My friend has this heating/boiler system



and has always mentioned how it is highly strung, expensive to maintain and no-one will give her insurance on it. She refers to it as an electric combi boiler. Is was installed about 15 years ago.

Last night her family were petrified because it started making a noise like a pnuematic drill and, on opening the cupboard it lives in, they found the red tank on top was no longer upright and is now in this position supported only by 2 thin copper pipes



There is moisture seeping out of one of the solder joints on the bent copper pipe (directly above the date stamp on the picture). The only thing which would stop the noise was turning the water off at the mains.

A friend of a friend arrived about 10 o'clock at night and isolated the boiler so the family now have cold water but cannot use boiler.

He said the noise is called kettling and that the house could have blew up if it contined to build pressure (caused by air getting in thru fractured pipe). He says system cannot be fixed and he has never seen a system of this design.

Anyone experienced this before?

This might sound naieve but could a plumber not just replace the damaged copper pipes and then run the system back up in the correct manner after bleeding it etc?

sorry I dont do electric boilers but it seems the only explanation to your machine gun noise that the electric boiler was making was that the filling point on the system was left open. and making the PRV chatter.



'kettling' is a much less violent noise.

Would have to google this one to find out more but looks suspiciously like an unvented cylinder in the background

Perhaps the noise could be a faulty relay?

It was probably the expansion vessel blowing, but I know nothing about electric heaters either.

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It's a RedRing Dualheat hopefully it has a plate on it telling the model?

They have their own service team and their contact details are:

You can get in touch with Applied Energy in a number of different ways:

Address:

Applied Energy Products Ltd
Morley Way
Peterborough
PE2 9JJ
United Kingdom

How to find us: download our map



Phone numbers

General Enquiries:




0844 372 7761

Sales Hotline:


0844 372 7750
(alternatively 0844 372 7751 to 0844 372 7759)


Technical Hotline:
0844 372 7766
(alternatively 0844 372 7763 to 0844 372 7765)

International Enquiries:


+44(0)1733 456789
Fax numbers

General Fax:

Sales Fax:

Technical Fax:

International fax:






0844 372 7762

0844 372 7760

0844 372 7767

+44(0)1733 456727


Let us know how she gets on

Thanks for your help guys.

She has just been on phone still sobbing! She found all the original paperwork today and is going to start making calls tomorrow.

My theory is that the unsupported red tank put strain on the copper pipes supporting it and a crack formed and air was getting in to the system causing it to malfunction and makes the pneumatic hammering noise. She said the house was shaking! The guage below the red tank has even got water in it now!

Well, quick update:

A heating engineer finally came out Wednesday, after 2 others failed to show on Monday & Tuesday, and in the words of the householder 'put it back up and done the air & water' for £120!!

She couldn't advise if he fixed the weeping pipes but did say there was a bracket holding the tank and he put this back on.

I have not seen the repair yet but sounds too good to be true but still great news.

I saw the boiler today and the tank is upright again with a bracket holding it to wall which was apparently always there but had came off. There is no evidence that any new pipes were fitted and one is still weeping slightly yet the system is working fine again.....

If it's a soldered fitting that's weeping it should be repaired.

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