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Help with central heating

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

Boring we know to break away from fun chat. But can anyone help please? Our Gas Central Heating has decided it wants to stay on all the time (not a bad thing in Aberdeenshire!).

The boiler pressure was low so David has adjusted that but it still wont go off.

Do we need to call out a heating engineer or plumber?

Help please xx

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

go into the room or cupboard where your tank is. look on one of the pipes should be a small box with a metal lever on one of the sides.

this is the switching valve and it moves from heating to hot water.

if the valve breaks or becomes stuck it can leave the heating on full or not let you have any hot water.

check the room thermostat also and turn it right down until it click.see if that shuts off the boiler.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Yes you do need to call someone, and if you had a service contract it wouldn't cost you anything to get it sorted, not that I am acting like a smart alec ya know

The problem being is that boilers need water, when they are running, its harder to tell what the true water level is; if it ran dry, you would be looking at a new boiler so £2000 vs £20 service contract

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"Yes you do need to call someone, and if you had a service contract it wouldn't cost you anything to get it sorted, not that I am acting like a smart alec ya know

The problem being is that boilers need water, when they are running, its harder to tell what the true water level is; if it ran dry, you would be looking at a new boiler so £2000 vs £20 service contract"

Oh hell, hope not

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Yes you do need to call someone, and if you had a service contract it wouldn't cost you anything to get it sorted, not that I am acting like a smart alec ya know

The problem being is that boilers need water, when they are running, its harder to tell what the true water level is; if it ran dry, you would be looking at a new boiler so £2000 vs £20 service contract

Oh hell, hope not "

yes sadly boilers are that expensive.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"go into the room or cupboard where your tank is. look on one of the pipes should be a small box with a metal lever on one of the sides.

this is the switching valve and it moves from heating to hot water.

if the valve breaks or becomes stuck it can leave the heating on full or not let you have any hot water.

check the room thermostat also and turn it right down until it click.see if that shuts off the boiler.

"

Exactly what happened to ours a couple of weeks ago

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"go into the room or cupboard where your tank is. look on one of the pipes should be a small box with a metal lever on one of the sides.

this is the switching valve and it moves from heating to hot water.

if the valve breaks or becomes stuck it can leave the heating on full or not let you have any hot water.

check the room thermostat also and turn it right down until it click.see if that shuts off the boiler.

Exactly what happened to ours a couple of weeks ago"

Advice on here is great will give that a try, hoping we haven't got a broken boiler

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By *issHottieBottieWoman
over a year ago

Kent

Check the battery in the little timer thing on the wall in your lounge or hall or wherever, I had this and the battery had gone which meant the thermostat wasn't communicating with the boiler so it stayed on all the time! X

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"go into the room or cupboard where your tank is. look on one of the pipes should be a small box with a metal lever on one of the sides.

this is the switching valve and it moves from heating to hot water.

if the valve breaks or becomes stuck it can leave the heating on full or not let you have any hot water.

check the room thermostat also and turn it right down until it click.see if that shuts off the boiler.

Exactly what happened to ours a couple of weeks ago

Advice on here is great will give that a try, hoping we haven't got a broken boiler "

usually it will be a box with possibly a white top.you'll see the metal tab sticking out on the side.

if you try to move it you will hear the gears inside move.

these valves can break or just seize up but if it sticks in one position you get massive amounts of heat and no hot water or visa versa.

if it has stuck in the middle and not reached the contact on the other side this may leave you with hot water raging and full on heating which will not shut down.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Yes you do need to call someone, and if you had a service contract it wouldn't cost you anything to get it sorted, not that I am acting like a smart alec ya know

The problem being is that boilers need water, when they are running, its harder to tell what the true water level is; if it ran dry, you would be looking at a new boiler so £2000 vs £20 service contract

Oh hell, hope not "

When I joined British Gas about 5 yrs ago following a lot of expense and yet another breakdown, they charged me about £30 pm for the first year, then went to the £22 pm I pay presently. I have a friend at work who's boiler broke down, she rang British Gas and joined them, cost her £99 and she pays £22 pm, it might be more expensive than anyone else but at least you are safe. Think about how much it would cost you if you rang an engineer or plumber out of the yellow pages

