Mend Worcester Greenstar Home Heating Systems

Find out how to mend it for free.

Ask Question

Click here to mend Worcester Greenstar home heating systems

Mend home heating systems ...

Mend Home Heating Systems

Mend > Home Heating Systems

Fault Codes for Worcester Bosch Greenstar 24i Junior?

Hi,

My 18 month old Worcester-Bosch Greenstar 24i Junior has stopped working.

The manual suggest pressing the 'reset' button which I have and it just returns back to the fault state.

The manual also says that the rate of the rate of the blue power light flashes indicate the fault - it is flashing once every two seconds.

I have contacted Worcester-Bosch, and they have told me that despite the fact it is within its warranty period (2 years), I have invalidated the warranty by not having them service it - suck but I guess I should have read the small print!

Anyway, any suggestions would be welcomed before calling back an engineer.

Dave
January 2008

Worcester Greenstar Heating, Home Heating Systems Fault Worcester 24i

Bang on the money. Just removed and cleaned the syphon on my Greenstar 24i. It would gurgle and ramp up and down then cut out with blue flashing light etc..

Siphon has a drain cap at the bottom that can be unclipped providing you have a container to catch the sludge and water.

Siphon can be rotated and unclipped for cleaning. Must be carefully put back in the correct position, note, lug and slot at top.

Sparks
May 2019

Recently, in damp cold weather boiler fails to fire up in the morning, used the reset option and all was fine but wondered why it kept happening. Knew of issues with condensation pipes so checked them and they were clear, decided to check syphon tank that feeds condensation pipe, necessitates removing front cover, 2 screws at top, 2 angled at bottom, bottom plate 2 screws, electric control unit 2 screws either side, and this allowed access to syphon bracket, 2 screws to removed bracket and allow syphon tank to be removed, twist and pull down. It has a rubber o ring on the drain pipe at the top that seals the tank to the boiler, just twist and pull down, noticed that tank was full of grey gunk and bits of gritty sh*te, cleaned it out and realized that the cause of the lockouts was that the condensation water could not drain away quick enough so backed up and shut boiler down, after a while it managed to slowly drain to allow system to be fired up again until syphon tank clogged up again. Worth considering if you are having problems and your condensing pipe is clear.

Simples (and no cost)

Al
March 2017

Can anyone help me. My boiler is less than 3 months old (greenstar 29CDi classic) EA code happens on average twice a week. Re-set button sometimes takes over 24 hours to work. The guy who installed it has checked it and I've had a Worcester technical help guy in. Problem not solved. I cannot get them back in as I work full time and they only work 8 till 4. Over 4 grand on a new central heating system which is so un reliable I may have well not bothered! Bosch Worcester technical team un helpful........

Karen
January 2014

got a worcester greenstar ri boiler got a slow flashing blue light come on , when i reset the boiler tyhe boiler sometimes work and then all of a sudden its stops and wont work after a reset ......... been told could be pc board

PETE
January 2014

Thanks to all.
My fault button was flashing twice as fast as the blue light. It would not reset with the fault button!
The small condensing tank had a large amount of sludge in the bottom and the water was backed up in the black filling pipe at the top.
I turned the boiler off at the mains and used half a kitchen roll to stop the water getting on to the back of the control panel, cleaned out the tank and replaced it in the boiler. Very easy to do boiler now working again.
Thank you all again

Paul
March 2013

Had this over the last week or so and tonight, up came the fault lights. Tried hot water on the pipe outside but something told me it wasn't that as this boiler has seen off far worse temperatures than today's.

Saw mention elsewhere of the condensate tank in the boiler so switched off (and at the wall) and took the cover off. Unscrewed pipe from bottom of tank - nothing. Removed tank to find half an inch of black/grey silt in the first tank, blocking the pipe. Cleaned tank out and refitted - boiler happy again. As am I.

Raffles
December 2012

For all you folk with frozen condesates, Cut a t piece into the internal condesate pipe ( pipe should be 22mm min at boiler, preferably 32mm) add a 45 degree bend and top it off with an access cap. dont leave an open end!At first signs of severe weather unscrew cap with boiler off and pour boiling or salty water down to keep it clear before it freezes back to the condesate trap. Always replace cap before turning boiler back on. Its how we install in the chilly Highlands in Scotland. Simple and works. N give Worcester a break guys, all condensing boilers, gas or oil have the same problem in severe weather.

drum
May 2012

Old tricks keep working. Woke-up this morning to heatless house. Two kettles later, the reset stuck. We're warmer already! Thanks for this tip!

