Powermax 1400 boiler - burner not always kicking in

Enthus · Feb 14, 2017

Apologies for the long post but I'm hoping to get a bit of advice.

Last week a plumber came in to replace a bathroom rad with a heated towel rack and remove a rad from downstairs in the hallway. The work seemed fine and our CH and hot water both came on as programmed that night. However the next morning neither seemed to be working. After a bit of googling I found that this model has a small reset switch located in the top of the unit. After resetting it the burner light came on and the CH and water both warmed as normal. Since then the issue has continued intermittently. Sometimes the burner comes on as per the timer and other times I have to hit the reset button before it will kick in. I've bled every rad in the house but the problem is still occurring.

What I need to work out is A. if there is anything obvious that I can do to resolve the issue and B. whether or not this issue has arisen as a result of an error on the part of the plumber or if this has happened simply as a result of the age of the boiler and the change in/removal of the rads. Obviously if this is the fault of the plumber I'll get him back in but I can't see a link between the two. He did take the small circular seal off the CH pump to check it was running when he was filling the towel rail, and I've loosen the cover again after reading that this might be a cause but it hasn't made a difference. I'm also aware that the model of boiler I have is rather old but it seems a big coincidence that this issue has started immediately after the work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

joni os · Feb 14, 2017

Systems can have multiple faults. Some faults mask a secondary fault which only becomes apparent when 1st fault is fixed. Clients can be genuinely unaware of second fault or fully aware and intent on blaming plumber to avoid payment. The numerous occasions boilers, "worked perfectly", before being serviced, makes it advisable to witness boiler in action before service is commenced.
The foregoing, is not directed as a reproach, but an explanation of how the plumber will view matters should you suggest fitting towel rail broke boiler.
The engineer who services your boiler is the person to contact, but make him aware of the fault, don't just ask for a service.

joni os · Feb 14, 2017

Systems can have multiple faults. Some faults mask a secondary fault which only becomes apparent when 1st fault is fixed. Clients can be genuinely unaware of second fault or fully aware and intent on blaming plumber to avoid payment. The numerous occasions boilers, "worked perfectly", before being serviced, makes it advisable to witness boiler in action before service is commenced.
The foregoing, is not directed as a reproach, but an explanation of how the plumber will view matters should you suggest fitting towel rail broke boiler.
The engineer who services your boiler is the person to contact, but make him aware of the fault, don't just ask for a service.