Can your boiler blow up??

[Guru]

Our boiler is making some HORRIFIC noises. It refuses to stay lit and the only way to stop the noises is to turn this plastic tap underneath to off or full, not sure which way does which but then I turn it counter clockwise so that the blue marker is more to the right the pipe rattling noises stop and my mrs stops shouting at me.

It seriously sounds like its gonna blow!!!!

Could it? I'm actually a little worried

I don't know what we should do, I've told my landlady, but she is useless and just said she will try and call someone on monday. Is there anything we should do in the mean time?

I also noticed that the carbon monoxide warning thing we have in the cupboard with the boiler is dark, its been in there far too long though (2005) so I got a new one and just put it in now.

Not having any heating or hot water is ******* annoying especially with a 7 month old baby to think of. Am i right in thinking that we can't do any washing without any hot water coming from the boiler? I don't know if washing machines heat their own water but the fact that there is a red pipe and a blue pipe going into it would seem to suggest that they don't. The machine is a Hotpoint Aquarius WF-250

Cheers in advance for any advice,

G

 

[Guru]

Pilot light = Blue

New monoxide indicator = fine so far (PHEW!)

Presure = 3 bars

When I light the boiler and switch on the hot water the pressure jumps straight up to 5 and then flicks between 2 and 5 whist making the most horrendous racket and then the boiler light goes out and the pressure settles on 2.5

Step #1 when you're worried about something, always ask OcUK first.

I don't know anything about boilers and some people here might

Obviously we are getting a professional to look at it when my landlady pulls her finger of her unnaturally tight posterior.

G

 

[Guru]

Were you aware that there are such 24 hour emergency services like: -

Plumbers
Central heating repair
Locksmiths
Glass fitters
Drain fitters
Carpenters
Electricians?

Where would I put OcUK on that list if my boiler was making horrible noises and I was worried it was going to "blow up"? Himmm let me give that one a think.

If he's worried enough to ask if it's going to blow up, he's worried enough to call them.

1 We can't afford a plumber.

2 It's not our boiler

 

[Guru]

I've already spoken to my landlady about it and she has been round to look at it and agreed to call someone out on Monday. She won't do anything about it till Monday.

 

[Guru]

Suing her won't help my baby survive the weekend

 

[Guru]

We aren't using it we are boiling the kettle. Luckily we have a powershower to fill out sons bath till monday and I can take his clothes to my parents to wash

Still sucks tho

 

[Guru]

Get a dish of water, open a vent on a radiator and drop let it run water out until the pressure drops down to 1.5milibar for starters.

Secondly the bit with the blue valve is the cold feed to the boiler, chances are this valve might be choked with lime or something, so when its open, its not completely letting water pass. When the hole becomes smaller, the water pressure increases, much like putting your thumb on the end of a hose...

this makes the pipe vibrate. If they arent clipped well , they will shake like hell and make a very loud noise.

Boilers very rarely "blow up" infact, they almost never do. On a boiler ignition there is a flame sensor, the gas valve opens to let a small amount of gas through to the pilot, the pilot then lights against a thermocouple/flame sensor. When the gas valve knows there is a flame, it will then open the main gas to the burner.

in some circumstances you will get explosive ignition, where the gas/air mix might be dodgy, and the gas takes longer than it should to light.

Thanks Hedge

Does it matter which rad?

Cheers,

G