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[Sir Tigger KC]

The boiler in question is a Glow Worm Betacom 24c and it's making a horrible grinding type noise when on hot water.    Nice and quiet on central heating mode though. 

I had a plumber look at it a while back and he changed the diverter valve motor but that hasn't made a difference and he reckons it's something to do with the thermostatic bath/shower mixer tap, despite the noise occurring on all the hot taps. 

Yesterday I had another look and the noise seems to be coming from the diverter valve itself.  I popped off the motor and the plunger seems to be a bit sticky. ie it dosn't go in and out smoothly.  I've found a service kit for the diverter valve, which hopefully will do the trick, but I can't find any 'How to' videos etc on how to service the valve. 

It looks straight forward enough, but I'm wondering if any of you guys or girls have done this and have any advice!  TIA! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Glowworm-Betacom-24c-30c-Diverter-Valve-Service-Repair-Kit/360883374566?epid=1088414023&hash=item54065349e6:g:OfgAAOxy3HJTJZq9

[STEMO]

Have you tried hittin it wiv a nammer?

[Sir Tigger KC]

I tend to break things wiv gurt big nammers.... 

[STEMO]

Ah well. That’s me out of ideas 

[Sir Tigger KC]

No surprise there then.... 

Next up: Lord Opti telling us how he loves a noisy old boiler! 

[STEMO]

No surprise there then.... 

Next up: Lord Opti telling us how he loves a noisy old boiler! 

Well....Opti and me have had plenty of practice commenting on your numerous kamikaze boilers. 

[Sir Tigger KC]

No surprise there then.... 

Next up: Lord Opti telling us how he loves a noisy old boiler! 

Well....Opti and me have had plenty of practice commenting on your numerous kamikaze bunny boilers. 

  

[Shackeng]

I was about to point you to DIYnot Sir Tig, but it seems you have already been there.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I was about to point you to DIYnot Sir Tig, but it seems you have already been there.

It's a good site! 

In the plumbing section though, you tend to get a lot of plumbers whose advice usually is to get a plumber in!   

[Shackeng]

I was about to point you to DIYnot Sir Tig, but it seems you have already been there.

It's a good site! 

In the plumbing section though, you tend to get a lot of plumbers whose advice usually is to get a plumber in!   

Yes you have to tread carefully in there, they tend to have a high opinion of themselves, and many plumbers are clearly on there to show off. But the information is there if you can squeeze it out of them.

[Kevin Wood]

I was about to point you to DIYnot Sir Tig, but it seems you have already been there.

It's a good site! 

In the plumbing section though, you tend to get a lot of plumbers whose advice usually is to get a plumber in!   

Yes you have to tread carefully in there, they tend to have a high opinion of themselves, and many plumbers are clearly on there to show off. But the information is there if you can squeeze it out of them.

Yes, fixing boilers is clearly somewhere between rocket science and quantum physics, or so you'd think, reading the responses on that site.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Servicing a diverter valve must be part of the dark arts, as I've had no replies on Diynot.com despite 60 odd views and nothing serious from here. 

Guess I'll have to be a 'Have a go hero'! 

[TheBoy]

Boilers are stupidly simple devices, with stupidly simple wiring.  I suspect plumbers try to keep that simple.


That said, my Potterton locked out again overnight, that's twice in the last 3 months.  Heres hoping there is enough PCB to solder to, as I vaguely recall the last time - probably about 10yrs ago - I was having to rebuild tracks across burnt, disintegrated board.  I suspect it will be a new PCB this time

[TheBoy]

Servicing a diverter valve must be part of the dark arts, as I've had no replies on Diynot.com despite 60 odd views and nothing serious from here. 

Guess I'll have to be a 'Have a go hero'! 

Sorry, only used to external diverters.  In fact, had to replace one a couple of weeks back here, as the previous had started weeping. That's about the 5th one since the house was built in 2001.

[TD]

Boilers are stupidly simple devices, with stupidly simple wiring.  I suspect plumbers try to keep that simple.


That said, my Potterton locked out again overnight, that's twice in the last 3 months.  Heres hoping there is enough PCB to solder to, as I vaguely recall the last time - probably about 10yrs ago - I was having to rebuild tracks across burnt, disintegrated board.  I suspect it will be a new PCB this time

Have you looked inside a new(ish) boiler 

My Vaillant has a huge pcb with another pcb piggy backed onto it, with looms of cable running everywhere ......

