Boiler misbehaving...any ideas?
Discussion
Got home from work just as the first snow flakes started falling, and found the pilot light in my boiler was out. Managed to get it lit again and it's stayed lit for the last couple of hours, looks flamey inside and sounds like it's doing something (think the fan must be going), but my radiators aren't getting warm and I've got no hot water. And despite it being bloody freezing outside and chucking it down with snow there's no steam coming out of the flue.
Any ideas what might be going on? Given the fact that we've already got a covering of snow here in central London, and it's still snowing, it'll probably be a month or two before the roads are back to normal and a plumber can get over to take a look...
Any ideas what might be going on? Given the fact that we've already got a covering of snow here in central London, and it's still snowing, it'll probably be a month or two before the roads are back to normal and a plumber can get over to take a look...
Sounds like the main burner isn't lighting. What make/model is it, and are there "status lights" (possibly behind a panel)?
My (non-technical) knowledge says that it could be either the pilot light thermocouple (the pilot heats that up, then when it's hot the main burner is lit), or the fan pressure switch. edit: Possibly one of the valves might be sticking, if you can see it, give it a gentle whack with a screwdriver handle. Also switch the whole thing off and on at the power a few times.
Otherwise if you aren't a DIYer best to call a heating engineer first thing in the morning.
My (non-technical) knowledge says that it could be either the pilot light thermocouple (the pilot heats that up, then when it's hot the main burner is lit), or the fan pressure switch. edit: Possibly one of the valves might be sticking, if you can see it, give it a gentle whack with a screwdriver handle. Also switch the whole thing off and on at the power a few times.
Otherwise if you aren't a DIYer best to call a heating engineer first thing in the morning.
Edited by Gareth79 on Wednesday 6th January 00:29
Thanks guys. Sadly my technical knowledge stretches as far as taking the cover off to find the button to relight it and that's it. Think I've got a plumber coming out today, fingers crossed...
It now seems there is slightly more action from the boiler - the radiators seem to get a tiny bit of heat into them, and there's a small amount of slightly warm water. Maybe it needs a reboot, or a good whack. I think it's about 15-20 years old and on its last legs, so maybe I'll be taking advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme, though I was hoping to avoid it as I wanted to move flats this year so didn't really want to shell out a load of cash on a new boiler.
It now seems there is slightly more action from the boiler - the radiators seem to get a tiny bit of heat into them, and there's a small amount of slightly warm water. Maybe it needs a reboot, or a good whack. I think it's about 15-20 years old and on its last legs, so maybe I'll be taking advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme, though I was hoping to avoid it as I wanted to move flats this year so didn't really want to shell out a load of cash on a new boiler.
JimCross said:
Thanks guys. Sadly my technical knowledge stretches as far as taking the cover off to find the button to relight it and that's it. Think I've got a plumber coming out today, fingers crossed...
It now seems there is slightly more action from the boiler - the radiators seem to get a tiny bit of heat into them, and there's a small amount of slightly warm water. Maybe it needs a reboot, or a good whack. I think it's about 15-20 years old and on its last legs, so maybe I'll be taking advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme, though I was hoping to avoid it as I wanted to move flats this year so didn't really want to shell out a load of cash on a new boiler.
Good luck with the plumber, where did you go for the mortgage. It now seems there is slightly more action from the boiler - the radiators seem to get a tiny bit of heat into them, and there's a small amount of slightly warm water. Maybe it needs a reboot, or a good whack. I think it's about 15-20 years old and on its last legs, so maybe I'll be taking advantage of the boiler scrappage scheme, though I was hoping to avoid it as I wanted to move flats this year so didn't really want to shell out a load of cash on a new boiler.
Thankfully the plumber has an agreement with the development I live in, so I'm hoping it won't be too bad (that might be a tad optimistic...)
Having said that, he hasn't actually called to say he's turned up, so I have a bad feeling he won't be getting there today, especially if the snow continues
Having said that, he hasn't actually called to say he's turned up, so I have a bad feeling he won't be getting there today, especially if the snow continues
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