Servowarm elite 50 boiler problem.

My Servowarm Elite 50, 30 years old, has just been condemned at its annual service.  The boiler works perfectly ( the engineer admits this) but was failed because the combustion cover had sealant and not a gasket/seal fitted.    This boiler has been serviced every year since new and no one has ever mentioned this before or, as far as I am aware, ever replaced a gasket with liquid sealant.   Does any expert out there know if the bead of sealant was the original standard fit rather than a gasket on early models?   When I think about it he didn't say it was actually leaking, he just didn't think the sealant was right.     Am I being ripped off by having to buy a new boiler?

 

Hi Wilbur,

Many thanks for taking the trouble to answer.   As you say, I don't actually blame the engineer for not signing something he is not happy with, but surely these days there must be a fireproof sealant available that will completely seal the combustion chamber???    The insurance company is trying to source the "correct" seal/gasket, which I suspect doesn't exist as I have always been there when the annual servicings were carried out (from system installation), and have never seen them change anything on that cover, it just comes off to inspect/clean the heat exchanger then screwed back on.    I think the sealant on the cover is original and it's not leaking even now.
On your point about the old boiler being uneconomical, again I agree, but this couldn't have happened at a worst time as we are looking to move house and don't really want to fork out 3 grand on this place.

 

Hi Wilbur,

Have just heard from Servowarm that they can confirm that the fire resistant silicon bead seal is original on early models, and that the Service Engineer will be coming back to re-seal the combustion cover.  Good result, now we MUST move before something else goes wrong!  Thanks again for your input.