Boiler repair man. What would you do?
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It's sorted now, cheers.
Soldato
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If you dont mind me asking, what boiler do you have?
Any error codes?
Any error codes?
It's a 15 year old Worcester Bosch, I can't remember the model off-hand. It doesn't have anything to display error codes as far as I can tell.
Soldato
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Without knowing the exact model I'd be surprised if it's the pump, if you still have hot water. But depends on the model, some older Worcester boilers did have two pumps. The Greenstar pumps aren't known for their reliability mind 
I'd be interested how your plumber gets on, if you could post back once he's been 
I'd be interested how your plumber gets on, if you could post back once he's been Without knowing the exact model I'd be surprised if it's the pump, if you still have hot water. But depends on the model, some older Worcester boilers did have two pumps. The Greenstar pumps aren't known for their reliability mind
Thanks for the reply. You must know your stuff because what you said about being surprised if it was the pump because the hot water still worked is exactly what my engineer said, and was the reason he initially went down the replacement board route. (The boiler is a 28 SI II by the way).
He came earlier today (Wednesday) and replaced the pump and now everything's working fine, and I've kept the old, probably still good, board stored away safely. Not the ideal outcome but a good enough compromise. I think the engineer is genuinely a good bloke, I've known him for years, who made an unfortunate but genuine diagnostic error. We've all been there. Perhaps he could have explained the non-returnable nature of the PCB at the beginning but never mind. No real harm done and the spare PCB will probably come in handy at some point.
Who needs a new graphics card when they've got a spare ~£300 Worcester PCB, right? Shame I can't hook them both up in SLI really.
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Sell it on Gumtree or EBay or keep the old working one and sell the new one, and if it ever fails you can get it and labour from your new place for £275 so still cheaper than the cowboy you have been using for years.
Nah, I'll keep it.
Soldato
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Thanks for the reply. You must know your stuff because what you said about being surprised if it was the pump because the hot water still worked is exactly what my engineer said, and was the reason he initially went down the replacement board route. (The boiler is a 28 SI II by the way).
He came earlier today (Wednesday) and replaced the pump and now everything's working fine, and I've kept the old, probably still good, board stored away safely. Not the ideal outcome but a good enough compromise. I think the engineer is genuinely a good bloke, I've known him for years, who made an unfortunate but genuine diagnostic error. We've all been there. Perhaps he could have explained the non-returnable nature of the PCB at the beginning but never mind. No real harm done and the spare PCB will probably come in handy at some point.
Who needs a new graphics card when they've got a spare ~£300 Worcester PCB, right? Shame I can't hook them both up in SLI really.
That makes sense, your Worcester is one of the older models with a shared main heat exchanger. This means the pump only runs for the heating or to cool the boiler down, not for the hot water.
It's a shame he didn't correctly diagnose that, as it's a simple thing to check.
I also hope he got the correct PCB! There are two variants, depending on which gas valve is fitted to that model.
On the other hand the circuit board on that model is a known weak point, so it may come in handy at a later date.
My own personal view would be to sell the PCB and try and recoup any monies, and look at putting it towards a replacement boiler, before your ageing 28Si turns into a money pit, of it hasn't already
Interesting stuff, thanks again. It's disappointing to hear about the shared main heat exchanger, thanks for the info. Regarding the PCB variants (something to do with valve orientation?), he mentioned that and actually brought both types with him (from memory he used the one who's product code ended with "88") so he could return the unneeded one (still boxed & sealed, of course).
Thankfully this is the first time the boiler's played up but on the subject of a replacement model, what would you recommend?
Thankfully this is the first time the boiler's played up but on the subject of a replacement model, what would you recommend?
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Many car garages operate in a similar manner. They'll diagnose a fault and replace a part but this may not solve the issue so they'll then move onto the next likely culprit. You still get charged for the parts and labour which were unnecessary.
I'd say the mistake here from your tradesman was not telling you upfront that you'd have to pay for parts and labour even if they do not fix the problem.
I'd say the mistake here from your tradesman was not telling you upfront that you'd have to pay for parts and labour even if they do not fix the problem.
Soldato
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If you stick to the main strong brands with good warranty, UK parts and support network, you cant go too far wrong. It would be foolish to recommend something, as a proper site visit would be required to make sure its the right appliance for your property and your needs. And whatever I prefer, you will find a dozen other people preferring something else
The mistake from his tradesman, is he wasn't qualified to make a correct diagnosis, had to phone a friend, and even then got it wrong!! I'd be fuming
Diagnosing the pump on that appliance with the mentioned fault (no heating) is simple multimeter testing, and impeller check. Mick
If you stick to the main strong brands with good warranty, UK parts and support network, you cant go too far wrong. It would be foolish to recommend something, as a proper site visit would be required to make sure its the right appliance for your property and your needs. And whatever I prefer, you will find a dozen other people preferring something else
The mistake from his tradesman, is he wasn't qualified to make a correct diagnosis, had to phone a friend, and even then got it wrong!! I'd be fuming
Mick
Thanks again, Mick.
Believe me, I'm not happy with this but I have far more pressing matters to deal with at the moment so have to choose my battles wisely (https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/33134063). £300 is small fry in the grand scheme of things and I can't risk getting into trouble either. Letting it go is definitely the best thing to do.
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The mistake from his tradesman, is he wasn't qualified to make a correct diagnosis, had to phone a friend, and even then got it wrong!! I'd be fuming
Mick
Diagnostic ability can be a problem with any trade. A German car specialist may take 2 or 3 attempts to fix a car he or she is unfamiliar with. I don't think this changes the fundamental point, though. If he'd been up front about the charge, I think OP would have felt less aggrieved on having to pay.
He may then decide not to use him again based on his ability, but he would at least not have felt hard done by for having to pay for something which he feels he shouldn't have to.
Soldato
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I'd be more lenient if we were talking about some of the more complex boilers out there, where unfortunately, diagnosis is a nightmare and even manufacturers have you throwing parts on until it's fixed. Something I really dislike having to explain to customers. Manufactures technical helplines are ok for most stuff, but when you need the proper technical info things can become a struggle. Most of the time they just don't have the information, and say it's most likely one thing but could also be another! Try this then try that... Great, who foots the bill for that?
I work for a small local heating firm, been doing this for 25 years, and if any of our guys misdiagnosed parts, we certainly wouldn't expect the customer to foot the bill!
I work for a small local heating firm, been doing this for 25 years, and if any of our guys misdiagnosed parts, we certainly wouldn't expect the customer to foot the bill!
Soldato
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Sorry m8, you don't need to listen to me ranting away.
No need to apologise, pal. You've been a great help.
Doesn’t solve all the problems. We used mybuilder.com and went with a highly rated firm, looked at previous work and a friend had a good experience with a smaller project. We ended up with a project that took 18 months instead of 18 weeks and had to sack the firm and arrange another firm to remedy a whole host of issues and finish the build. A known entity is a very valuable thing.
OP - a good plumber is a very useful person to know. If you think you’ll need them again, then I’d look at paying for the part only or maybe go halves with them.