Friend has a Valiant combi boiler in his loft. It is controlled by an Altech ALTHC014 remote controller.
Everything works ok with the controller switching boiler on and off etc. However, the boiler has taken to firing up during the night randomly and turning the heating on full bung so that the radiators are roasting. When this happens, mate has checked the remote controller and the boiler on image is not showing on that.
Called out an engineer who suggested that it was probably the frost protection kicking in and as the pipes round the boiler weren't lagged, and the boiler itself was not insulated in any way then he suggested putting lagging on the pipes and insulating the boiler.
Mate has now done the pipes and asked my help to try and build a frame round the boiler to insulate it.
Is this wise? I assume it needs some sort of airflow around it or is all the air intakes etc protected?
My idea is to build some sort of wooden frame around it with insulation of some sort attached.
a) is it ok to do this and
b) so you think this may solve the problem or is the engineer sending him on a wild goose chase?
I can understand about frost protection and if this is kicking in less than 5 degrees then it may well get that cold up in the uninsulated part of the loft. However why would this in turn turn all the radiators in the house on full bung?
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>> Is this wise? I assume it needs some sort of airflow around it or is
>> all the air intakes etc protected?
Its got what is called a "balanced flu" all the air for combustion is drawn in via the main flu where exhaust gasses go. You can put them in cupboards, but it will need a clearance around it
>> loft. However why would this in turn turn all the radiators in the house on
>> full bung?
frost protection shouldn't do that, its only intended to keep the pipes and the heat exchanger contained within the boiler above 5c, its not designed to keep the whole system warm. Anyway you say the system is making the radiators hot, that is not frost protection, he has another event kicking the boiler up.
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>> he has another event kicking the boiler up
That's what I was thinking. I have asked him to physically remove the batteries from the remote controller overnight so that there is no way it can be sending a message to the boiler.
Cheers re the air intake, I was pretty sure looking round the boiler that there was no sign of an air intake, not even a vent of any sort. Was tempted to suggest just wrapping a sleeping bag around it but was a wee bit wary!!
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Agreed with above. Is there a timer which shuts the heating and/or hot water down? Room stat to keep the house at the temperature set?
Having said that a boiler in the loft is quite vulnerable as it gets cold in there. Hence for those who have tanks up there they should be sited above the hot water tanks with no insulation between and plenty of lagging.
If its a combi type thing then when it sparks up it has to pump the hot water somewhere. So if there is no hot water draw then the only other outlet would be the radiators.
If you were going down the insulation route then I would be trying to build some sort of box out of something like this with an good air gap around the boiler and flue.
www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Building-Materials/Insulation/Insulation-Boards/c/1000272#
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sun 29 Mar 15 at 19:21
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My boiler is in the loft, it has two anti frost modes. The boiler itself will fire at 5C to stop it freezing. The heating controller fires the heating if the house temperature falls to 7C regardless of the heating mode even holiday shutdown. I suspect a controller fault. I would fix the fault not try to hide it with insulation, which would be unlikely to make any difference.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 29 Mar 15 at 19:33
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I have checked the installers instructions for my boiler, when the boiler fires for frost protection it circulates water internally through the hot water heat exchanger. The house controller anti frost turns the heating on. If your system is similar it would indicate a controller problem.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 29 Mar 15 at 20:06
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Makes sense ON - I remember in the days when I had a combi boiler - when the radiators used to come on when they weren't supposed to it was a sign that some diaphragm had got porous or suchlike and it was replaced. Happened a few times.
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The diverter valve switches the heated water between internal circulation for hot water and external for heating. Combis are not clever enough to do both at once. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 29 Mar 15 at 20:35
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A few months ago my boiler would fire up for no reason whatsoever. I would get in from work and the rads were red hot. The CH timer clock was out, and all the on/ off periods for both CH & HW were changed as if by magic.
Advice on here was that the PCB ( printed circuit board) in the boiler was at fault. I bought a recon one from Control engineering Technology Ltd, and a new Sangamo Choice PR2 clock ( the old one got frizzed) and hey presto. All is now sweetness & light.
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Car makers can make pcbs which survive heat and vibration. Why can't boiler makers?
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I don't know why so many people hide their boiler out of sight?
In the loft to cold or some where else in obscure places.Combi boilers can be a pain not that efficient running a bath.Ours is in the kitchen copper pipes showing which I don't mind.
Also easy for the plummer to reach when it needs servicing or repairs.
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>>In the loft to cold or some where else in obscure places.Combi boilers can be a pain not that efficient running a bath.Ours is in the kitchen copper pipes showing which I don't mind.
A cheapskate job, this old cottage has 8 radiators, and I can't see one single copper pipe anywhere.
The boiler (oil) lives outside, which is just as well as it sounds like a Saturn V rocket when it fires up.
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Mine was on the outside kitchen wall until I extended, knocked out that wall and moved the boiler 8' directly upwards into a back bedroom small cloakroom. Where it is fixed venting out, and sharing the small room with the HW cylinder. Keeps the bedroom llovely & warm as an added bonus.
My CA friends have their 'furnace' as they call the boiler, up in the loft area where it vents through the roof. Seems to be the norm for newish homes in that part of the world.
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I still miss my Glowworm Hideaway which lived in the airing cupboard - warming the whole kitchen.
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We used to have a little Glowworm boiler .I must admit twenty five years service,problems with the Thermo Coupling once every five years cheap to replace.
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Boiler insulating - Zero