Jacob
February 2012

Cheers to all on here for documenting your advice and fixes.

One kettle later I am the hero of the hour. Hot running water and heating restored.

Brian
February 2012

We had a blue flashing light and no burner light it was a frozen pipe and after clearing it we followed instructions to restart the bolier.
It would be nice if Worcester Bosch actually stated somewhere that when using the Reset Button you have to turn the knob back to reset then flick it several times (your hear a very quiet clicking sound) in order to ignite! NOT simple turn the button to reset! We found this out by accident.... Hope this helps anyone with the same problem.

Kadee
February 2012

Hi all, I have read the stories of the frozen condensate pipe and it seems to be a common problem. You should not blame Bosch directly for this as the issue lies with the installer who has failed to appreciate the need to protect the condensate pipe from the cold. I installed my own boiler 42CDi) in the laundry of our house. I avoided the freezing of the condensate pipe by running it into the washing machine waste which discharges to an internal soil stack. Despite some very cold Shropshire winters, it has never frozen.

Bob
February 2011

manual timer will not turn so when it is set to come on at 6am for work it is still at 11pm when i set it the night before is it an electrical fault or do i need a new timer, if i turn it by hand it fires up at correct time but will not turn its self

kevin
January 2011

Please will all you good folks complain to Worcester Bosch ?
We have done EVERYTHING to stop the condensate freezing -lagging, re routing pipes, the lot- and we still had to resort to disconnecting pipes and a plastic bucket to collect the water in the loft! Have heard of an electric coil fitment that B Gas are offering to fit got £250 ish - but cannot get Worcester Bosch to answer my letters as to whether they recommend this.
PS I live in South Yorkshire not Siberia !

Chrissie H
January 2011

Don't blame the equipment folks - it's the cold weather. Just fixed my blocked condensate pipe with a hot air gun and a couple of kettles of hot water. I'll be lagging my outdoor waste pipe when we get above zero

Martin from Worcester
December 2010

Yep same thing happened to us. One day the boiler cam on with 4*kettles on the waste pipe but the next day the boiler was backed up with water even after we defrosted all the pipes. The bottom left hand corner is where the pipe starts. We disconectrd with bucket underneath and restarted with success. Just be careful it is the clear water waste pipe. If in doubt don't do it. But it is what our boiler needed. Will not go with Worcester again. Gone down hill.

RR
December 2010

Thanks for this answer! Almost had a boxing day disaster. All sorted now.

Paul Worcester
December 2010

Bob, 2 kettles, jobs a goo dun.
I'm a hetro man, who has just become bi curious.
It's insane that such a basic fix isn't part of their manual.
Well done man. M

Jim
December 2010

Defrost Pipe with hot water - an idea its that you can wrap a towel around the pipe then pour the hot water over pipe & towel itwill hold the heat longer so pipe dont re-frezze!
Mine still fault after clearing pipe & joining connercter under bolier :( Heeeeeelp Frezzing & Need a shower :(

Chris
December 2010

Frozen pipes , Fault light , 6 Kettles later job done , Cheers Bob you saved xmas

Marc Godfrey
December 2010

thanks Bob, u saved me! what an amazing thing the internet is, within 5 minutes of the boiler not working i found this link and the boiler is working again.
Awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ady golding
December 2010

Okay, had this problem with frozen condense pipe due to temperatures of -10, the waste pipe was 32mm diameter but it trails for nearly 8ft before it gets to the gutter.

So I did the old kettle trick for the last 4 days and it worked, but today, Christmas Day of all days it didnt work. I reset it 5-6 times but still gurgling noises and flashing blue light.

So on recommendation of a few posters I took off the bottom panel, and removed the pipe internally where the 45 degree bend is, with a jug underneath, and about 1 pint of water flowed out. I think this back up of water caused it to block eventhough the pipes outside are definitely not frozen. Hence the gurgling noises perhaps?

