Heatline Vizo 24 BAR light flashing and very noisy

[adamas]

Hello

I have just moved into a flat that has a Heatline Vizo 24 combi boiler.
As soon as I tried to turn it on, it didn't start. The BAR light kept flashing because the pressure was below 1bar. I repressurised it manually and put it on timer to turn it off during the night and on again in the morning. For the first two days it worked, but then again, one night, the pressure dropped below 1bar and the boiler didn't start.

Does this mean that there is a leakage somewhere? I don't understand why sometimes it keeps working and sometimes not.

Another strange thing is that, when on, the pump (I assume is a pump or a fan...) goes on and off continuously every 10 seconds and it's extremely noisy. The boiler is not inside a cabinet or anything, just in the middle of the kitchen, so this worsens the noise in the flat.
Is this noise the normal operation or am I using the wrong settings or another sign of a problem?

Thank you.

 

[Hason]

There should be a copper pipe out side see if it drips maybe expansion vessel needs pumping up and pressure relif valve replacing?the boiler could be running dry

 

[adamas]

Thanks. Could this also be the cause of the noisy pump continuously going on and off or is this the standard operation of the boiler?

 

[Agile]

Have you bought this property or is it rented?

It is about the cheapest boiler and usually the choice of cheapskate landlords who do not pay for proper installation including power flushing.

The resulting dirt in the system wears the pump and so it becomes noisy.

Tony

 

[adamas]

Indeed, I am the tenant and my feeling about the boiler is the same...
Is there an easy solution I can try to reduce the noise? Being the property rented, I do not want to worsen the situation and be held responsible for it.

Also I have a question about the best management of the boiler. During the night and when I am not at home, is it better to use the timer to switch it off or keep it running, but with the central heating to a minimum?
In case of a long absence from home during the winter (2-3 weeks), is it better to turn it off completely?

Thanks.

 

[Agile]

You should never turn a boiler off completely as they mostly have a frost protection feature.

If away over winter you should leave heating on constant at a low thermostat setting of about 5 C.

It certainly sounds as if there are problems with the boiler. The worst being the pressure loss. This is likely to be a simple problem from a competent boiler engineer. Unfortunately landlords rarely want to employ them.

I do hope you have a current Gas Safety Certificate.

It would be very foolish for any tenant to fiddle with the heating system as that risks being accused of damaging it and having costs deducted from your deposit.

The Landlord has an obligation to maintain the appliances in safe working order.

Tony

 

[adamas]

Thank you for your reply.

About the boiler management during a long absence, would it make sense to use the timer to turn it on just for a few hours with the CH control dial set to the minimum (according to the manual this corresponds to 30C) instead of running it constantly? What about the settings of the DHW dial in this case?