Boiler dilemma.

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truebrit
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Boiler dilemma.

Postby truebrit » Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:55 pm

We have a boiler which is housed undercover but outside. Until just recently working fine. It is used for hot water to bathroom, kitchen and cooker. Just recently the water in the kitchen is not igniting the boiler. The hot water in the bathroom is scalding. The gas to the cooker is fine. Pipes have been changed. No battery. Any ideas, got to be to do with water but can't think where to start looking.

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gerryh
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby gerryh » Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:13 pm

How is the flow rate out of the kitchen hot tap, is it less than it was?
If so, remove the filter at the end of the tap and you will probably find it is bunged up with cal. Clean it out or renew it. A low flow rate will stop the boiler igniting.
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truebrit
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby truebrit » Fri Dec 04, 2015 10:21 pm

Already checked, not that. The weird thing is that if I turn on the kitchen tap then very quickly turn the bathroom tap on and off the water then comes out of the kitchen tap boiling hot and continues to flow through hot, weird or what.

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby TorreDelAguila » Fri Dec 04, 2015 11:04 pm

Think Gerry is right . . . your kitchen tap (or maybe the pipework or an isolation tap) is not allowing enough flow to trigger the boiler to fire up.
Compare the flow rates from the two taps by seeing how long each takes to fill, say, a 5-litre container.
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby McT » Sat Dec 05, 2015 12:13 pm

The previous posters are all correct and the explanation for the 'weird' symptoms is very simple:

The boiler is turned on by a differential valve that is operated by the pressure change when a tap is opened. The kitchen tap, or the pipework leading to it, is so badly blocked that the pressure drop is not enough to operate the valve. The bathroom tap or pipework is also blocked but to a slightly lesser extent - the valve operates, but the flow is so low that the water overheats. If the kitchen tap is opened after the bathroom tap is turned on, then the valve has already been switched and although the flow to the kitchen tap isn't enough to operate it, it is enough to keep it switched.

Another, less likely, cause could be a faulty differential valve - but I would look first at descaling the taps and/or pipes.

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gerryh
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby gerryh » Sat Dec 05, 2015 12:51 pm

As I have already said it's almost definitely a flow rate problem.
Try adjusting the flow rate on the boiler to see if that was the cause of the problem.
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Gerry.
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truebrit
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby truebrit » Sat Dec 05, 2015 5:29 pm

Thanks for the help. Sorted.

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gerryh
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Re: Boiler dilemma.

Postby gerryh » Sat Dec 05, 2015 6:06 pm

What was the problem?
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