Gas boiler blues - just in time for Christmas

HI winterwhite I feel for you, we had a boiler breakdown over Christmas some years ago - just as our guests arrived!

There's little that can't be fixed or at least shed light on via Google, I had a look out of nosiness and boredom and this site has 'live chat' manned by plumbers!

www.justanswer.com/uk-plumbing/7o9oj-boiler-not-working-fault-code-reading-f9.html

Good luck!

Just had a new boiler fitted. A Veissmann, on the advice of my plumber, a young guy who is up on all the latest in the field. Certainly, the house seems warmer all the time. I think it's more sensitive to changes in temperature.

Have you checked the water oressure in the boiler. There will be a dial, it neds to be roughly at 1.3 if ch is not on and it goes up to around 1,5 when ch is on. If it is too low then the boiler will not fire. It is easily remedied, there is a fill switch , you will hear the water run in and the pressure will build. Don`t go too high. Water pressure is a majorreason for call-outs

also water pressure drops when bleeding rads and may need to be pushed up again. Sorry for all mis-spells above, I wrote in a hurry

Craftyone
Totally agree. 9 times out of 10 it's water pressure with boiler problems. But as I said on another thread: plumbers don't want you to know that ?

my plumber taught me. He`s a decent young man

Boilers, like washing machines, are built on the assumption that they will have a life of 10 years and then be replaced. so your Glowworm, winterwhite has reached the end of its designed life.

We don't bother with maintenance contracts. If we added up the cost to insure CH plus oven, hob, washing machine, dishwasher etc, we reckon it would work out dearer than putting the money toward new appliances and callouts.

S[ringyChicken - I agree with you. For decades I had a Homeserve agreement, which got more and more expensive. Few years back, when I put in a new boiler, I stopped this and self-insured. Found a wonderful gas-safe person who would come to annual maintenance and would also come out in an emergency. Saved so much money over those years.
In my new flat I found that the maintenance for my boiler and central htg all comes under the maintenance charge we pay - and that also gives emergency cover. Due to have the elderly boiler in the flat serviced (under this system) in January and will talk to B.Gas when they come as to how efficient this boiler is and how much life it still has. Working absolutely fine.

Two Christmases ago my boiler broke down and British Gas could no longer get the spare part. When speaking to me on the phone they asked if I had health problems or anything to make me vulnerable. I told them no, but I was a pensioner. Within 20 minutes they had arranged delivery and fitting of a new boiler next day, which was Christmas Eve. I couldn't have been more pleased with their service!
Perhaps you could play the 'pensioner' card if you are one?

You mention Home Serve contract. I think you’ll find that BG’s contracts are called Home Care. Worth checking before complaining.
I only know this because our house insurers offered us a years Homeserve cover on our drains for 50p!
BG Home Care covers our CH and Electrical breakdowns.

Very many thanks all for much useful advice, Yes, I meant B Gas Home Care (costs us £40 per month). Homeserve is for something else. We know we will have to replace the boiler (and willl def look carefully at Veissmann and Worcester Bosch), but this one doesn't clank and groan, the water pressure thing is the only problem so we hope to carry on till the spring.
I was railing really against B Gas cancelling an apptmnt for 22 Dec and not offering another another till mid January, which I think outrageous. So much for 'peace of mind'. And I think even more outrageous that they refused to give any advice over the phone as to whether it really was the water pressure, whether it might stop failing if we do this or that etc I asked why, if the water pressure was all wrong, it ignited again as soon as we pressed the magic button. Silence. Thanks, Crafty, for your tip, you obviously live up to your name . We're both in our 70s and DH has various health problems though nothing acute at the moment.

Things to check
Check for air locks in radiators, air in system
Turn more radiators on, it could be the “over Temperature sensor” cutting out, same if you have had power cuts.
Turn off at wall then back on - that resets mine.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=AV4dqnkxGQM

The above link should explain the problem and hopefully you can fix yourself. ?

If you have paid for service then you should flippin' well get service when you need it. Sometimes you have to play the game to get their attention so I would have said I'm in my 70s and the boiler wasn't working.