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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Plumbing Questions >> New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1390896011 Message started by woodsmith on Jan 28^th, 2014, 8:00am

Title: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by woodsmith on Jan 28^th, 2014, 8:00am

Last year we had our W-B Heatslave oil boiler replaced as the jacket corroded and it was uneconomic to repair. We had to have a new type condensing boiler fitted but otherwise bought the same boiler. This time the fitters did a very neat job and fitted a tiger loop (the type designed to be fitted internally to which they fed the vent to outside).

The trouble is the boiler smells, not terribly, but the boiler is next to our bedroom and it is not very nice. I have had the fitters back and they checked every joint and then I had W-B send an engineer and he replaced all the parts which have oil in them. However the boiler still smells.

This hasn't been helped by the fact that W-B specify a lot more ventilation for the cabinet it is in (under stairs) but we have had to block that up for the moment.

Any ideas what could be the problem and what I can do next? Thanks.

Title: Re: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by thescruff on Jan 28^th, 2014, 10:34am

Blocking the vents up is silly in the first degree, unless your after a Darwin award.

Best plan will be to plague WB until it doesn't smell.

Can you seal the compartment 100%, just leaving the vents to atmosphere.

Title: Re: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by woodsmith on Jan 28^th, 2014, 1:56pm

thescruff wrote on Jan 28^th, 2014, 10:34am:

Thanks Scruff but I'm not Planning to win any awards, or check my chips in, just yet, it's a balanced flue combi and the only vent I have blocked up is the new high level vent I added because the installation instructions require more vents to the cabinet (under stairs cupboard in this case) than the old boiler. I have fitted a temperature gauge under the stairs and the highest temperature reading was 27 degrees so that shouldn't be a problem. I can't fit vents to the outside because of the wall construction and also the house is listed and I doubt they would let me put any vents on the front wall of the house.

So I should just plague WB, but I'm not sure what they can do :-/

Title: Re: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by thescruff on Jan 28^th, 2014, 3:18pm

Let me ask on the trade only forum.

Not around much at the mo so will post asap.

Title: Re: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by thescruff on Jan 28^th, 2014, 11:02pm

Does it smell when its off or running.

Is there a vent on the tiger loop that maybe the problem.

Check the lines otherwise for staining, brown papers good for finding leaks.

Was suggested the burner doesn't shut down fully and you get a spillage in the CC which smell when it starts up.

Title: Re: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by woodsmith on Jan 29^th, 2014, 8:09am

thescruff wrote on Jan 28^th, 2014, 11:02pm:

It doesn't seem to make much difference,as to it running or not, as to when it smells, it seems to be pretty constant.

The tiger loop has a copper vent which they have run outside.

The brown paper is a good idea and I will get onto that today.

I think the WB engineer mentioned about something about the burner and as far as I know he replaced the potentially problematic parts.

Thanks for your help I'll have a go with the brown paper and see if that shows anything.

Title: Re: New Worcester oil combi boiler smelling
Post by woodsmith on May 1^st, 2014, 1:48pm

Just an update for anyone interested.

I tried the brown paper with no signs of oil anywhere. W/B engineers have been back several times and have finally covered every part in silicon to no avail and so now the plan is to fit a post combustion purge fan into the flue to draw off the heat and smell once the boiler has finished running.

This has all been very frustrating and we have hardly run the boiler since it was fitted, but W/B have been very good about it. Pity we couldn't vent it to outside.