Worcester heat exchanger

[akkers]

I had an engineer around to look at my Worcester 37cdi boiler which is losing pressure. After much messing he said the heat exchanger is gone and it would cots as much as a new boiler to replace.

Two questions:

1. Does it cost that much to replace the heat exchanger? I have looked at spare parts and they cost around 150GBP plus labour.

2. Could the heat exchanger be just blocked up with residue and just needs cleaning?

 

[UNG]

How old is the boiler and is it a combi or system boiler

If it is losing pressure then the heat exchanger would be leaking rather than being blocked

The question would be are there any obvious leaks if there are no leaks my guess would be that the expansion vessel might need repressurising. If the expansion vessel has lost it's charge pressure this can be easily identified when the system is cold refill the system to it's normal pressure if you then run the system as the water expands it will leak out of the expansion pipe outside.

 

[Geoff1946]

Worcester run their own maintenance programme with their own technicians. I have my boiler on contract with them and the guys who come know what they are doing and don't try to find extra work.

There is no spares problem with my seven year old boiler.

I don't know if they will come to a boiler they haven't previously serviced, but if they will I recommend them.  So many so called repairers are only interested in selling you a new boiler, often at grossly inflated prices.

Are you sure there isn't a leak somewhere else in your system?  And , as suggested already, is your pressure vessel properly pressurised?  The symptom of it being low is that the indicated system pressure rises rapidly as it heats up, then vents through the over pressure valve. On cooling the pressure is low. 

 

[kerching]

had an engineer

Engineer or Plumber/gas fitter?

i know what my money is on

 

[Sharpend]

It could also be the diaphragm in the pressure vessel being damaged. We had a boiler once that kept losing pressure with no signs of any leaks, had pressure vessel replaced and proven solved. 

 

[revjames]

I had a similar problem a few years ago. When refilling with loop, after heating up pressure would be expelled outside. Re pressurised expansion vessel and ended up with air in radiators proving the diaphragm had gone. External vessels available and easy to fit (not affecting gas so can DIY).