Changed washer - now boiler won't work

itgoodson

We've just bought a house and I am getting to grips with DIY.

We had a dripping hout water tap in the kitchen. It took a long time to work out how to turn the hot water off. There were two red gate valve taps near one pipes coming out/going in to the boiler. I turned them of, but hot water still on.

I then managed to find three taps in the loft (one a normal stop !!!! style tap, the other two red gate valves).

I turned all three off. That stopped the hot water. I changed the washer. I turned all the taps back on. Bingo - tap worked perfectly.

Turned all taps that I had turned off back on.

Turned boiler electricity back on. Went to bed.

Next morning, no central heating, no hot water. Had a look at the boiler - it won't turn on. No pilot light.

Tried cleaning pilot light with vacuum cleaner. Tried re-lighting with a match.

The boiler is an old Glow Worm SpaceSaver 50. Their website doesn't have the manual anymore.

Instructions on the boiler just say to turn the dial (which is the only knob or button on the boiler) to the off position, leave 30 secs, then turn clockwise to the on position. Tried this, doesn't work.

So I'm completely lost! Am I doing something very simple wrong? Wondered whether there was an airlock in the pipes or something like that stopping the boiler. But all taps in kitchen and bathroom run OK.

Any ideas? Thanks! Never knew changing a washer would be so problematic.

IG

Canucklehead

Good afternoon: My OH, Corgi Guy, is a plumbing and heating engineer but he is out sorting a client's naughty Vaillant so I'll take a stab at it.
Have you inadvertently turned off the gas supply to the boiler? If gas is on, then problem could be the thermocouple or gas valve. If you give Glow-worm a ring, they will send a copy of the manual for trouble shooting purposes. You could also post your query on http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=7 for advice from the pros;)

HTH

Canucklehead

a&akay

I'm pretty sure my Mum's is an old Glow Worm. From memory you have to turn the gas valve to on and keep it pressed in. You then have to press a black ignitor button to ignite the pilot light. Keep the gas valve knob pressed in so that the flame failure probe will heat up (15 seconds?), release the gas valve knob and the pilot should stay on and the boiler then fire up.

itgoodson

Thanks Canucklehead - have posted on DIY site, will keep an eye on it. Can't see where or how I will have turned off the gas supply - the nearby gas hob works ok.

Thanks as well a&akay - sadly this boiler doesn't has only one knob, and no black ignitor button. The instructions stuck to the boiler say it's a 'fully automatic' ignition.

Still puzzled - and now cold! Anyone got any ideas?

Canucklehead

Hi

I can't remember your boiler and it's pilot set up.
Most are the 'push grey button and press spark generator knob.' type as a&akay said. But one type is a rocker switch that generates a spark.
It seems to be obsolete now so no info on Glowworm web site.
What do you see when you lower the door at the bottom?

Corgi Guy.

itgoodson

Thanks Canucklehead for your time

At the bottom of the boiler is a sort of shelf/drawer that you slide back. All that is behind it is a sort of box hanging off the bottom of the boiler with the only knob on the hwole boiler on it.

Attached to this box is a circular plastic disk that clearly does something.

It seems to much of a coincidence to me that I turned all the water taps in the house off (in my attempt to stop the hot water) and then when turning them all back on the boiler doesn't start up as before.

Hmm....

Canucklehead

Hi

Nothing that looks vaguely like this? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Honeywell-v4600c-Boiler-Gas-Valve_W0QQitemZ220049577480QQihZ012QQcategoryZ42234QQcmdZViewItem

When you tried to light the pilot with a match what did you do ?
Just re-read your OP, 'the knob that you turned off for 30 seconds' are there small spark and flame symbols on it?
I'll get there eventually!

Corgi Guy.