Glowworm Flexicom CX Warning!

[the_ace]

Just a little heads up guys, one of our engineers attended a call to repair a noisy boiler (a flexicom cx) and noted explosive ignition. The boiler was still in warranty so he called glowworm out, the glowworm engineer attended and in the process of him checking it out it ignited with such a force that the combustion cover blew off and broke his nose!

This was yesterday and HSE and glowworm are looking into it so just a warning to watch out when working on these, that boiler was 2 months old :hand:

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Ouch 🙁

 

[SimonG]

At two months old it would be interesting to see if it was the boiler at fault.

 

[kris]

Lucky the combustion cover took the worst of the brunt,,,Yeh, not keen on the flexicoms, theyre glowworms cheapo range, but now and then a custard will walk into travis perkins and see an offer Flexicom boiler for a fiver and want one,

 

[kris]

Just a little heads up guys, one of our engineers attended a call to repair a noisy boiler (a flexicom cx) and noted explosive ignition. The boiler was still in warranty so he called glowworm out, the glowworm engineer attended and in the process of him checking it out it ignited with such a force that the combustion cover blew off and broke his nose!

This was yesterday and HSE and glowworm are looking into it so just a warning to watch out when working on these, that boiler was 2 months old :hand:

Keep us posted ace cheers

 

[mfgs]

I would love to have seen that happen, you just would never expect it.

 

[Skull]

Just fitted one.

****.

 

[AWheating]

you would have thought that a combustion chamber and its access door would be engineered to take such force. It would not be hard to know the force from such a volume at the best air to gas mixture.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Lucky the combustion cover took the worst of the brunt,,,Yeh, not keen on the flexicoms, theyre glowworms cheapo range, but now and then a custard will walk into travis perkins and see an offer Flexicom boiler for a fiver and want one,

A fiver?? when did they put the price up? 😉

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I had a boiler do the same thing to me about 5/6 years ago, well, it didn't hit my face but popped the chamber cover off and gave me a need for new pants....

 

[kris]

A fiver?? when did they put the price up? 😉

They are a Heep of poop. and not worth a fiver

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

changing a 2 year old one on monday for a duotec the glowsheds worn out

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Just a little heads up guys, one of our engineers attended a call to repair a noisy boiler (a flexicom cx) and noted explosive ignition. The boiler was still in warranty so he called glowworm out, the glowworm engineer attended and in the process of him checking it out it ignited with such a force that the combustion cover blew off and broke his nose!

This was yesterday and HSE and glowworm are looking into it so just a warning to watch out when working on these, that boiler was 2 months old :hand:

it obviously got excited about still working for 2 months and tried to kiss him

 

[Ermintrude]

Went to old wb balanced flue combo think it was a 240. Lit it with blow torch fit it in to full flame, big gust of wind - North Sea costal property. Went to get screws and flame lifted out and lost 10 - 15 % of my desperate dan look. Hope lads ok and has a good solicitor!

 

[AWheating]

i lost my eye brows and some hair once. Women comes running out of a house in the street we are working in saying her back boiler pilot light has gone out and she needs our help. She told me she had not tried to light it. So i put me head down, pushed to pizo button and whoosh i got toasted in the face.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

changing a 2 year old one on monday for a duotec the glowsheds worn out

2 years?? :O

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

2 years?? :O

pcb gone,multiple leaks,custy said its a heap

 

[bigads28]

I've seen a Vokera Mynute that decided it didn't need the terminal section of its vertical flue kit due to explosive ignition! Picked that out of the neighbours garden :50:

 

[IDCHAPPY]

pcb gone,multiple leaks,custy said its a heap

Yip, I know that feeling, at least the one i ripped out lasted 6 years :lol:

 

[cjlaberdeen]

I had this with a flexicom and after investigation it was a faulty gas valve it collapsed inside and put 23bar of pressure into chamber and ignited. Front cover blew off and flew across the kitchen!! Safe to say I :nono: my pants

 

[Dotty]

23 bar?

I'd be rather perturbed....

 

[IDCHAPPY]

23 bar?

I'd be rather perturbed....

So would the house at that pressure 😀

 

[SimonG]

mbar perchance? 🙂

 

[SimonG]

Oil boilers explosive ignition is better. Cost me half an eyebrow. 🙂

 

[cjlaberdeen]

Sorry never noticed stupid auto correct on iPhone meant to be mbar haha

 

[kris]

Oil boilers explosive ignition is better. Cost me half an eyebrow. 🙂

I hope youve kept the other half simon ,

 

[SimonG]

Zeb used the same line 🙂 Never heard the last of it 🙂

 

[SimonG]

I hope youve kept the other half simon ,

Grown back since then. Old orange ab, took the plate off to see the flame. Wont do that again in a hurry.

 

[kris]

Ive had similar experiences waking up on a sunday morning in my earlier years where someone stole my brow

 

[kris]

Boy did eye lash out lol

 

[stevetheplumber]

there used to be a boiler with the plate front,think it was an appollo , only held by a silly catch i was messing around with one that was fitted under a sink unit one day and did one to many attempts at lighting it and it blew the door of straight into my nose
i came out the cupboard with eyes watering as the customer came running in to see what the bang was think i mumbled something like "its ok they all do that "

 

[southcoastboile]

Was speaking to a guy in the pub who has the same thing happen with a Glowworm. Was about a month old and it had blown up from inside blowing off the combustion chamber and side panels. It was replaced by Glowworm under warranty and the Glowworm engineer said e wasn't allowed to say why it happened.

 

[happyflyer]

I am surprised that the manufacture has not tested the boiler cover plate for this kind of event, it shows how much they know about explosive gas and air mixtures, they should test the boiler right through the range of gas and air with delayed ignition.

Sometime sooner or later a boiler is going to experience delayed ignition, I know of a cast iron sectional boiler that blew apart the sections, the tie bars had not been finally fitted and it kill the chap firing up the burner he had messed with the pilot and main gas valve wiring

 

[dave1]

Unfortunately I have the pleasure of working on these flexicoms everyday! Spark electrodes are always going and can cause explosive ignition. I've also had gas valves letting by could have been a combo? They have so many faults with them it's unbelievable I've posted on here before about which parts to watch out for on them inc all the plastic flue parts ( front flue hood, top flue hood, sump, etc)

 

[happyflyer]

Dave,

Gas valves letting by, the boiler should be banned, and banned for delayed ignition