Trianco TRG80 - fire keeps dying

[Falladaboy]

Hello, We've had two Trianco solid fuel boilers, been using them since 1976. Since a new delivery of fuel a few weeks ago, I find the boiler takes HOURS to come up to temperature - i.e. fan runs continuously for several hours - and then drops away to the point where the fire is so low that it can't recover (I've had to relight it every couple of days for the past two weeks); or else it just about comes back from the dead over another period of several hours.
It could be a fuel problem, and CPL have sent me 10 new bags (anthracite grains) to try them. But I'm sceptical: coal is coal, surely? What could be wrong with it? And why wouldn't the replacement 10 bags be just as bad (or good)?
I'm having chimney swept this week - long overdue, though I'm sure it is not blocked. Boiler has never been serviced, mainly because we cannot find ANYONE with expertise on solid fuel boilers (Liskeard area). But I check and clean the fan myself, and it's clean and blowing a powerful draft of air (enough to blow out the firelighter if you switch it on too soon!).
Never knew about cleaning the secondary air ducts till now, and am about to attempt it myself. But how critical can they be?? And I keep coming back to the point: the problems started with the new delivery of fuel .... Can anyone out there help? I'd be deeply grateful, as this is driving me nuts!

 

[oilhead]

If your secondary air ducts are blocked, then your 'powerful' fan is probably taking all the heat up the flue. If the flue has not been swept for some time, whilst not blocked it may have become restricted to the point where the air supply is insufficient for combustion. No fuel will burn without oxygen.
I suspect the lack of maintenance is coincidental to the new fuel delivery, but at the same time, 'coal is not necessarily coal', and can differ significantly from batch to batch.

 

[Falladaboy]

Many thanks for your informed thoughts. The thing is, we were having none of these issues before switching to the new fuel ... But I hear what you say about the air ducts: is it just a matter of removing the heavy cast iron fire grate - does it just sit loosely on lugs? I can't quite recall - and then reaching in to the back of the ashcan housing, where I gather there are two ducts running upwards towards the flueways?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Have you tried looking on the HETAS Website? There are a number of people in Cornwall with solid fuel expertise. Find Servicing - HETAS

 

[Falladaboy]

Thanks for your message. Yes, I started from the HETAS website, and no luck so far. The first outfit on the list tried selling me a new oil system instead - though they can't be arsed to do a site visit any more. They just asked me to photo the set up, and they would do me a quote based on that! As if you can possibly design and price a heating system without seeing what's even possible on site: unbelievable!! And no, needless to say, they were no use at all on Trianco boilers. We will keep on trying, but it is just pot luck whether we can find anyone who has actually serviced these things.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Might be worth reporting that to HETAS, I'm not sure how they go about approving their installers, but as you say, that is NOT the way to price work. (Unless of course they err massively in your favour!)

 

[Terrywookfit]

What do you want to know about TRG'S ??
Empty Hopper. Make sure the Fuel reg plate is correctly positioned.
To access the S A Ducts Lift the front of the Fire grate and jiggle it up and down whilst pulling it towards you.
The clinker ejector ram can then be removed to access the ducts. This entails lying on the floor to reach them.
Check flueways are clear and draught stab swivels freely.

 

[Terrywookfit]

If your secondary air ducts are blocked, then your 'powerful' fan is probably taking all the heat up the flue. If the flue has not been swept for some time, whilst not blocked it may have become restricted to the point where the air supply is insufficient for combustion. No fuel will burn without oxygen.
I suspect the lack of maintenance is coincidental to the new fuel delivery, but at the same time, 'coal is not necessarily coal', and can differ significantly from batch to batch.

The Flue has nothing to do with the air supply for combustion. That is the fans purpose.
It is a FORCED DRAUGHT appliance.
A blocked flue will cause the Fume switch to operate killing the fan supply.

I agree that the fuel is the most likely cause.

 

[Falladaboy]

Thanks, Terrywookfit - I had already gathered from earlier threads that you might be the go-to man for Triancos! Appreciate your advice on accessing the secondary air ducts - but I don't like the sound of "remove clinker ejector ram". How do I do that? Surely it is attached to the linkage that connects with the declinkering lever, on the side of the casing, and I don't fancy dismantling all that.

 

[Terrywookfit]

Pull the lever forwards and lift the ram off. No tools needed.

 

[Falladaboy]

Thanks for that. I'm having the chimney swept this week, then I'll clear out any remaining fuel, attempt to clean the secondary air ducts, and relight the boiler with fuel from a fresh delivery (hoping that's not as bad as the previous delivery - assuming the problem is with the fuel to begin with). One other thought: could this be due to a malfunctioning thermostat? Do they go wrong? Though unlikely that a thermostat would fail exactly at the time when I start to use fuel from a new delivery, of course ....

 

[Terrywookfit]

A failed thermostat invariably causes overheating.!

 

[Falladaboy]

I can see what you mean - I think. But presumably the thermostat sensor (a little phial, let into the boiler casing?) is what triggers - and stops - the fan operation. Could the fan be cutting in too late to revive the fire, because the sensor is not triggering it early enough? In other words, could the sensor be "misreading" the temperature? I've already got the temperature setting on the boiler thermostat dial cranked up a bit higher (six o'clock on the dial) than I would normally have it at this time of year.

The other thing is that despite this higher temperature setting on the user-adjustable boiler thermostat, and despite the fact that when the fan eventually (and we're talking hours here!) cuts out, the 1" pipe going up to the hot water cylinder is very hot - despite all this, the water coming out of our hot taps is not as hot as it should be. So I have to boost the hw cylinder with the immersion heater, just to take a shower.
It's one mystery after another, and I just don't have the engineering brain to see through it all.

 

[Terrywookfit]

Check the water level in the Heating F/E tank in the loft. Also the Heat leak leak radiator for air
The adjustable throat on the fan should allow enough idling air to keep the fire burning without the fan.

The thermostat works on the expansion of the fluid in the phial opening the contacts at a calibrated level.
Stat failures are always due to loss of the fluid.

 

[Falladaboy]

Thanks again. Sorry, but what is the "heating F/E" tank (I don't understand the F/E). I take it this is the small black plastic tank in our loft, loosely called the expansion tank? And what is the water level supposed to be? What am I looking for when I check?
The heat leak radiator certainly gets hot when the fire is up, and the fan is off. In fact the heat spreads to a couple of other radiators, in other rooms, all of which are warm-to-hot when everything is working OK. So can I tick that one off - and don;t nbeed to bleed any rads?