Should Ferroli boiler modulate?

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Q plate, Dec 19, 2020.

  1. Q plate

    Q plate New Member

    Hi all question if you can help about 12+ years plus ago a mate & corgi engineer back then fitted a Ferroli F30b non condensing boiler waiting on me to then get a gas supply to the house. Not being one to rush things it's recently been fired up for the 1st time. Pump was stuck & few other lack of use bits all seemed good but it was 'short cycling' same mate ran various tests decided on pcb fault poss dry joint. Had it tested came back ok but still doing same thing then ignition/sparking relay stuck as well. A spare board turned up and all now seems good (new thermister fitted on CH as well) once the rads are warmed up it times out & flame stops for a little while pump continues then it kicks back in after a good few mins assume sensing the temp drop. I'm happy but Mate thinks the flame should modulate & not go out. Was at a friends last night has same boiler working exactly like mine so have we got 2 faulty boilers or is it just how it works on this older boiler? Haven't got a room stat fitted yet wouldn't have thought that matters tho? Thanks in advance
     
  2. Tilt

    Tilt Screwfix Select

    That's a bit of an understatement, Lol.........

    I could be wrong but I would guess a non condensing (so old) boiler unlikely to modulate.....

    Having said that, I have just had a new boiler fitted and need to check it is working correctly. It is a modulating boiler but it does still shut off as you describe re yours.
    It is keeping the temperature correctly in the room with the new wireless thermostat. Maybe look out for my post shortly. :)
     
    Q plate likes this.
  3. sam spade

    sam spade Active Member

    According to the official Products Characteristic Database the F30B is a modulating condensing boiler. It only modulates between 13kW and 30kW. If you have a small installation with less than 13kW of radiators, the boiler will not be able to modulate low enough so it will work in on/off mode.

    I tried to attach the boiler manual but this system says it is too large!!
     
  4. Q plate

    Q plate New Member

    Thanks for the info Sam fairly certain its not condensing and an F30 so I've got the variant part wrong i'll do some research. As for the rads there's only 4 connected at the moment varying sizes doubt they're anywhere near 13kw so that may well be all it is :cool: Top man.. I'm just happy at the moment I've got heat & the new experiance of hot water coming out the tap. Thanks all
     
  5. sam spade

    sam spade Active Member

    What is the GC number of the boiler? It will be on the data plate or in the manual - if you have one
     
  6. Q plate

    Q plate New Member

    Hi Sam, won't be back there for a few days but just looking at exploded diagrams mine must just be the std/earlier F30 which I believe is the non condensing version. There's no condensing drain thinking about it just pressure relief outlet
     
  7. sam spade

    sam spade Active Member

    That suggest you have the manual, which will give the G.C. number. It will be: 47-xxx-yy
     
  8. Offshore

    Offshore Active Member

    Can't offer any advice but rather some personal experience of the Ferroli F30. Quite simply, it is s***e. We had ours fitted in 2004 by a well respected local company and within a week it had failed. It was a component issue so the installer passed it to Ferroli who sent out their technical support company to replace the pressure gauge. Over the next two years several components were replaced (under warranty) to keep it limping along. When the warranty period ran out we took out a service contract with Scottish Gas, about £200 a year and, oh boy, did we get out money's worth out of them - they were called out every few months and replaced more or less every major component - pump, PRV, ignitor, control module (x2), we genuinely were on first name terms with the technicians. For the whole time we lived there it was 50:50 as to whether we would wake up with heating in the morning or not. Eventually SG refused to cover it in 2014 as it was "obsolete", I think it was more because it almost ruined them. We moved in 2015 and I was glad to see the back of it to be honest. Probably not what you want to hear but your problems maybe aren't down to the age of the boiler, maybe just down to a very poor product. Good luck.
     
  9. Q plate

    Q plate New Member

    Interesting my mate/installer swore by them at the time whilst it seems many were swearing at them. Worked with him for a while & went out to a couple that the rear O rings had failed on & was half thinking he'd tucked me up with it. That said guess they all have faults went out to a number of W.Bosch that many swear by.

    Earlier Reply: Sam the G.C number is 47 267 32 Thankyou
     
  10. sam spade

    sam spade Active Member

    That is the earlier non-condensing F30. According to the manual (page 5) it modulates between 12.7 kW and 30 kW.
    If you only have 4 rads connected that will only be about 6kW, so the boiler will be at lowest modulation and running in on/off mode all the time. You may find this happening most of the time, even when you have all radiators in place.

    It is possible to set the maximum output to a lower value for CH without affecting the HW side, but this can only be done by a GSR engineer with the appropriate tools. This might be a good idea if your rads add up to less than the boiler minimum output - set the max to, say 15kW.
     
    Q plate likes this.
  11. Q plate

    Q plate New Member

    Top info Sam thanks for your help
     
  12. Offshore

    Offshore Active Member

    Sadly I fall into the latter "swear at them" category. Funnily enough I am a fan of Worcester boilers, having had three of them over the years. Good luck with your repairs.
     
    Q plate likes this.

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