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Discuss Baffling hot water issue in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

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Hello Everyone

My name is Bob. This is my first post and I am sure like many here, I have joined because I have an issue I haven't been able solve. I hope there are some experts here who can help. I'm afraid I have to provide a little backgroundmbecause I think it may help with a diagnosis.

We purchased a 50 year old semi detached home in 2014. We did major reconstruction adding a large extension (basically a separate residence with its own kitchen and bathroom). We gutted the main house putting in a new bathroom and an onsuite bathroom in the main bedroom. There is also a small room with a toilet downstairs. The extension has its own combi boiler (a small I Mini 30) which was supposed to service only the heaters and hot water for the extension apartment. There is a larger boiler located in the loft of the main house which was supposed to service the main bathroom, the onsuite, the small toilet and sink downstairs and the kitchen in the main house.

I haven't had any major plumbing issues until now, but a week ago I discovered a small drip from the Mini 30 boiler in the extension. I called a plumber I have used a number of times in the past couple of years and he simply put some sealant at the point where the copper pipe enters the boiler cabinet and the leak stopped. However, the following morning I had no hot water in the main bathroom, the onsuite and in the extension kitchen. The water flowed normally, but would never get hot. It was then I discovered that the small boiler in the extension was apparently servicing the whole house except for the kitchen and small bathroom in the main house. The I Mini boiler has an indicator LED that shows "0" when there is no demand for hot water. When hot water is turned on the burner light comes on and the water gets hot.

There are no fault codes and just the "0" remains on the screen. The burner never comes on. I've tried everything I know to no avail. If I turn the boiler off at the mains and turn it back on, it works for about a minute then the burner light goes out and there is no hot water anywhere.

The plumber has not yet visited, but he is suggesting a major repair, possibly having to 'reroute pipes. I have to wonder why this has suddenly occcured now when there hasn't been an issue in the three years since the build.

Anyone have any ideas?

Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

Bob
 
Re-route the piping because of a fault that has recently occurred.?

Was fine for 3 years.

Obviously something to do with the flow of domestic water through the boiler not triggering the boiler to fire up.

Filters, temperature sensors, flow sensors, diverter valve, heat exchanger, PCB, thermister, boiler water pressure, - the list goes on.

Get someone who knows the boiler to sort it out
 
Could it be that the re routing of pipes is to make boiler A serve the main house and boiler B serve the extension as was first intended and not to fix the boiler fault alone?
 
Thank you for your replies. My plumber has found what he believes was the issue. The water is very hard here and it has apparently caused a problem with the taps in the bath/shower in the extension. That according to him caused a turbine in the boiler to stop working. He isolated the water to that bath and got the turbine working again. That has resolved the hot water issue, but now the "cartridge" in the taps have to be replaced. If they can't be replaced from the top of the taps the bath will have to come out, which is a major job. To be honest, i dont have clue what a cartridge is. The taps are on the back side of the tub (looked great in the showroom, had no idea what a pain it would be if something goes wrong.)

So that is where it stands. My mother-in-law lives in the extension, so until we can sort it, she has no bath.

If anyone can explain what a cartridge is for the tap, and if can replaced from the top, I would appreciate the guidance.

Bob
 
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