Boiler smells like a steam train.

Larry123

Hi everyone.

My LPG boiler has started to smell like a steam train when it is running. Its hard to describe the smell any further than that, so hopefully people know the smell I'm talking about. Maybe a kind of sooty smell.

Now obviously I've got someone coming out to look at it but I just wanted to try and get clued up before they turn up.

The boiler is a glowworm hideaway running on LPG. Can't remember the model but I think it's an 80. Will check when I get home if needed. Age of boiler is estimated at 20 years minimum. The boiler has been running fine for 3 months and smell only started a few days ago. (we weren't living here prior to 3 months).

Information that might be useful:
Boiler started banging after a few seconds of running. (expansion bangs) a week or two ago.
We are on well water here which carries sediment, enough sediment to partially block a shower head after 3 months.
System is well bled and fully operational.
Vertical flue from kitchen up chimney (2 stories)
We get high winds here but we had high winds prior to the smells occurring.

If anyone can shed some light on the issue, would be very much appreciated. If any more info required, let me know.

Thank you.

Mankysteve

Presuming the smell is indoors I would guess it's leaking fumes into the house. Have you got a co detector? I would switch it off until it's been looked at.

As too what may be wrong with it could be host of things it would just be guess work

Larry123

Ok cheers. Yeh got a couple of co detectors which I placed around the boiler etc and all was good there but of course that doesn't eliminate your prediction. I'm going to assume it's leaking exhaust.

Mankysteve

Did forget to mention that a clean burning boiler won't produce much if any co to begin with so just becuase there no co doesn't mean the flus not leaking.

Larry123

Mankysteve wrote: »

Did forget to mention that a clean burning boiler won't produce much if any co to begin with so just becuase there no co doesn't mean the flus not leaking.

That's what I thought.

I've discovered carbon build up around the bottom and when the boiler is firing, the flame pattern is scattered and wafty so Im thinking there is either blockage but more likely moisture in the gas.

Anyway got someone coming on Wednesday so we will find out then.

Le_Kirk

Scattered and wafty suggests to me incomplete combustion. Most gas flames need to be "hard" and, in the case of natural gas, blue (not sure about LPG - been a long time since I did one of these) but loose and yellow indicated insufficient oxygen in the air to enable all the gas to be burned. Oil and "old" gas used to smell sooty if not all consumed in the combustion.