.

I figure (and stand to be corrected) that if the upstairs towel rack and I/H are working then the pump is fine to move hot water against that head of water (it has always been a very quiet unit) but the switch obviously means that there is an electrical valve in the unit switching the hot water to the radiators that is not working.

But when I drained the radiator I got hot water so the valve must be open.

So where is the problem? Pump or valve and is it serviceable/replaceable?

There is no way on earth that I can even consider replacing the unit, I'm barely hanging onto my house as it is so I need to get this working again for a while at least without selling the kids.

Any advice or experience would be welcome.

 

[45yearsagasman]

Have you got either of these on your system? View media item 30391 View media item 38425

 

[FastFerret]

I don't believe so.
I have not removed the fire front but can see the BB quite clearly. It appears to be a 52 unit but I cannot be sure of it. These pictures are of the only labels on the unit.


If the pump is internal and has packed up, can a grundfos pump be fitted externally?

 

[45yearsagasman]

That link takes you to my album pics. How did you manage that?
If you have no motorised valves then you have gravity hot water circulation to your cylinder and pumped circulation to your rads. Find the pump and check that its working and get back.

 

[mr-crs]

Hi do you still have hot water if so you might have gravity hot water and pumped heating if you do the pump may have failed, theres no internal pump on a bbu that I know of so its probably hiding under the floorboards or boxed in beside the bbu this would be the first thing to check hope this helps Paul.

 

[FastFerret]

I think that was a generic link that you to MyAlbums irrespective of who you are.

I think these links are correct.

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• FastFerret
• 7 Dec 2011
• 1

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• FastFerret
• 7 Dec 2011
• 1

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• FastFerret
• 7 Dec 2011
• 1

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• FastFerret
• 7 Dec 2011
• 1

Thanks Paul - I have hot water so I will look for a pump and see what I can find.

 

[FastFerret]

Guess what I found in a wall panel I did not ever notice in four years of living here?

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• FastFerret
• 7 Dec 2011
• 1

Switched the CH on, boiler fired up but no hot water, no vibrations from the pump, put neanderthal hat on and bang pump casing with screwdriver handle and off it goes, pumping merrily and hot radiators in the house.

I hope that you gents have a bloody marvelous Christmas because you deserve it, I thank you humbly from the bottom of my heart for the advice.

 

[45yearsagasman]

You too mate.