ideal classic ff240 boiler All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[weiry]

Hi folks. Im looking for a general bit of advice and where to take the next step in the problems with my boiler.

About a year ago i replaced the boilers fan and pressure switch. not me but a corgi registered tradesman. and in the past few weeks i have replaced the water pump near the hot wter cylinder done by british gas. However my boiler is still not functioning properly. Symtoms include the overheat thermostat popping out intermitently, the pipes rattling and the case of the boiler extremelly hot. Now after looking at various forums and other symtoms which other people have had, it seem that its either overheating, air in the system or sludge. I was wondering what other causes it could possibly be or if i have ruled the possibilities down to the above mentioned problems. i dont have any cash at the moment to replace the boiler or to spend vast amounts on power flushing. I do however have homecare 200 from british gas but they have already said that because of the age of the boiler its hard to get the parts for it but i can get the parts from the ideal boiler website of other branded pages on the net for reasonable prices.

Im a bit stuck here and need a bit of advice as to what my options are and where i can go now. Myself and the wife are a bit apprehensive of using the boiler for too long and the house is not as warm as it shud be and with a 4 month old child in the house im a bit stressed about it.

Any views are welcome here so please reply

[htg engineer]

You need to go back to BG and advise that you think parts are available. You pay for this HomeCare package for peace of mind, BG get away with this too often. Tell them that you can prove parts are available and seek advice from citizens advice, as if they're not willing to repair what have you been paying for?

Without seeing the boiler it is just guess work, has any told you there's sludge in the system, this would be visible when/if the system has been drained. You could drain and flush the system a few times with clean water, it doesn't have to be an expensive powerflush. Add sludge removers and run for recommended time, drain and flush again then add inhibitor.

It could be a blockage in the boiler waterways/heatex/diverter. Have any filters on the boiler been cleaned?

[weiry]

I will mention it too bg when i phone them tomorrow.

the reason behind the sludge theory is when i bled my upstairs radiator (AGAIN) there was alot of black stuff coming out the bleed valve.
whats the best way to flush the system anyways? I know how to shut the system off and such but not too sure about the valves to drain the system.

Oh and thanks for the reply. its much appreciated

[htg engineer]

Sludge is thick - not watery. If you completely drain any heating system you will get some amount of black water from it. dosing with inhibitor reduces/prevents this.

Drain your whole system, if you fins one or two radiators have sludge in, remove these and flush out with a hose. Add sludge remover and drain again after recommended time.

If the water is black - but still water. Fill and drain the system a few times, hot and cold. Then add a system cleanser, and leave for recommended time, drain and refill adding inhibitor.

[weiry]

will try that theory in the next few days my friend. hopefully it will sort it out.