My boiler is ‘chuffing’ when we turn the hot water on. It chuffs like a steam train for around 10 seconds then levels out and sounds normal. Had a BG engineer out for an annual service and he’s telling us we need a new boiler and it’s unsafe. Admittedly there is one flue clip missing in the loft but other than that i don’t understand the problem, bearing in mind he didn’t even remove the cover or check the boiler whatsoever. Unfortunately only my partner was home and so no questions were asked during the process. Is he right do we need a new boiler or does this sound like something that can be fixed? Thanks
If it was unsafe, the BG engineer would have capped the gas supply to prevent use, and given you a danger notice. They have no discretion here, so it can’t be too bad.
The boiler probably just needs serviced (properly). If it works after a few seconds it’s probably a simple fix. What make/model boiler is it?
It sounds like air trapped inside it, I have seen a few behave like they are in an episode of a Fred Dibnah documentary, on one occasion a gas fitter was with me after I turned the water back on having plumbed a new kitchen sink and allowing the water to run for several minutes to purge the pipework, the hot tap was blowing like an old steam engine. Is there a stuck automatic air vent on top of it?
It’s a Ferroli Modena, cheap and nasty I’ve heard but we inherited it from the previous owners, I was thinking a good service might be a start myself
Funny that as it seems to only be the hot water that causes the issue, I’m not sure, I’ll get a third party in I think
The boiler I said about had the cold water supply pipe coming up out of the floor then the hot pipe went straight back down, the water only half filled the heat exchanger despite the water running through it, it was one of those occasions when I was really glad a gas fitter was stood next to me.
https://www.boilerparts.co.uk/Ranges/FERROLI/MODENA/MODENA I suspect one of these may be stuck, you need a boiler service guy to check the boiler for you.
I reckon it could be the flame lifting from the burner when the boiler initially comes on. It could be the maximum pressure needs adjusting or the flue could have an issue. I’m assuming it’s a standard efficiency model. Checking the flame picture when the boiler initially fires could help diagnose. What model number is the boiler?