Combi boiler dripping

Quartz

Quartz

Quartz

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Joined
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Aberdeen
I'm getting occasional dripping from the right-hand front hinge on the bottom of my gas combi boiler. The dripping is less when the boiler is on. The boiler is a Halstead Ace High. Can the gurus here please advise?

The thing is due for its annual service, but I don't want to arrange a service and have someone turn up, take one look, say the thing's FUBAR, and disappear and still bill me a lot of money.
 
Could be anything, last halsten ace I looked at was leaking from the boiler was the auto air vent, this was seeping out slightly from there not an expensive part.
 
So if I mention this to them when I arrange the service, they should be able to deal with it? If I turn off the gas and switch it off and take the front panel off, should I look for anything?
 
You don't need to turn off the gas to take the front panel off, they normally just hook off anyway and the front panel hinges down. Turn the electricity off though incase the water is dripping on the electrics before it gets to the outside world.

As Nedved11 said, it's most probably the auto air vent (on the side of the heat exchanger) . Crud gets into the float valve and allows water to seep past. The little screw top should be tightened down after a period after installation but it may not have been, or the cap may be split/leaking.
 
SickAsAParrot said:
You don't need to turn off the gas to take the front panel off, they normally just hook off anyway and the front panel hinges down. Turn the electricity off though incase the water is dripping on the electrics before it gets to the outside world.

As Nedved11 said, it's most probably the auto air vent (on the side of the heat exchanger) . Crud gets into the float valve and allows water to seep past. The little screw top should be tightened down after a period after installation but it may not have been, or the cap may be split/leaking.
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Don't do this, really bad advice!

The AAV is there for a reason and positioned there for a reason. And in fact on a Ace, there is a tube connected to the top that vents air/water outside of the combustion chamber and down the left hand front of the boiler.

So unless your boiler isn't level, your leak is most likely from one of the diverter valve pins, general wear and tear, get someone in to repair it (Halstead do repair kits, not cheap mind) before it shorts the microswitch out. Be prepared to fork out for a prv at the same time, as the boiler is cheap and has no DOC fitted, and can be cheaper than draining the whole system.

Mick (gas safe boiler repair man of 20+yrs and Halstead , Glen Dimplex repair agent)
 
FlyingFish said:
So unless your boiler isn't level, your leak is most likely from one of the diverter valve pins, general wear and tear, get someone in to repair it (Halstead do repair kits, not cheap mind) before it shorts the microswitch out. Be prepared to fork out for a prv at the same time, as the boiler is cheap and has no DOC fitted, and can be cheaper than draining the whole system.
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What's a prv? What's a DOC?

When you say 'not cheap mind', could you elaborate? I've been unhappy with the boiler for a while - a bath takes an age to fill - but the whole kitchen is fitted around the boiler. So if it's going to cost me £lots, maybe I should have the thing replaced?
 
had a old one (20 ish years) and it was also leaking - they leaking got worse and worse, had two plumbers to look at it and it was some seal around the back of it - was cheaper to replace it and the new one is so much nicer / quieter
 
DOC: drain off hen :)
PRV: pressure relief valve.
Halstead parts are daylight robbery for what you get, but even so, parts and labour shouldn't be more than £150, but that really depends on what's leaking and what condition things are in!
Halstead boilers at this age really are pushing the limits of performance and reliability. They were a cheap boiler and nothing else. If it was me I would set a limit of how much you want to spend to repair it, and over that you are better of replacing the thing.
Mick
 
The man has been and recommended a Baxi Ecoblue Combi Advance (the 40kW model). £2500 :eek: (inc fitting). I know Worcester are more often recommended here but I've not spotted any reviews of the Baxi online - is it too new? Where it's going to go, there's a width restriction of ~460mm.
 
Wait. You're replacing the entire thing? Did the guy not have a look to see what was wrong with the current one?
 
I should have added that British / Scottish Gas suggested they might be available to come round in March... d'oh!
 
That's expensive for a Baxi boiler swap. Are you having other stuff done at the same time? Filter, flush, valves, controls etc?
You could get yourself a Vaillant for that money :)
Oh and I would hang fire on getting the Eco blue. We went to a Baxi presentation, and the concerning thing about the blue is that although great on paper, a lot of the insides are very similar to the diabolical GA! So I would wait a few months before deciding on one of those.

Mick

Edit, ask him to quote on a Duotec HEA instead, they are a bargain price, very reliable, and if fitted by someone approved and registered by them you get 7 yrs warranty. Our company fits loads of them, they are nothing flash, but do the job well.
 
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FlyingFish said:
That's expensive for a Baxi boiler swap. Are you having other stuff done at the same time? Filter, flush, valves, controls etc?
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I'm not entirely sure. Whatever needs doing to replace the current boiler. I looked up the basic price of the boiler and they're putting a 100% premium on it. But this is Aberdeen. :( I also have yet to find any positive reviews of the thing.

You could get yourself a Vaillant for that money :)
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I will ask.

Oh and I would hang fire on getting the Eco blue. We went to a Baxi presentation, and the concerning thing about the blue is that although great on paper, a lot of the insides are very similar to the diabolical GA! So I would wait a few months before deciding on one of those.
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Noted.

Edit, ask him to quote on a Duotec HEA instead, they are a bargain price, very reliable, and if fitted by someone approved and registered by them you get 7 yrs warranty. Our company fits loads of them, they are nothing flash, but do the job well.
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Noted again. But the one review visible on the Which website is not complimentary.
 
Looks like that review is for the GA, and not the HEA. (On my phone that website doesn't work too well). Unfortunately there is no such thing as a perfect boiler, (or we'd all be fitting them), people have budgets to work to, and some installers have personal favourites they like to fit.
 
I've just had British Gas round. They want £1000 more - £3500 in all. However, the man did identify that there was far more to be done - changing the gas feed pipe which is currently too narrow, moving the flue, flushing the radiators, and more. He also explained far more. He's recommending a Worcester Bosch 535. Would it be worth going up to the 42 CDI?
 
BG, are expensive, we normally quote £1K under them for exactly same boiler and same installation. So shop around for local accredited installers.

Mick
 
I slept on it and have plumped for British Gas and the 42 CDI. I want my bath filled that bit quicker! He spotted problems that others did not, as mentioned he explained more, and I simply have more confidence in them than the others who came. Thanks for your help.
 
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