Gledhill Boilermate III - no hot water UPDATE

paintpot

Hi

If anyone has any advice on my problem I would be grateful.

I have the above mentioned Gledhill with a Potterton Suprema 30 boiler in a rental house. Had an engineer out on Friday who basically couldn't get their head round around it and isn't familiar with Gledhills.

The central heating works and the boiler fires when there is a demand for heat. However the tenants have said that even when the heating is off the rads can stay warm unless the rads are turned off.

However the main problem at the moment is they can't get any hot water except they have managed to get hot water when the central heating is on.

With the user manual I have found out the following:

The boilermate tells me that the water is heated to the required temperature ie green lights 1-9 are lit with 10 flashing.

The hot water was tepid when I went round despite the above but then ran to freezing during testing.

When you turn the hot tap on the boiler does not fire at all. Yet it fires fine for central heating.

Also, the user manual for the boilermate says that when a hot tap is opened amber light 13 should flash. It doesn't, it isn't lit at all. So this tells me something is wrong but the manual doesn't deal with this.

Otherwise everything is lit as it should be. The red light that demonstrates if a fault has been detected is not lit thus the system thinks everything is fine.
There is no immersion heater and the central heating is controlled by a mechanical clock on the boilemate and room stat. When the hot tap is turned on the pump kicks in so that seems fine.

I know there are various parts that can fail.About 18 months ago the boilermate had one of the PCBs replaced as the boiler was going to lockout. Also the boiler has had a new PCB about the same time. (I know these can be problematic with Pottertons).

Any ideas, e.g is it the boiler that has the problem or the boilermate? The message for hotwater is not getting through somehow.

thanks

bajangal

This might not be the same as your's but this is my experience of these sysems. I have a Boilermate II and to increase/decrease the hot water temperature I have to turn the "white capped tap" which is next to/at the side of the boiler.
If you only want hot water, and not the central heating, then you have to turn down the room thermostat - or if their isn't one - the radiators as the tenants are doing now.

paintpot

Thanks for that but mine is quite different I think and it has a clock to control the central heating.

I've even been harassing Gledhill today but apparently they are exceptionally busy so no joy whatsoever. I have read that not many Corgis know much about this system, it seems quite specialised, so I want to get Gledhill to fix it so my lovely tenants have hot water. But no joy :mad:

So if anyone does have any ideas or wants to come and fix it then shout up! I know what the lights mean (it's like a spacehuttle with all the lights :rolleyes: ) and that there is a problem I just don't know what's causing it.

HELP!

paintpot

To this day I am still awaiting a return call from Gledhill despite numerous calls. I have been told from what seems like a reliable source that they have gone bust and the administrators are in. Hence no call back.

Good job I haven't continued to wait and found a specialist who has attended and had the problem diagnosed. In the meantime they have got the hot water running until the full repair is completed.

Just thought I would post for anyone else with a Gledhill, don't wait for them to call you back or to get an engineer because it aint gonna happen!

Plumbers_Shop_Lee

Good evening paintpot
As far as i am aware Gledhill are still trading and don't have any problems i was in a meeting on monday afternoon with their national sales director. If things have changed since then I would be suprised. I am also very suprised that your struggling to contact them.

paintpot

Interesting, I have called them umpteen times and keep having my details taken and being told "they are busy, please bare with us etc" "Sorry you haven't been called, I will take your details again and refer you to another dept and you will be contracted". No-one has called me back since Monday. I have been told that one side of the business has gone bust and has the administrators operating the business but I believe there are two sides to the business. I gave up after waiting two days and still on the third day I have had no call so found another engineer. It all seems very strange!

bajangal

I was told that Gledhill do not deal directly with members of the public - only developers/installers.
This is a good forum for information/help. http://www.angier.co.uk/david/2005-09-17-boilermate-niggle.

Plumbers_Shop_Lee

Paintpot
My apologies to you it would appear that your source was spot on Gledhill Water Storage has indeed had the administrators called in on Tuesday. M

paintpot

Thank you for that, much appreciated. At least I know I am not going mad as haven't had a call back.

Do you happen to know, I am having a boilermate III repaired and it might be terminal. I know they are quite old products now but trying to find the most cost effective way of solving the problem long term. I have been told I won't be able to get another boilermate III because of Gledhill going into administration but might I get one elsewhere? You seem to know about these things. I was just wondering. Otherwise it looks like removing the tank altogether and getting a condensing/combi boiler.

Bajangal, they "did" have a department for joe public, even their current telephone system asks you to select an option as to whether you are a homeowner or a house builder/developer.

thanks. It seem my boilermate has failed at just the wrong time :rolleyes:

Plumbers_Shop_Lee wrote: »

Paintpot
My apologies to you it would appear that your source was spot on Gledhill Water Storage has indeed had the administrators called in on Tuesday. M

westy23

Paintpot
lots of info about boilermates here

http://www.boilermate-repairs.co.uk/index.html

paintpot

Thanks alot for that. I had already seen it having done lots of research due to my problem but it was kind of you to post.

The good news is, the 2nd visit by the great engineer I found seems to have fixed it. :T Fingers crossed it stays that way.

I think I've become a boilermate expert overnight.