Baxi Combi 80e No Heating or Hot Water

A retired gentleman called me to look at his Baxi Combi 80e because he had neither heating or hot water. Unfortunately, being elderly he is unable to get into the loft to check on the boiler. Contrary to Building Regulations the loft does not have fixed access, although it is lit and boarded. Regardless  of this, the poor old boy would not be able to ascend or descend a ladder and calls me regularly.

As soon as I looked at the boiler I could see that the water pressure in the system was very low and the 'pump' warning light was flashing to indicate that there was no circulation. This is the 60 degree light. I refilled the system to 1.5 bar using the filling loop, set the heating on and tested the hot water. The hot water was working again fine, but when I returned to the loft I could see that the water pressure in the system had increased significantly, and so turned the heating back off.

I fetched my hose and pump out of the van. I connected the hose to the system and let the pressure out leaving the drain-off cock open. I then connected my pump to the Schrader valve on the pressure vessel and the gauge on my pump was showing zero pressure. I preceded to pump up the pressure in the pressure vessel until the pressure was steady at 0.8 bar. I then turned off the drain-off cock and refilled the system to 1.5 bar. This time when I ran the system, the radiators got hot and there was a normal increase in system pressure.

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.