Problem with central heating and hot water! Can anyone help? UK?

Question

We have a baxi bermuda back boiler with a randoll timer. The timer is working ok its just when its time for the heating to come on the boiler doesnt spark up and i cant hear the water start going around the pipes! Could it be that the pilot light has just gone out in the boiler? It was quite windy last night and there was a fair bit of wind coming down the chimney which is were the boiler is! Could this of blown the flame out or would this never happen! Any ideas as to whats wrong?

Answer 1

The pilot light will not blow out if wind comes down the chimney, there is a down draught diverter fitted to the boiler to prevent this, but it can get blown out by strong draughts going up the chimney, so check the pilot light as detailed in some of the answers above. My instinct tells me that it is more likely to be a fault with either the Randall timeclock or the electrical supply to the system. Does the timeclock show the correct time? Set it so that it is on the right time then check it again in half an hour to see if the dial has moved, if not the timeclock is faulty or the fuse on the system has blown and you will need to call an engineer.
You could also try turning the dial round yourself so that the on/off tabs are activated, is there a click when you do this and does the dial on the top right hand side of the timeclock move round? If not, make sure the on/off tabs are pushed down fully towards the centre of the dial.
I can guarantee the fault is NOT caused by air in the system.
Hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

This is usually an indication that air has got into the system somewhere and has become trapped. Air in a radiator will rise to the top forming a pocket stopping the hot water from getting to that part. This can be released, but remember to turn the heating off first. Now, armed with a rag beneath, use a radiator key to slacken the air bleed valve which is at one end towards the top of the radiator. There will be a hissing sound as the air comes out. As soon as water begins to flow, close the vent again and wipe away any water. Take care not to get scalded – the water may be pretty hot. The heating can then be switched back on.


bullet.gif (535 bytes)Some systems have an automatic air release valve fitted. This usually has a small red top which should be slack to enable the air to escape.

bullet.gif (535 bytes)Radiators should not need frequent ‘bleeding’. If they do, air is getting in and this should be sorted out by a professional heating installer

Cold bottom section of radiator

bullet.gif (535 bytes)This is a sign of rust and sludge build up which is sitting in the bottom of the radiator. Following the guides on removing and refitting a radiator, take the radiator outside and flush it through with a hosepipe. If you have the radiator standing on end, you should be able to flush out most of the sludge. Remember to carry the radiator upside down so you don't get sludge dripping on to your carpet.

bullet.gif (535 bytes)With an open vent system, you may also consider using a proprietary heating system sludge remover. This will mean adding it to the feed and expansion tank and, a few days later, emptying and refilling the system. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Upstairs radiators cold

bullet.gif (535 bytes)This is most often an indication that the feed and expansion cistern in the loft has run dry. This should not happen and indicates another problem which needs to be sorted. It’s probable that the ball valve is not operating correctly. It may have jammed or be obstructed. Clear any obstruction or replace worn parts. Remember when refilling and adjusting the ball valve that there must be enough room for the water to expand when the system heats up. Therefore, when the system is cold, there should be just enough water to make the ball to float and switch off the water coming in.

Downstairs radiators cold

bullet.gif (535 bytes)This is an indication that the pump has packed up. Have it tested and, if necessary, replaced.

All radiators cold or not very warm

bullet.gif (535 bytes)This again is an indication of the build up of rust and sludge. See ‘Cold bottom section’ above.

Radiators cooler in one area of the house

bullet.gif (535 bytes)This tells you that the radiators are not properly balanced. The nearest radiators to the boiler are taking more than their share of the hot water from the system. See page on balancing the system.

Warm radiators upstairs when the heating is off, and hot water is on

bullet.gif (535 bytes)If this happens, it is probably because the check valve on a gravity fed system has failed. In a gravity fed system, the hot water cylinder is heated by water from the boiler which flows due to the gravity and not a pump. To prevent the water also heating the radiators when the heating is off, a check valve is fitted. If this has failed, the radiators upstairs will begin to receive some of the heat. The valve will need to be replaced by a heating engineer.

No heating or hot water

bullet.gif (535 bytes)Make sure that the power supply is on and that a fuse hasn’t blown. Remember, if a fuse has blown, you should always rectify the cause first. As always, take great care with any electrical inspection or work.

Check that the gas or oil supply has not been turned off inadvertently. In the case of oil, check that you actually have some oil in the tank by reading the gauge.

bullet.gif (535 bytes)Check that the programmer is in the on position and that the thermostats are turned up high enough.

bullet.gif (535 bytes)Check that the pump is running. If not, get a heating engineer in to investigate.

bullet.gif (535 bytes)Check that the pilot light is lit. If it isn't, follow the details for relighting in the boiler manual.

bullet.gif (535 bytes)If none of these solve the problem, it’s time to call in a heating engineer.

Feed and expansion tank overflowing

bullet.gif (535 bytes)If the ball valve is not closing off the water supply properly, the cistern will continue to fill and water will come out from the overflow pipe. The usual cause is either a poorly adjusted valve or a worn washer. These can both be remedied in a similar fashion to the ball valve of the cold water storage tank.
hope this helps

Answer 3

Jojo, listen to me, i am a central heating engineer with 30+ years experiance on all types of boilers and what annoys me is that every tom, dick, and harry thinks they are experts after looking up some website or another so do yourself a big favour and totally ignore all the long drawnout crap above and first do this.
Get down on your knees in front of your fire, pull off the cover along the bottom front of your fire, bend down and look under your fire and see if the pilot light is lit. if not then hold in the square button while pressing the orange long round button continually untill the pilot is lit, when lit keep holding the square button for about 20 seconds to warm the thermocouple then release, if light stays on then your are ok, if not then try again after 3 mins. if still no flame then have an engineer call to replace the thermocouple, hope this helps, and your welcome.

Answer 4

Hi
Sounds like that you could be right with the Pilot Light going out. But you may have a problem with the pump.
Most Central Heating systems start the pump first and then light the boiler.
You're going to have to find out if the Pilot light is on, or try and re-light it. Best to find the Manual/Instructions and follow the guide.

Another common fault is the Thermocouple fails and trips the boiler to prevent over heating. You'll need a CORGI engineer to fix that I'm afraid. Best of luck

Answer 5

First of all There is no way I could give a definite answer as there are so many things that could be the problem.
1.The timer contacts are broken/failed inside the timer.
2.A wiring fault / cable become disconnected.
3.Thermostat failed / not switching on
4. Internal overheat unit has tripped inside the boiler
5.If the boiler has a flue fan , this could have failed
6. Thermocouple has failed/ become faulty
7. Igniter has failed/ become faulty
My advice to you is to get an Engineer to service and repair your boiler.

Answer 6

firstly start by checking if pilot light has gone out and if so try relighting it ( the lighting sequence should be on the back of the flap that you need to remove to check the pilot light). If the pilot light wont stay in, you will probably need a new thermocouple, (get a corgi registered engineer to renew this). If the pilot light stays in, it will probably be your pump that has packed in and wants swapping. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

we're having the same prob with our boiler atm, with it not sparking up. The only solution we had was to get the council in. If you think it may have blown out, have you tried relighting it? or can't you do that on your particular boiler? Sorry, im not very technical! All i know is we had 2 get the professionals in to sort our problem out.

Answer 8

The igniter sometimes erodes and has to be replaced it is a small tube /wire fixed adjacent to the gas pilot flame that sparks intermittently, take the cover off and check by manually lighting it, you may have to have it serviced as it is advisable , it also improves the efficiency and cuts cost

Answer 9

How about you start by checking if the pilot light has gone out? It should be your first question. Also make sure you get regular services for it, as you could die if you don't.