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Gas Boiler problem


Gyn_Paul
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Querky one this... never seen it before.

Because our conversion is l-o-n-g, it doesn't lend itself to one central source of domestic hot water, so we have tended to install multiple chauff-eaux as we've gone along. But have now reached the rediculous point where if I install another one - not only will it spend most of its time full, hot, unused and leaking heat, but when they all come on to heat up at 01:30  in the morning (with the dishwasher and the washing machine) it will tip the total current draw well above my max 60A (especially as cold elements 'spike' and draw more than their stated value)

So... for two of the little-used bathrooms I intend to supply the hot from a 14kw instant gas boiler (what in the UK would be called a 'multipoint' I suppose).

Eventually they will be fed from fixed 10mm copper pipe, but just at the moment it's bottle+hose connection.

OK.. so plumb it it, connect everything up attach the flue (check it draws) test for gas-tighness etc, Turn on the water and - bingo! it lights and lots of lovely hot water comes out the tap (or shower in this case).

Everything appears fine until the following morning when it refuses to light again. spark can be heard tick-tch-ticking, but no gas valve opening.

The gas bottle, I should mention is propane fed into one of those 1/4-turn detente/regulators.

no amount of turning the bottle on and off, or setting, re-setting the detente has the slightest effect. However I discovered by accident (I wondered if the problem might be liquid gas somehow pooling in the hose overnight so I disconnected it and vented it out of the window for 15 seconds) that disconnecting the gas line and reconnecting it restored proper service.

This morning - same problem - take gas spanner and slacken, then retighten gas connection to boiler and all is well again.

What's going on? what is happening over 12 hours?? and - most importantly  - how do I cure it? I can't spend the rest of my life letting the pressure off a connection every time I need a shower!

Most confused.

(I'm pretty certain it's not a boiler fault 'cos I took the second one out of its box and swopped them over and it displays the exact same problem)

I await your collected thoughts....

paul

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It actually sounds the opposite of what it should be doing unless you have neglected to say that you are pressing and holding down the button after releasing the residual pressure if indeed there is any.

 

All these détendeurs need to "feel" a bit of back pressure or resistance to flow otherwise they will cut off because it could be a cut pipe or a leak, if you have a slight leak somewhere then I can understand you having to reset the detendeur after 12 hours but not the slackening of a union to do so.

 

Actually that is rubbish unless you are turning off the cylinder valve each time but it might still be related to said feature.

 

Try a newly refilled gas bottle?

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Tomorrow morning I'll be a bit more forensic in how I approach the problem. Up to now it has been characterised by trying every combination of turning the bottle off, resetting the detendeur, resetting the boiler (after 6 seconds of clicking, it turn itself off and needs the gas flow control to be turned off and on again to get it to initiate the spark cycle again).

My gut instinct was as you described above, Chancer. in which case you would sort of expect flipping the det and resetting it within the 6 seconds of sparking would initiate at least a burst of gas even if the flow didn't hold, but no.

These detendeurs are intended to be wall-mounted: anyone know if they are orientation sensitive? I've long since binned the packaging. At the moment it's free-floating on the end of one of those short high-pressure hoses.

Oh and - yes - it's a new, full bottle.

Bloody things : makes me wish I still had the 40 year old E.M Leblanc with its pilot light. As long as it had a new thermocouple every ten years, some gas and a bit of water it lit every time.  Much more forgiving of variations in pressure etc. It would still be going if our acidic water hadn't finally done for it.

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