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"Check the battery in the little timer thing on the wall in your lounge or hall or wherever, I had this and the battery had gone which meant the thermostat wasn't communicating with the boiler so it stayed on all the time! X "

Interesting suggestion and sounds cheaper than other solutions, its connected to the electric though, we are having to switch it off at the fuse box to stop living in a sauna.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Check the battery in the little timer thing on the wall in your lounge or hall or wherever, I had this and the battery had gone which meant the thermostat wasn't communicating with the boiler so it stayed on all the time! X

Interesting suggestion and sounds cheaper than other solutions, its connected to the electric though, we are having to switch it off at the fuse box to stop living in a sauna."

your boiler must have an off switch.

does the boiler have a code or display on the front? is it displaying any fault code?

can you see any lights flickering to indicate that the boiler is working?

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"Check the battery in the little timer thing on the wall in your lounge or hall or wherever, I had this and the battery had gone which meant the thermostat wasn't communicating with the boiler so it stayed on all the time! X

Interesting suggestion and sounds cheaper than other solutions, its connected to the electric though, we are having to switch it off at the fuse box to stop living in a sauna.

your boiler must have an off switch.

does the boiler have a code or display on the front? is it displaying any fault code?

can you see any lights flickering to indicate that the boiler is working?"

Nope nothing being displayed by the boiler. Had message advising it sounds like the printed circuit board is knackered and we may need a mew controller???!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Check the battery in the little timer thing on the wall in your lounge or hall or wherever, I had this and the battery had gone which meant the thermostat wasn't communicating with the boiler so it stayed on all the time! X

Interesting suggestion and sounds cheaper than other solutions, its connected to the electric though, we are having to switch it off at the fuse box to stop living in a sauna.

your boiler must have an off switch.

does the boiler have a code or display on the front? is it displaying any fault code?

can you see any lights flickering to indicate that the boiler is working?

Nope nothing being displayed by the boiler. Had message advising it sounds like the printed circuit board is knackered and we may need a mew controller???!"

keerching!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Check the battery in the little timer thing on the wall in your lounge or hall or wherever, I had this and the battery had gone which meant the thermostat wasn't communicating with the boiler so it stayed on all the time! X

Interesting suggestion and sounds cheaper than other solutions, its connected to the electric though, we are having to switch it off at the fuse box to stop living in a sauna."

The problem with being cheaper is the possibility of more breakdowns, not forgetting having the boiler checked every year. My repairs cost me over £500 over 2 months hence when it broke yet again, I joined British Gas, there are cheaper ones but the service contract is obviously different, the cheaper pm the less they cover, so I have found

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

all depends on how technically minded you are?

sounds like a time clock thermostat issue??

try googling boiler make model and problem may come up with an answer?

If you are unsure of what you are doing then get a qualified heating engineer/plumber in.Try asking friends and family if they know of a good reputable one before signing a maintenance contract as they can be an expensive, i know of people who have had them, they come service boiler etc when fault occurs condemn boiler as unsafe you have to buy new boiler!

whit the money you have paid out to them for this "service" you could have bought a new boiler.

good luck

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"all depends on how technically minded you are?

sounds like a time clock thermostat issue??

try googling boiler make model and problem may come up with an answer?

If you are unsure of what you are doing then get a qualified heating engineer/plumber in.Try asking friends and family if they know of a good reputable one before signing a maintenance contract as they can be an expensive, i know of people who have had them, they come service boiler etc when fault occurs condemn boiler as unsafe you have to buy new boiler!

whit the money you have paid out to them for this "service" you could have bought a new boiler.

good luck

"

Great advice, thanks

Quite a few similar private mails suggesting same with controller.

Have done the google and youtube searches.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Could just be the synchron motor in the divertor/mid position valve. Only about £10 and easily DIY-able.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If its a wireless thermostat/receiver system then it can be bypassed and turned into a simple on/off switch.

It's a simple, quick DIY job. You remove the receiver located near the boiler and swap a combine 2 connections. I can remember which ones though, I was talked through it by a heating engineer over the phone and it cured the problem I was having.

If you have the instructions for your system you can try going through the 'commission' steps. This sometimes works.

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