Tuesday 7 August 2012

Glowworm Ultimate Buzzing with Boilermate 2000

We were asked to check out a heating system and service a Glow-worm Ultimate boiler. As I removed the case I got a whiff of gas, and decided to carry out a soundness test. There was a drop on the test and I turned off the isolator at the boiler and re-tested which was successful. I replaced the gas valve and carried out the service.

A couple of days later I was called back because the hot water had gone cold, and the boiler had been making a buzzing noise the previous night. When I visited there was plenty of hot water and there was no sign of any problems with the boiler.

About a week later a colleague of mine was called out because the boiler was buzzing again, and so decided to replace the PCB.

Another week later and the boiler was buzzing again. I ran the boiler and again it was running as it should be. The boiler was connected to a Boilermate 2000 thermal store which controls whether the boiler was on or off and so I decided to look closer at the cylinder. There a couple of switches you can press to display information about the thermal store and when I pressed these there was no change in the display. I also tested the operation of the heating and hot water. Strangely the cylinder would call for heat from the boiler and the boiler would run for a while heating the store. When the cylinder was satisfied the boiler would go off  but the pump would continue running indefinitely. The hot water circulation pump also seemed to be running extensively. When running the central heating the central heating pump seemed to be stopping and starting as it should.

I removed the circuit board from the Boilermate 2000 and could see on the rear that there was a number of dry joints. I replaced the Appliance Control Board (PCB) XB255 on the Boilermate 2000 and all has been working well since.


Disclaimer:
The works described in this blog are a record of work undertaken and should not be taken as guaranteed to solve your problem.

Work should only be carried out by persons qualified and competent to do so.

Hermann Ikon 23T

I went to look at a Hermann Ikon 23T which is also known as a Icon 23T and I believe was made by Hepworth and sold through Travis Perkins. The boiler was not working for either heating or hot water.

Upon opening a hot tap and the boiler would start up, the fan would run and the pump would kick in. The electrode would also spark. The spark would stop and the red warning light on the right hand side would illuminate.

I checked for gas pressure at the valve inlet which was good. The pressure was not fluctuating when you expected the gas valve to open. I took the cover off the PCB attached to the gas valve and checked for voltage on the solenoid connections. There was 240v at both the upper and lower pins.

I replaced the gas valve which was a Sit Sigma 845 and the boiler was working as it should be again.


Disclaimer:
The works described in this blog are a record of work undertaken and should not be taken as guaranteed to solve your problem.

Work should only be carried out by persons qualified and competent to do so.

Monday 6 August 2012

Ideal W2000 No Heating or Hot Water

I got called out at the weekend to look at an Ideal W2000 which was not working for either heating or hot water. The customer said he could hear the pump running when the hot water was set to be on but the boiler was not firing. He turned the hot water off and turned the heating on and again could hear the pump running but the boiler still was not lighting. The customer also reported that the pilot light was still lit.

Before I arrived I already had a good idea of what the problem could be. Firstly I checked that the 'kettle plug' electrical connection was fully in the control box connection. I removed the control box cover and checked for power on the switched live which there was. There was also power coming through the boiler thermostat and supplying power to the gas valve solenoid.

Sometimes the pilot lights can click out on the gas valve, but the pilot stay lit. I turned out the pilot light and relit it but this did not solve the problem. It left two options which was the gas valve or its solenoid. I had a replacement solenoid and so I replaced the solenoid. This solved the problem and the boiler was working well again.


Disclaimer:
The works described in this blog are a record of work undertaken and should not be taken as guaranteed to solve your problem.

Work should only be carried out by persons qualified and competent to do so.