Boiler Fault after 2 Weeks....Warranty Advice Please?

Bellycaster

Yep, you couldn't fucking make it up if you tried.

  

No hot water, ran hot taps for ages (upstairs and down), cold as a Witch's Tit.

It was OK when I had a shower this morning, but not tonight.

So I have to call the Ideal Customer Services tomorrow, but I've also called the guy who fitted it. He is gonna come round after I get in from work to see if it's owt obvious. I only hope the Ideal Engineer can make it tomorrow too.

I'm not happy with the fitter, the fucker only got round to registering the Warranty tonight and only because I called, his wife does the registering and was about to do mine soon apparently. 

He specifically told me he would register it when I asked if I should register it.

I haven't messed with or altered anything on the Boiler.

Questions:

1. Since I have a fault after 2 weeks, can I demand a replacement Boiler from the Ideal Engineer, because I have this funny feeling that I am going to have a "Friday Boiler" and be plagued with trouble by it? I don't know why, I just get this feeling!

2. Can the fault be down to how the Boiler was fitted or will it be a faulty part?

3. I have to work tomorrow, should I expect the Ideal Engineer to come at a time that suits me? It ain't my fault the damn things is fucked after 2 weeks?

Any advice would be welcome really. I can't be doing with this hassle and don't want to be fobbed off by an Engineer. I know very little about Boilers.

Thanks.

grungebob

I wouldn’t expect them to change the boiler without first inspecting it, they are entitled to attempt one repair. 
It would be thankful the manufacturer can come so soon and wouldn’t question the time to suit you.  Since you’re not a heating engineer what difference would your presence make, I take it your partner/wife will be home?

let them examine and attempt the repair. If it fails again get them to replace it. 

Just a question. I take it the fitter was gas safe registered and an ideal approved installer?

sw67

Is it a combi boiler - mine does that if the pressure drops 

Bellycaster

grungebob said:

I wouldn’t expect them to change the boiler without first inspecting it, they are entitled to attempt one repair. 
It would be thankful the manufacturer can come so soon and wouldn’t question the time to suit you.  Since you’re not a heating engineer what difference would your presence make, I take it your partner/wife will be home?

let them examine and attempt the repair. If it fails again get them to replace it. 

Thanks @grungebob ;

The manufacturer hasn't been contacted yet as it happened after 6. The Engineer who fitted it is coming round tomorrow. I have to ring to try and get an Ideal Engineer out.

Bellycaster

sw67 said:

Is it a combi boiler - mine does that if the pressure drops 

I had a Combi Boiler in before @sw67 that one never did this.

spark240

I assume you have no heating either?

Could be a number of things, Low pressure lock out, faulty gas valve, Return water temp sensor, fan failure.

You should hear most of the things happening in sequence, water flow = Pump  = Fan running = Gas valve clicks open = Boiler burner ignite, hot water !

mudslide73

sw67 said:

Is it a combi boiler - mine does that if the pressure drops 

This - I have an Ideal Boiler. Does the front panel display any codes? https://www.boilerguide.co.uk/manufacturers/ideal/error-codes .  If the display is flashing and you don't get the blue light on when there's demand it's usually due to the system pressure being too low. I have to top up the system, bleed the rads then it should be fine. 

sw67

Bellycaster said:

sw67 said:

Is it a combi boiler - mine does that if the pressure drops 

I had a Combi Boiler in before @sw67 that one never did this.

I would check the reading anyway - both my boilers cut out when pressure is low. I keep it at 1.4 bar esp after bleeding radiators. 

Kebabkid

Sorry to hear that J, especially after the previous grief.

Our one is combi boiler and it did this after 2 years i.e. we frequently had cold water. The boiler was checked by both the manufacturer (Valiant) and the fitter and both were found to be fine. The problem was deemed to be a pressure drop and they believed a faulty shower might be responsible for this and it would affect other taps in the house and the temperature of the water coming out of them.

I hope all is sorted tomorrow

Bellycaster

Heating works, but not hot water,thanks guys.

Kebabkid

Bellycaster said:

Heating works, but not hot water,thanks guys.

No that it helps but yep. That was the same for us.

grungebob

Oh ok. Call ideal as well then. My previous house had an ideal and it would flash a code if in error. 

iseverynamegone

Bellycaster said:

Heating works, but not hot water,thanks guys.

Sounds like you could have some crap somewhere on the heat exchanger.  Did you have a system flush when it was installed and did you have a Magnox or similar installed?

Same thing happened in my boiler with above fix. 

steveledzep

Bellycaster said:

Heating works, but not hot water,thanks guys.

I'm no expert, but sounds like diverter valve stuck to me.

NPP

not an expert either but if the heating works doesn't that mean the boiler works, and annoyingly something downstream doesn't? 

I got an Ideal fitted at the same time as you (system, not combi though) and it has been ok so far. Happy with the blokes who did it (and have been servicing the previous boiler for a couple of years) - Ignite Gas from Dronfield

Bellycaster

It gets more strange! The Bathroom sink tap has hot water this morning, stayed warm too. The same tap yesterday was cold.

Barney

I have seen it on combi boilers where the mains wiring  that goes to the boiler is switched through the time clock where as it should be constant so iff it's on a off time at the programmer it won't give hot water ...so it could be a wiring problem even ...easiest way to tell is put heating on constant or try hot water when heating is on.....but it could be loads of other things as well 

spark240

Sounds more like a problem  with air lock or DHW pump, I would think the actual boilers main functions are ok. 

Bellycaster

The Guy who fitted the Boiler popped round this evening, when we turned the hot water on at the tap he said it tried to fire up and didn't manage to, but then almost immediately succeeded to fire up on 2nd attempt.

He thinks that whatever triggers the hot water is the problem and to try to convince the Ideal Engineer to replace that part.

The proper Ideal Engineer is coming Monday. I called them this morning and told them the how water had come on this morning, so they realise it's an intermittent fault.

I have managed to get hot water all night up to now for Shower, Washing Pots etc. I should be happy, but I can just see it working when the Ideal Engineer gets here and him being reluctant to swap a part and then it's bound to happen again.

The guy who fitted the boiler has ruled out what is suggested on here, but seems rather vague even with his diagnosis. I don't really know what to think of him.

Bellycaster

Just to answer another question:

The system was thoroughly flushed out @iseverynamegone ;;

The Ideal Boiler has it's own dedicated Filter as well, does what the Magnaclean things do.

and to ask one:

What was the fault with your Shower @Kebabkid did the water become hot again after you topped up the boiler?

Teyeplayer

The moment I read this I thought ‘Ideal’ and lo and behold...
get them to check for a crack in the condensat or faulty temp gauge in there (if I remember correctly those are the correct terms). Been plagued with problems with Ideal boilers in two properties now and this latest was in a new build.

Ironicly my father in-law is a gas-man, though it is fair so say he rates them very poorly; when this one has had its lifespan it’s definitely going.