Boiler 'booming'!

Spiggle

Hi,

Please could someone advise? My Ideal Isar combi boiler is making a booming noise when it fires up e.g. when the hot water is turned on or firing to maintain temperature. Like the normal firing up noise but much louder and more vibrating. It started doing it yesterday morning.

We have checked the flue and there is no blockage or visible ice. The flue does sound 'gurgly' though, something I've not heard before. The radiators have maintained a good temperature and there are no error codes coming up on the boiler. The pressure is also fine. The water warms up ok when switched on but the boom is disconcerting.

It's snowing and minus temperatures here as it has been for some days now. Could the boom just be the boiler exerting itself due to the cold? Would you advise getting someone out to it?

I'm tempted to switch it off to give it a break as it's been on for so long but worried it won't fire up again if I do!

Any help or advice gratefully received.

Thanks in advance and anticipation,
Spigs

isy1011

Ours has just been doing that. It was frozen condensing pipe to outside.

Spiggle

:T Thanks very much isy1011! :T

And yours didn't blow up I take it? :rotfl:

Thanks very much,
Spigs

Bronnie

I've got the same boiler , about 4 years old and in good order. Had it checked out and put on a contract only a couple of months ago, no problems. Sometimes it sounds like a jet taking off, but all appears to be OK otherwise!

Spiggle

Oh Well,

Sitting waiting for the engineers to answer the 'phone. The boiler has started leaking water from somewhere in its depths! Turned it off and the water stops so something to do with pressure but that's the limit of my knowledge done.

All the best,
Spigs

maninthestreet

Spiggle wrote: »

Oh Well,

Sitting waiting for the engineers to answer the 'phone. The boiler has started leaking water from somewhere in its depths! Turned it off and the water stops so something to do with pressure but that's the limit of my knowledge done.

All the best,
Spigs

Perhaps this confirms the condensing pipe is frozen - the 'leaking water' is the condesate that should be expelled out of the condensing pipe, but can't because the pipe is frozen.

Spiggle

Thanks maninthestreet,

I thought it could be that too after reading some other threads today. (Looks to be about 22mm white pipe from the boiler.) I checked outside because we had a kitchen refit last year and I can't now see where it goes from the inside! I'm sure I remember them linking it up to the waste from the sink/washing machine and the look outside seems to confirm that as there are no other pipes coming out from the wall and going to the main drain. Could it really freeze if it's inside the kitchen but behind the units? No problem with sink/washing machine draining away.

Or am I being dense and you are talking about the flue that was gurgling the other night? Could it be that the outlet there is frozen hence the 'steam' condensate is building up and not escaping so then running down inside?

Thanks for your thoughts, much appreciated.

Spigs

gas4you

Could just need a good and proper service. The condensate trap and/or sump could be blocked with aluminium oxide.

Spiggle

Thanks gas4you,

It had a full service in September so not sure that's the problem but am grateful for your comment. We now have an engineer coming tomorrow but it's absolutely freezing here as we don't have any other form of heating. Note to self: Get a fire of some description!

I'm going to get up to the flue today and see if I can get a clearer view of it to see if there is ice around it. If there is I may try a hair dryer to see if I can unblock it myself.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

All the best,
Spigs

gas4you

Can you see where the condensate pipe tees into the w/m drain?

If so take it apart and check for blockages.

Make sure the chap removes the condensate trap tomorrow. I've had these block up in less than a year with the aluminium oxide. The trap needs cleaning out with a flat bladed screwdriver and back flushing as well.

I obviously haven't a clue who, or how good the chap who done your service was, but there are an awful lot out there that don't clean this trap as part of the service.

Spiggle

Thanks gas4you,

We had started chucking warm water on all the external pipes by the time the engineer arrived (one part at the elbow did sound solid when knocked) and he decided that it was frozen waste pipes that were the problem. He put some more water over them, gave them a few knocks, decided they were clear, dried the pipes internally, reset and it started up seemingly rectified.

I'm on the case for lagging the outside waste but as it's 40mm I have to go a fair way to get it and haven't yet. But we used a variety of cardboard and paper to at least give it some protection until I can find a supplier.

The boiler was fine until about 9.30pm last night when it gave an almighty boom and went off again. We couldn't do anything then so turned it all off and waited until this morning. Having removed all the cardboard 'lagging' this morning the whole waste sounded on knocking it clear but we still have put gallons and gallons of warm water over it just in case. However, internally even though it's switched off completely the boiler is chucking water out and down over the electrics again! We have cloths, buckets and everything but it seems a neverending stream!

Anyway, ther is another engineer on his way to us today thankfully and I know it will be a different one from Wednesday so I'm going to [STRIKE]suggest [/STRIKE] insist that he removes the condensate trap and cleans it out as you suggest. So thank you very much for the advice.

We are also at the end of out tether with this boiler. It is only eight years old but we have had so many problems with it we just can't continue with it. We had 13 call outs to it in 2006 between 26th November and beginning of January 2007. Truly ridiculous.

Do you have any personal recommendation for a good combi condensing boiler?

Anyway thanks once again your advice, it is very much appreciated,
Spigs