Boiler leaking - shower lacking heat/power

Enigma80

Hi all,

Noticed on Friday gone that the boiler was leaking water, and looked online for it. It's a Heat Line C24 and it seems to be a 'diverter valve' or something. Have British Gas home care cover where we have to pay £99 for a call out which includes all work and parts.

Earliest I could get was Friday 16th as we still have hot water and heating. I had to pay up front to book, but they said I can get a refund if I want to cancel the call out before Friday. It seems to have stopped leaking now, so I might give it a few days and see how it goes, possibly cancel the call out on Wednesday if there's no more leaking.

I just wondered if anyone had any experience of this happening before and what I can expect from home care? They did come out earlier this year when it was colder to sort out the central heating (one of the radiators wasn't getting hot) and managed to change a coupe of parts and then 'balanced' the boiler. They had to come out twice but only charge once. Thermostat had gone as well.

Also, I've noticed over the past couple of months that the power shower doesn't get as hot as it used to. I have to set it at a higher temperature to get it right, but that causes the power to decrease. Any ideas what's causing this? I'm assuming it's got nothing at all to do with the boiler as it feeds of the cold water.

Thanks

macman

How do you know that it's the diverter valve? DV failure normally results in a flow of cold water only, as the boiler fails to respond to the call for hot, andf doesn't light the main burner.
It's a simple enough repair, my RGI charged me about £70 a couple of years back for this.
A 'power shower' is pumped under pressure from the hot tank. If you have a combi, you don't have a hot tank. So what sort of shower are you referring to? If it's an electric shower, then the cold water comes direct from the rising main, so the flow rate reduces in winter as the incoming water temp is lower, and the shower heater is doing more work. Higher temp demand results in a lower flow rate.
All you can do to correct that is to fit a shower with a higher rating, which may also require uprating the circuit cable and RCD/MCB.

Enigma80

Thanks Macman.

We have an electric shower (which I've always been referred to as a power-shower as it electrically powered, I assume this is incorrect?).

With regards to the diverter valve, it's not a diagnosis, just an assumption as the images and diagrams on line of where the valve is and where others have located drips seems to be in the same place. I haven't taken anything apart myself as I wouldn't want to mess anything up.

We might consider getting a new shower, as I've been told by a couple of friends that ours is a basic 'cheap' one (Heat Line boiler and Red Ring shower fitted by previous owner about 5 years ago.

macman

No, it's not a power shower, it's an electric shower then. A power shower is fed by a pumped supply from the hot tank.
The flow can also reduce if the shower head and hose scale up, so I'd start to removing them and descaling, before you splash out (no pun intended) on a new shower.

Enigma80

Hi all,

BG engineer came around yesterday (turned up PM instead of AM). He said it was the diverter valve but didn't have one in the van. Order and will come back next week to fit it.

However, a couple of hours after he he left I noticed that it started leaking again, this time much more. I replaced the bowl to a bigger one to catch the water on the worktop, hoping it would stop leaking like it did last week after I'd had the heating on for a while.

However, came down the morning to find a pool of water on the kitchen floor and the bowl overflowing. The pressure had dropped on the boiler right down so the heating had stopped working over night.

Before the BG guy came the dripping had more or less stopped since last weekend, so we had use of heating and hot water.

Now there is no heating and I risk the kitchen being flooded too. Already had to mop up a load this morning. We can't stay in all day or up all night to keep the pressure topped up through the temporary filling loop, we need to go to work and to sleep.

What ever the engineer has done has made things worse. I've tired calling them, but I assume call centre isn't manned this early as I can't seem to get through to anyone. Will try again in a bit.

macman

Normal service from BG then.... But why do you need the heating on overnight? Repressurise in the morning, switch heating on then and insist that they come back pronto.
Any competent RGI would be able to get you a diverter valve the next day at latest, not exactly a rare part.

ihateyes

You mustnt be ringing the correct number
BG breakdown line is open 24hrs a day, all year round.

ollski

The diverter is leaking through a spindle, probably into the actuator. Will probably be dirty and passing hw through to heating pipes when you run the hot water. These valves are specific to this model it will need at least as service kit fitted into the valve. Put a bucket under the boiler and don't repressurize it, if it's upstairs you will only lose a bowlful of water at the most.

Enigma80

Thanks for you responses.

BG Engineer came around, took one look at the boiler and asked what happened. He said he couldn't do anything and that we have to wait without heating or hot water for a week until our other appointment as these parts aren't common, not even a temporary fix.

I got a little stressed, but didn't lose my rag. I did mention that I had a little kid who's got asthma and currently has a chest infection, so if there was anything he could do at all?

He popped out to the van, and hey presto, he managed to pull out a whole kit. He ended up changing the diverter valve and the motor.

Finally all working.

macman

So, basically, he couldn't be **sed until you started to (quite correctly) pressurise him.
Despite the fact that he had the part on the van anyway.
Says it all about BG really.

ollski

macman wrote: »

So, basically, he couldn't be **sed until you started to (quite correctly) pressurise him.
Despite the fact that he had the part on the van anyway.
Says it all about BG really.

Perhaps he prioritized his time as the situation became clearer?