mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 My hot water is doing my head in!! We have a combi boiler and all was well but recently we are struggling to get say half a bath of nice and hot water then it just goes luke warm, the boilder kicks in OK but its not warming it up enough? Any ideas as the wife loves a bath and she keeps moaning at me!! Also the heating is fine, gets nice and hot etc its just the constant hot water thats just not constant LOL also its all set up right on the boiler settings, ie the water on all the time. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy W Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 What kind of boiler is it mate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 what boiler is it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 What kind of boiler is it mate? its a range powermax 155 if that means anything LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 is this the boiler with the hot water storage, possibly located in the airing cupboard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 is this the boiler with the hot water storage, possibly located in the airing cupboard? we dont have an airing cupboard, there is a tank in the loft but not other tank that i know of? its a massive thing!! please dont anyone tell me its a new boiler time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy W Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I've never worked on one of these, or heard of one lol, It's possibly a faulty flow switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 I've never worked on one of these, or heard of one lol, It's possibly a faulty flow switch? do you think its worth changing the switch to see if it helps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 looks like this? http://www.inspiredheating.co.uk/acatalog/potterton-powermax.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I've never worked on one of these, or heard of one lol, It's possibly a faulty flow switch? not sure if these have a flow switch, but ive breifly worked on a couple so could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy W Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 not sure if these have a flow switch, but ive breifly worked on a couple so could be wrong. You could be right mate, I'm just taking a shot in the dark do you think its worth changing the switch to see if it helps? I can't be certain mate as I've never actually worked on one, as I said I haven't even heard of them, but what your saying sounds as though it could be a flow switch problem. Is it due a service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 just been reading and it looks a very common fault http://www.askthequestion.co.uk/phpBB2/about2167.html http://www.miketheboilerman.com/powermax.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 scaled up plate heat exchangers are common on all combis without scale reducers unfortunately. sounds like it could be that prob bout £100 plus fitting i think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy W Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 A lot cheaper than a new boiler though lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 scaled up plate heat exchangers are common on all combis without scale reducers unfortunately. sounds like it could be that prob bout £100 plus fitting i think... is there nothing i can do to remove the scale?? some kind of flush? dont want to pay £100++++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 is there nothing i can do to remove the scale?? some kind of flush? dont want to pay £100++++ you dont really want to be flushing chemicals thru the hot water supply tbh. plus by the time they have buggered about doing it, it will be the same price to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fargo Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 hot water supply is seperate to the boiler hot water, so flushing chemicals will not get into the tap hot water. deffo sounds like a scalled heat exchanger, if the boiler is on but the water it not hot (luke warm) then id say the flow switch is fine, this switch is what tells the boiler to fire up when the tap is open. If the tap is on but the boiler is not then yeh flow switch is a possability. You can try reducing the flow at the tap and see if the water gets hotter for longer, What this does is keep the water in the heat excahnger a little longer so that the heated boiler water has more time to get through the scale and transfer its heat to the 'vein' next to it which is carrying the tap hot water. Personally i would get rid of this boiler as there have been 2 deaths due to CO poisoning from this boiler. what is the GC number of the boiler (xx-xxx-xx) tis on a data badge somwhere, i cna then give you a rough price for the heat excahnger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 someone else has just said something interesting. they had a similar problem when they fitted a new radiator so drained the system and when they filled it the pressure dropped and they didnt get much hot water. now funny enough we fitted a new radiator a few months ago!! we get heating fine but could this have done something? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fargo Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 have a look at your pressure gauge, what does it say, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 have a look at your pressure gauge, what does it say, my boiler does not have a pressure guage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fargo Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 then you need to bleed your rads, as the system will fill from the expansion tank in the loft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 then you need to bleed your rads, as the system will fill from the expansion tank in the loft. I thought that this was a combi (as in sealed system)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 then you need to bleed your rads, as the system will fill from the expansion tank in the loft. just went round them all and there all full?? keep the ideas coming i have booked an plumber to come but he cant get hre until next wednesday!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fargo Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I thought that this was a combi (as in sealed system)? thats what i thought, tis why i asked about the pressure gauge. or the pressure reading will be on the digital display. whats the GC number Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trig Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 hot water supply is seperate to the boiler hot water, so flushing chemicals will not get into the tap hot water. I think you will find that it gets scaled on the hot water side as well as the heating side, especially if they havent got a scale reducer installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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