Stripping the boxed Mectron - Potterton Statesman

[Bunker]

Aaaargh today. Aaaargh.

Boiler wont start, buzzing noise.
Mectron in a box, you know, the one with the 4 screws to take the lid off and has a solid feed pipe and the HP pipe is at the back?
Wangled the pump off and sure enough, its been leaking into the motor and seized it.
Freed up the motor, splashed 3in1 down it, whirls like a humming bird, lovely.
New pump wangled on (with swearing) - run up but no pressure! Pump is duff!!
(Another) new pump on (swearing). Run up, 120psi, firing - hurrah. Shut down, pressure gauge off, back on..bzzzzzzzzz.

arse.

Pump off (swearing) - fan cover off (swearing). Fan seized on (very swearing).
Angle grinder the fan off.
New motor on, new fan ...ah, right size wrong hole size....swearing.
Whiz up to colleagues garage - rustle and huzzah! correct fan.
Back together and running.
FGA set and good although a rumbling start up. Ignore, go home 3 3/4 hours on site.

Customer calls, says start up is rumbling....go back tomorrow and check electrodes etc.

Aaaargh today. Aaaargh.

How was your afternoon?

 

[Best]

If Kerosine gets in the motor bearings, I replace the bearings as it wrecks them. The motor just seizes up.
Could you have got the old fan off? I know some of them can be well rusted on, but I try to be patient with it & get some Wd 40 in the spindle while tapping the centre bit of fan. Had one to do recently & managed it after 5 minutes of trying my best. If you slacken the grub screw on fan & turn the fan while holding the other side of the motor drive (where oil pump drive goes) you will find the fan will screw off rather than pull off.
Do check all the oil filters from the tank aren't blocked also.

 

[Bunker]

I tried everything to get the fan off, even used heat (always good with WD40, hehe). Believe me the angle grinder was the last resort
After our recent discussion on bearings, I would have changed them except I knackered the end of the motor grind the fan off.
Im not usually a rough handed ape, its just bad frustrating luck.

 

[CXR100]

any of you use the fan puller from regin?? I bough it, worked well but hell of a job to get an allen key inside fan, I made myself an "basic oil box" Stanley organiser with some nozzles , 10 bearings, mix of 6 drive couplings, 10 mm - 3/8 - 1/4 an 10mm taps , oil flexies , fan puller, bearings puller etc

 

[lame plumber]

YEAH HARGH, its not only me that has those :nono: days, made my day seeing that post Best
.

 

[Best]

I know exactly. When things start going wrong, I find even the simplest tasks go wrong. :smile:
I had to go about 15 miles to an unknown boiler which turned out to be a neglected Warmflow HE full of soot. Took me at least 3 1/2 hours on the job & although I managed to keep fairly clean & worn gloves, all the tools I handled got sooty. Really a days work for one bolier.

 

[Bunker]

Trouble is, how much do you charge? I have a published call out price structure but using that, on 3 3/4 hours, the labour alone would have been £222.50 plus vat! I couldnt charge that on top of a new motor and pump (both the Riello prices!). So I decided on £120 labour which he was grateful for.

 

[Best]

any of you use the fan puller from regin?? I bough it, worked well but hell of a job to get an allen key inside fan, I made myself an "basic oil box" Stanley organiser with some nozzles , 10 bearings, mix of 6 drive couplings, 10 mm - 3/8 - 1/4 an 10mm taps , oil flexies , fan puller, bearings puller etc

You have trouble getting the Allen key inside fan? Use single Allen keys - longer type & put the shorter end into the fan screw. Or there should be a hole on one of the fans blades opposite the grub screw.

 

[Bunker]

You have trouble getting the Allen key inside fan? Use single Allen keys - longer type & put the shorter end into the fan screw. Or there should be a hole on one of the fans blades opposite the grub screw.

I think he means getting the allen key into the grub screw on the puller, there wont be much space around it.

 

[Best]

You'd have been better putting a new burner on, set it up & been away inside an hour & charged very little.
Tbh, I got £60 for all my effort & a couple parts. I have to go back soon to replace the condense trap & retest the combustion, but that will be more wasted time.

 

[Bunker]

You'd have been better putting a new burner on, set it up & been away inside an hour & charged very little.
Tbh, I got £60 for all my effort & a couple parts. I have to go back soon to replace the condense trap & retest the combustion, but that will be more wasted time.

Hindsight would be the best tool in my box Besty

 

[Best]

I think he means getting the allen key into the grub screw on the puller, there wont be much space around it.

Sorry, my mistake. I did wonder. I only use antiquated bearing puller which you just turn the bolt with a spanner.

 

[CXR100]

I bought a regin one from hwos, and priced it in a job to change a motor and pump. worked well anyway!!! bought the old motor home just to change the bearings in it as a practice, might do it Saturday evening . just goes to show how sad my life is as a 22 yr old!! lol

 

[Best]

Hindsight would be the best tool in my box Besty

Dont worry, I wish I could use hindsight on everything. I confess I went out to a boiler with fairly new burner that blew the consumer unit fuse each time heating came on after a minute or so. I hadn't much time so disconnected likely culprit - circulating pump. New fuse blew - changed burner motor - new fuse blew - changed transformer - boiler then went ok but circulating pump now not working - run out of time so came back next day & changed circulating pump - switched on & new fuse blew!!
The spur switch had a short in it!

 

[Best]

I bought a regin one from hwos, and priced it in a job to change a motor and pump. worked well anyway!!! bought the old motor home just to change the bearings in it as a practice, might do it Saturday evening . just goes to show how sad my life is as a 22 yr old!! lol

Better to practice in a nice dry place with no pressure than have to attempt it in a hurry on a job in the rain & wind on a dark night.
I prefer to remove other things on a Saturday night tbh. :smile: