Instructions for changing PHE sensor

1. Turn off the power to the Boilermate
2. Turn off stop-cock feeding the small header tank
3. Close valve between PHE sensor and the pump.
4. Drain the water from the drain point near the sensor.
5. Carefully remove the wires from the main board using an implement (I used a small electricians screwdriver)
6. Unscrew the old sensor
7. Wrap some PTFE tape around the thread on the new sensor, and screw in
8. Connect the wires to the main board, ensuring that the same colour wires go to the same points – be very careful as they aren’t the same as the DHW sensor
9. If you kept the water from step 4, pour it into the header tank
10. Turn on the stop-cock feeding the header tank
11. Open the valve between the sensor and the pump
12. Turn on the power to the Boilermate

I CANNOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE INSTRUCTIONS, AND YOU CARRY THEM OUT AT YOUR OWN RISK

After responding to a query this morning about whether, with all the problems being discussed here, the Boilermate system was worth considering, where I said that it was a luxurious system,, I had a bit of a scare that mine was broken again.

I went out for a 3 mile run before lunch, and got back to find that the shower had no hot water. In fact, there was no hot water at all. After pulling the front off of the Boilermate to start finding out what was wrong (with just a towel wrapped around me, swearing and cursing because I wanted a shower) I noticed there was NO power at all. I shout down to Alison who goes “Oops, I must have knocked the switch when I moved the TV on the kitchen worktop”. At least I know now that you can isolate the power without manually pulling the fuse on the main board.

Our hot water gradually started failing again after about 6 weeks of pure bliss. The symptoms were the same fluctuating water temperatures that we had before. Just less extreme in both the duration of the cold swings and the intensity.

This time, I couldn’t diagnose the issue from the self-tests. So, we put up with it and put up with it until no more could be taken.

I rang up Gledhill and started up a tirade, basically explaining that they needed to start getting together a strategy for post-sales (especially post-guarantee) support. I suggested a register of Gledhill experienced plumbers, or a web based bulletin board. I got nowhere, except a phone number of a guy in Southend who may be able to help.

Someone in the office who overheard my call suggested that I phone “PG Bones Ltd” in Braintree as they were the firm doing Boilermate installations for Wimpy Homes where he lived.

So, we gave them a call, and in no time we had a guy out who sorted the problem out within half an hour. Brilliant.

The problem was that the other sensor (the DHW sensor) had also failed, so we must have had a couple from a faulty batch.

A few weeks on and everything is still fantastic, shower nirvana, lovely.

I found out why the new sensor was reading “error”. The plumber had connected it to the wrong point on the main board! It is curious that the system should work better when a sensor isn’t connected than when a faulty sensor is connected.

Anyhow, I rewired the sensor to the correct point and everything is now working fine. It only required 4 plumber visits to diagnose the problem, change the sensor and wire it up incorrectly!

Hopefully, I can enjoy my shower in peace now!

We may be getting somewhere.

On Monday the diagnostics showed that the PHE return temperature sensor was in error. Parts Center stock these, and I got a replacement for £20.

Yesterday two different plumbers came around to attempt to fit the part. The first couldn’t figure out how to isolate the sensor from the water pressure, so couldn’t carry out the switch over. The second took one look at the system and said he wasn’t qualified to touch it!

Today, a third plumber came out and phoned Gledhill for advice. The procedure was very straight forward (isolate the PHE pump using the valves, turn off the mains water, and drain the small header tank using the drain point next to the sensor).

We now have working hot water – but the sensor is still reading an error! The next step is to replace the main board, which I will only do if the problems resume again.

I have just found out that our next door neighbour is having exactly the same problems.

For the last few months we have had an annoying intermittant problem with our Boilermate 2000 from Gledhill. The issue is that the domestic hot water supply temperature “pulses”, with periods of cold water interspersed with periods of hot water, a couple of times per minute.

The last time we called out a plumber, he said “It could be a sensor failing, but theres nothing wrong right now so you’ll have to wait for a complete failure before calling us back out”. Grrrr.

Last night, Alison couldn’t get any hot water for a bath, so I ran the diagnostics myself (otherwise, knowing my luck the plumber would come out when everything had started working again). The problem was fairly obvious on the diagnostic control pannel – the PHE return sensor was showing an error when there was no water flowing, and wildly fluctuating with somethimes ludicrous values while water was flowing.

Today, I have, from Parts Centre, a brand new sensor ready for fitting tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes.

A couple of times in the last couple of weeks, we had no hot water, either for the shower or to the sinks. The first time it happened we called out a boiler repair company, as we also needed the Glow-worm boiler serviced anyway. The chap who came ran all the Boilermate diagnostics and could find no fault, and by the time he came the hot water was working fine. The conclusion was that a sensor in the Boilermate was failing, and that we should wait for a total failure before calling him out again, to avoid wasting call-out fees. Because of the way the hot water returned, in surges, I had a suspicion that it may actually be the pump.

When the problem resurfaced, I looked at the pumps and managed to get hot water immediately by turning the heat exchange pump to full (from medium), so I got out the manual. Guess what. That pump is supposed to be on full speed. So, another thing that wasn’t done right during installation. Sigh.

The hot water has been fine for about a week now.

Yesterday, while explaining our long running problem with our BoilerMate heating system to Alisons father, I had a revelation. The problem was that due to low water pressure, we couldn’t run more than one tap without the hot water slowing down to an absolute crawl. The revelation was that the low water pressure may be due to the previous owner not turning on the mains stopcock fully. I was right, and we now have high pressure hot water and the ability to run multiple taps, flush toilets without stopping the shower, etc. Luxury.

Our day today got off to an excellent start when Tiffany came downstairs in a fluster to tell us there was a problem with the shower. The shower tray had overflowed and the bathroom carpet was soaked through. It transpired that the water in that shower had always had a tendancy to build up in the tray, but because of the improved water flow it now had the ability to overflow!

I can understand why it never occurred to her to tell us, but I would have hoped that she would have thought it odd standing in water up to her ankles. Further investigation revealed an unfitted central heating pump in the space under the shower, two screws in the waste trap and a considerable volume of hair – all of which has been removed and all is working again. We just have to wait for the carpet to dry out.