[TheBoy]

Boilers are stupidly simple devices, with stupidly simple wiring.  I suspect plumbers try to keep that simple.


That said, my Potterton locked out again overnight, that's twice in the last 3 months.  Heres hoping there is enough PCB to solder to, as I vaguely recall the last time - probably about 10yrs ago - I was having to rebuild tracks across burnt, disintegrated board.  I suspect it will be a new PCB this time

Have you looked inside a new(ish) boiler 

My Vaillant has a huge pcb with another pcb piggy backed onto it, with looms of cable running everywhere ......

Its still simple, ultimately, no matter how they try to complicate it.

[TD]

Boilers are stupidly simple devices, with stupidly simple wiring.  I suspect plumbers try to keep that simple.


That said, my Potterton locked out again overnight, that's twice in the last 3 months.  Heres hoping there is enough PCB to solder to, as I vaguely recall the last time - probably about 10yrs ago - I was having to rebuild tracks across burnt, disintegrated board.  I suspect it will be a new PCB this time

Have you looked inside a new(ish) boiler 

My Vaillant has a huge pcb with another pcb piggy backed onto it, with looms of cable running everywhere ......

Its still simple, ultimately, no matter how they try to complicate it.

My old boiler was stupidly simple, thermostat, cast iron heat exchanger, ignitor and that was about it, no pcb.....but it used about four times the amount of gas 

[TheBoy]

My old boiler was stupidly simple, thermostat, cast iron heat exchanger, ignitor and that was about it, no pcb.....but it used about four times the amount of gas 

I'd hazard a guess that the efficiency of any boiler (that isn't so old it has a pilot light) has nothing to do with the electronics around it.

I'd also hazard a guess that the boiler's reliability is inversely proportional to the amount of electronics fitted, given the poorly specced components all boiler manufacturers use  . Potterton being a fine example. Guess what I have

[Rods2]

And most plumbers IME have no idea how to fix new boilers beyond trying to use the fault codes along with the basic manufacturer's fault finding charts, followed by component swapping at the customer's expense.

[STEMO]

My vaillant has been sitting in its cupboard for four years now. Never so much as coughed.

[Shackeng]

My vaillant has been sitting in its cupboard for four years now. Never so much as coughed.

Tried switching it on?

[STEMO]

My vaillant has been sitting in its cupboard for four years now. Never so much as coughed.

Tried switching it on?

You’re not funny and you’re not clever. Go and sit in the corner. 

[Kevin Wood]

And most plumbers IME have no idea how to fix new boilers beyond trying to use the fault codes along with the basic manufacturer's fault finding charts, followed by component swapping at the customer's expense.

Yep, just like cars, they have become too complex for a "registered engineer"<sic> to even begin to diagnose. Moreover, the rush for condensing boilers has resulted in the replacement of simple, reliable boilers with modern tat that lasts 10 years by which time it will be be "beyond economical repair" or "can't get the parts anymore". Anyone would think it was a deliberate ploy by the manufacturers.

Most of my neighbours have replaced perfectly sound original now 20 year old Potterton boilers with condensing boilers but mine isn't going anywhere until it's comprehensively dead.

[STEMO]

10 years seems reasonable to me. I mean, you wouldn’t keep a car for more than ten years.

[Marks DTM Calib]

And most plumbers IME have no idea how to fix new boilers beyond trying to use the fault codes along with the basic manufacturer's fault finding charts, followed by component swapping at the customer's expense.

Yep, just like cars, they have become too complex for a "registered engineer"<sic> to even begin to diagnose. Moreover, the rush for condensing boilers has resulted in the replacement of simple, reliable boilers with modern tat that lasts 10 years by which time it will be be "beyond economical repair" or "can't get the parts anymore". Anyone would think it was a deliberate ploy by the manufacturers.

Most of my neighbours have replaced perfectly sound original now 20 year old Potterton boilers with condensing boilers but mine isn't going anywhere until it's comprehensively dead.

Snap

My Profile just works (all be it needing three electrolytics replacing every 10 years or so), has a nice phosphor bronze bearing fan, stonking (and great condition) cast iron heat exchanger and just works reliably, quietly and pretty efficiently.

It will be staying for the foreseeable!