Boiler Hints

THIS IS THE CENTRAL-HEATING BOILER HINTS AND TIPS PAGE. Please read the DISCLAIMER HERE before continuing. WARNING: you are strongly advised not to attempt any job or perform a test or check on any boiler that needs the case removed. This is because re-fitting some cases can be tricky for the untrained, and unless you know how to check case-seals for soundness and know how to check for Carbon Monoxide (CO) leaks with a KANE 250 or similar CO meter, it is best left to the CORGI professional. CO poisoning results in around 50 deaths per year in the UK alone. For good advice on GAS SAFETY please see http://www.gas-guide.org.uk/emergencies.html

For GAS EMERGENCIES (leaks, or smell of gas): National Grid Gas Emergencies - 0800 111 999 (This is a 24 hour emergency line)

Your attention is also drawn to the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1998/19982451.htm and http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1998/98245102.htm © Crown Copyright 1998

Check the thermostat on the BOILER occasionally. You usually do not need it set as high in summer as in the winter. If it is left up too high, always circulating around the hot water circuit only (a short run of pipe), it tends to “kettle” a bit, before the boiler thermostat cuts in. That is, they sometimes make a noise like a kettle coming to the boil.
If yours tends to “kettle” even on the lower settings, this may indicate a need to descale and flush the system. There are proprietary descalers available for systems with copper and aluminium boilers.ALWAYS FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
If yours fires up for a short while, then stops, but the water and radiators is always luke warm, it is most likley that the exhaust fan is faulty. These can cut out when they get warm, but are designed to run at a fairly high temperature. Sometimes the cut-out goes bad, so although the boiler is called to be ON by the control unit and thermostats, when the fan stops, the electronics will sense this, via an “air-vane switch” (air-pressure-switch, or APS), and closes the gas valve solenoid.This EXHAUST FAN UNIT is an item you CAN replace youself, but they are around £100. If yours is covered on insurance, then obviously do not touch it, just call out your registered Corgi specialist. Use THIS LINK to find yours. SEE WARNINGS ABOVE regarding case seal checking, case re-fitting, and CO leakage and detection, as many boilers are positive pressure type, so the case seals MUST BE SOUND (see HERE for reference). Do NOT declare yourself competent to do this work to cover the GSIUR if you are NOT.
When draining the system, always turn the boiler thermostat to the OFF position, to prevent the boiler firing up when the system is empty.
If you forgot the above, and the boiler fires up while the system was empty, you may hear a loud “click”. That will be the safety overtemperature thermal cut-out activating. This is usually located underneath the electronic controls, and you will see a small red button sticking out of the bottom of the boiler.YOU MUST NOT RESET THIS UNTIL THE BOILER HAS COOLED DOWN, AND YOU HAVE RE-FILLED THE SYSTEM AFTER COMPLETING YOUR WORK.
If your boiler is the older type, that has a permanently lit pilot light, these can deteriorate over time, and the flame gets too small, to the point where it will keep going out. If cleaning the pilot light, and adjusting the flame height (small screw in the unit where the pipe comes from) does not resolve this, then the sensing thermocouple may have failed. This will certainly be the case if you press and hold the button to light the pilot light, and after holding it for the required 15 seconds or so, the flame goes out after a few seconds when released. You can get a Super Universal Thermocouple kit from SCREWFIX (number 16098). Ensure that the correct coupling nut is used (the kit comes with about 6 different types), and that the sensing tip is located properly in the pilot flame area. PLEASE SEE WARNINGS ABOVE

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	If you are buying a new boiler, or Want to check your existing boiler efficiency and running costs: Try the SEDBUK database at this link HERE. (Choose view database, at the bottom select GAS BOILERS, then use the refine search to put in your make) If you then click on the detail for your model, there is a link for running costs.