Hello all. I have a Vaillant VCW242 combi boiler, which I believe has been in the house for 20+ years. It hadn't been serviced for a while so I got it serviced earlier in the week.
The person who serviced it informed me that there was a major problem with it and that temperature gauge was broken so the water would just keep getting hotter and hotter and the boiler was overheating, which is a big risk. I was informed that the boiler is unsafe to use and that it should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
Apparently the service person couldn't get hold of the correct parts for it and so is advising a new boiler be installed.
Now I know almost nothing about boilers so I am trusting what the professional is telling me but wanted to know what other people thought before I go out and get a brand new boiler installed.
One issue that was raised was that the water was coming out scalding, which it certainly was - around 65C from the hot tap. Since the service person left, I adjusted the hot water screw (flow adjustment?) thing underneath the boiler and the water coming out of the hot tap is now around 56C, much cooler. I filled up a 10 litre bucket and it took around one minute, which I believe is the recommended flow to get a 35C temperature rise. The cold water coming out of the tap is currently 20C, so this seems like it adds up pretty well.
If I turn on the central heating (thermostat set to aorund 25C and the radiator knob set to 5), the temperature gauge doesn't do anything - it sits in its lowest position so I'm pretty sure that at least the visible gauge is broken as it doesn't move at all. But does this also mean that the temperature controller/modulator is also broken? In the manual it says that the thermometer gauge display is for the central heating flow temperature and not the hot water, so how are these things linked in terms of the water dangerously overheating?
The boiler does also make some kind of crackling noises when the central heating it on, which I am not sure it to healthy. Audio link here: Boiler Noise - Clyp
So I'm not sure whether to go ahead and get a new boiler seeing as I've been told continuing to use my current one is dangerous, or whether I should get a second opinion from someone who perhaps knows this particular boiler better.
Thanks a lot for your time.
The person who serviced it informed me that there was a major problem with it and that temperature gauge was broken so the water would just keep getting hotter and hotter and the boiler was overheating, which is a big risk. I was informed that the boiler is unsafe to use and that it should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
Apparently the service person couldn't get hold of the correct parts for it and so is advising a new boiler be installed.
Now I know almost nothing about boilers so I am trusting what the professional is telling me but wanted to know what other people thought before I go out and get a brand new boiler installed.
One issue that was raised was that the water was coming out scalding, which it certainly was - around 65C from the hot tap. Since the service person left, I adjusted the hot water screw (flow adjustment?) thing underneath the boiler and the water coming out of the hot tap is now around 56C, much cooler. I filled up a 10 litre bucket and it took around one minute, which I believe is the recommended flow to get a 35C temperature rise. The cold water coming out of the tap is currently 20C, so this seems like it adds up pretty well.
If I turn on the central heating (thermostat set to aorund 25C and the radiator knob set to 5), the temperature gauge doesn't do anything - it sits in its lowest position so I'm pretty sure that at least the visible gauge is broken as it doesn't move at all. But does this also mean that the temperature controller/modulator is also broken? In the manual it says that the thermometer gauge display is for the central heating flow temperature and not the hot water, so how are these things linked in terms of the water dangerously overheating?
The boiler does also make some kind of crackling noises when the central heating it on, which I am not sure it to healthy. Audio link here: Boiler Noise - Clyp
So I'm not sure whether to go ahead and get a new boiler seeing as I've been told continuing to use my current one is dangerous, or whether I should get a second opinion from someone who perhaps knows this particular boiler better.
Thanks a lot for your time.
