Boiler making noises and losing pressure

Becles

Our central heating boiler has been playing up this evening. It keeps losing pressure and making a high pitched whistling noise and the overflow is dripping. It's a Wickes Halstead 90, that was fitted in 1999. Does this sound like something that can be fixed?

I know it's due for a service - was just saying the other day I need to ring and book the engineer but not got round to ringing him - typical!

Just looking for answers to put my mind at rest, as me and my son have Raynauds so we'd be in a lot of discomfort without heating.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

You need a gas safe engineer.

Its getting cold & people are putting there heating on & finding its not working properly so they will be busy.

Call one ASAP.

Becles

Thanks. Will ring the engineer today.

I was up in the night a few times as my little girl was unwell, and I could hear it making the whistling noise even though it wasn't working.

keystone

Sounds like the pressure relief valve to me which is either operating because the pressure is too high or has already operated and is now not seating properly (being now full of carp) and is letting by.

What is the pressure when cold and what when hot?

Cheers

blackshirtuk

sounds like it is "kettling" boiling the water in the heat exchanger as not enough flow through it. creates steam, the pressure builds, steam realeased at the top(hissing) water release through Pressure relief valve(dribbling overflow)

There is restriction of water flow in the heat exchanger, probably scale, which needs removing. Gasafe engineer i am afraid.

Becles

Thanks for the help.

Just checked the pressure and it's saying 0.25 bar. It's currently off though. Will check it again this evening when the heating clicks on.

There's a tap to increase pressure, so we've been topping it up to 1 bar, but it always drops back to 0.25 bar.

Rang my local engineer first thing this morning, but he must have already left home as I just got the answer machine. Hopefully he'll ring back later and I'll get him to come out.

keystone

No it should not be 0.25 bar. It should be at 1 - 1.5 bar when cold and will rise to 2 - 2.5 when hot. PRV lifts at iro 3 bar. PRV should still be checked as if it does have carp in it it will be passing. Also check expansion vessel which could either need pumping up or replacing if the diaphragm is knackered.

Which "overflow" pipe is dripping? The outlet from the PRV or the condensate drain?

Cheers

Becles

Kept an eye last night and it goes up to between 0.5-1 bar when it's working, then drops back to 0.25 bar when it goes off.

If we increase the pressure manually, it just drops back again to those levels.

Husband said it wasn't working at all when he got up yesterday morning as the safety lockout light had come on as there was no pressure at all.

Engineer said he will squeeze us in next week, but he's going to ring me back on Sunday with a confirmed appointment when he sorts his diary out.

The overflow outside keeps dripping, then there is a very thin pipe underneath the boiler and that drips on to the bench sometimes.

Becles

Engineer has been out and had a look. It was seriously full of crap so definitely in need of a service He thinks the problems were just caused by it needing a service rather than anything sinister.

He did warn me that it's on it's last legs and it's really difficult to get parts for it now due to the age. He recommended to start saving now for a new one

He also had a look at the pipe going from the boiler into the gas meter and said it's not right. The heating and hot water system used to be a boiler then a hot water tank with an immersion heater. When that boiler broke down, my ex did a DIY job removing that boiler and fitting a combi boiler instead. What he didn't do was change the gas pipe from 15mm to 22mm. The engineer said that the boiler doesn't get enough gas so it's not running as efficiently as it should be. So we need to budget for the pipework as well.

Fingers crossed it lasts the winter or I win a bit on the lottery