Rounded off screws in boiler won't budge!? - Help!

This is exactly why I won't pay someone to come in and do something I can do with more care and attention myself and keep my money in my pocket, where it does me most benefit.

All very well, if you could do it. :LOL:
Seeing as you've got such a low opinion of other people I wish you the best of luck.
 
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Statia. Are you able to get a small grinding wheel to these screw heads? If so, it should be possible to grind the heads away, remove the cover, carry out your vacuuming and, when replacing the cover, re-drill it in a slightly different location, and secure it with two new self tapping screws.

The cast iron water jacket the screws are in can't be tapped. now you are really talking dangerously. your advise would be fine if you had the knowledge and training in the appliance conscerned. But in this instance it is better to say nothing.

As for British Gas doing the damage. I very much doubt it. I am sure as i suggested above any engineer qualified to work on the boiler could get the screws out with his/her standard tool kit.

The reason (hard hat on) corgi registration became mandatory was for situations like this.

Apart fromanything else what OP is trying to do is likely to be pointless. Even if there were a point a corgi registered person could assess the situation ? need to act safely. He/she might say to OP the boiler is working satisfactorily no need to clean the combustion chamber on this occasion. if he/she does decide it requires further investigation they will know how to proceed the obstacle OP is stumped by is frequent and simple to resolve in skilled hands. What requires doing beyond that is alsoin their knowledge bank.

This is an area that the government has prescribed against ignorant meddlers.
 
There screws are too recessed in to get a hacksaw blade in there, and most likely a small grinding wheel either.

If the boiler didn't need a service, why has someone tried to get the screws off to take the combustion cover off in the first place? ... and abandoned it when they couldn't get the screws out? I can only think someone analysed the gases and decided they needed to clean the jets.

The screws aren't in the cast iron water jacket. They mate with another pressed tin plate behind the cover so it's easy to get some bigger self-tappers if necessary and use them. Not a problem.

The only thing I've removed from the boiler in the photo is the main cover.
 
The cast iron water jacket the screws are in can't be tapped. now you are really talking dangerously.

As an aside Paul, why shouldn't the cast iron be tapped ( or drilled and tapped ) ?

Tony
 
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"The cast iron water jacket the screws are in can't be tapped.
As an engineer, of course I could tap into cast iron but, if you look closely at the illustrations you will see that the screws do not enter the casting of the boiler but, into two mounting tabs.
 
"now you are really talking dangerously. your advise would be fine if you had the knowledge and training in the appliance conscerned. But in this instance it is better to say nothing."

No, I am talking about an engineering problem and, of course, there is nothing dangerous in the comments which I have made.
 
I bet 999 out of 1000 heating engineers would do the latter

Do you have any proof of the figures you've quoted?

The only thing I've removed from the boiler in the photo is the main cover.

So you have already compromised the safety of the appliance then and no doubt are fully able to say that the seals are in good condition and doing their job correctly!
 
So you have already compromised the safety of the appliance then and no doubt are fully able to say that the seals are in good condition and doing their job correctly!

What are you on about? What seals? Have you ever taken the cover off a Glow Worm Micron boiler? There are no seals. Just three screws and the entire cover lifts off. How on earth I'm going to blow my house up by doing this. That's like saying my car's going to blow up when I take the petrol cap off.

Clearly there are people here who enjoy being overly dramatic.
 
So you have already compromised the safety of the appliance then and no doubt are fully able to say that the seals are in good condition and doing their job correctly!

What are you on about? What seals? Have you ever taken the cover off a Glow Worm Micron boiler? There are no seals. Just three screws and the entire cover lifts off. How on earth I'm going to blow my house up by doing this. That's like saying my car's going to blow up when I take the petrol cap off.

Clearly there are people here who enjoy being overly dramatic.

Suggest that you a) look inside the front cover and b) read the MI's that you say you have.

Oh, and I have taken very many covers off the front of Micron boilers so don't accuse me of being overly dramatic!
 
So you have already compromised the safety of the appliance then and no doubt are fully able to say that the seals are in good condition and doing their job correctly!

What are you on about? What seals? Have you ever taken the cover off a Glow Worm Micron boiler? There are no seals. Just three screws and the entire cover lifts off. How on earth I'm going to blow my house up by doing this. That's like saying my car's going to blow up when I take the petrol cap off.

Clearly there are people here who enjoy being overly dramatic.

Suggest that you a) look inside the front cover and b) read the MI's that you say you have.

Oh, and I have taken very many covers off the front of Micron boilers so don't accuse me of being overly dramatic!


:)

Drama Queen

;)
 
I want to get
my heating running as efficient as possible with all these gas
price hikes!
So having hoovered out the combustion chamber how are you going to checkout the actual settings that might save you money?

Oh the two screws? wire cutters and set of mole grips and I'll lay money on removing the screws without too much trouble!!

Grind or cut and you just make it more difficultfor someone who knows what he is doing.
 

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