After that, I turned it off, reset it and wahey, straight on with no noises of any kind, the gas ignited straightaway!

So thanks to all the posts here and you saved my Christmas Day!

Graham
December 2010

THANK YOU Xmas morning disaster stopped in its tracks!! Took four kettles and prayer or two, but it works now!!!! THANK YOU AGAIN

Gez
December 2010

Just had to add my thanks for this solution. You just saved Christmas and restored my faith in humanity - not necessarily in that order!

Pat
December 2010

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you

6.00pm christmas eve in the coldest winter for a very long time the central heating packs in, thanks to you guys I'm warming up again

Phil
December 2010

dont do what my wife did - defrost the pipe with a blow torch !

tom
December 2010

I am as gushing and as grateful as everyone else! but I did what one of the above entries suggested - after experiencing exactly the same problems listed above...and after reading the wonderful advice, i decided to just put a pan underneath the 90degree bend and separate the white pipe joins inside the house, underneath the actual boiler. You get an initial rush of 2 cups of water then it stops. Do the 'reset' for a few seconds then normality returns. Then you can decide whether to wait for warmer weather or warm up the outside pipe. I am blown away it was so simple, and overwhelmed that I found this site! Many many thanks...we are not alone are we.. ;-D

Cath
December 2010

thank you so so much, amazing advice and worked after just 2 kettles full, cant thank you enough . have a great christmas and a great new year

Glann C
December 2010

Brilliant solution. 1 kettle of water, a bit of scraping in the gutter, and voila, hot water :D

Gareth
December 2010

Thanks Bob great help happy again worked after just a couple of kettle's of water. Ice slid out of the pipe unblocking it giving us our heating and hot water back. thanks again!

clark family
December 2010

Thankyou Bob the kettle worked for us on the pipe,thanks to people like yourself taking the time to tell people on the net has saved people like ourselves a small fortune so close to xmas !!!

Tony
December 2010

Brilliant folks, thankyou all. My Worcester boiler 24i Junior's blue light and red reset lights flashing and whole thing rattling and gergeling. My outside condensation pipe was frozen solid. Six kettles later shes running as normal. Save me a small fortune on a call out no less!!!!

Steve Banfield
December 2010

just to say thanks. It worked for me too.

biskitbeetle
December 2010

this helped thankyou

dan
December 2010

Where is the answer????

v
December 2010

ive got the same problem, rumbling noise inside the boiler and it sounds like water is been pumped round inside the boiler but it wont fire up. ive tried the kettle trick, got all ice out of the white plastic waste pipe and heated the copper one up with a heat gun but it just keeps doing the same thing?

anyone got any more ideas i can try? 4 days to christmas and no heating the boiler is a greenstar 28i junior worchester (just over 2 years old)

rich
December 2010

Just to say thanks very much for the advice. The kettle seems to have worked for me.

Chris Birkenhead
December 2010

The old kettle trick worked for me. Will keep an eye on now. Many thanks Bob.

simongman
December 2010

I love the internet I woke up this morning to find my boiler making funny noises and no heating/hot water its minus 6 outside so I looked on the net and found this site and tried the solution and it worked thank you so much and saved me a cost of a plumber and its 4 days to xmas so no chance of getting one
Thank you thank you

Lofty
December 2010

Thank you Thank you Thank you! Condensation pipe, hot water, fixed! Headache slowly going...

Dan
December 2010

I love you guys thanks for the great advise boiler works fine again

Shundi
December 2010

6.30am in snow pouring kettle over pipe. Minus something or other. Sick daughter and wife. House cold.

Thank God for the internet and the good people that post these solutions. Worked like a charm, Pipe now clear and lagged with carpet underlay.

WarmBoy
December 2010

brilliant advice.
dont do what i did and spend ages defrosting the copper pipe. it is the white plastic pipe with the 90 degree bend in it!!
worked a charm.

IDH
December 2010

Great advice, 3 kettle fulls of water on the little white pipe leading to the boiler and it has fired up again, will keep an eye on it now, many thanks

Louise & Mark
December 2010

hi you have said to warm up the condensation pipe, but where is this pipe, i seem to have quite a few pipes

adele
December 2010

Just had a similar problem with my boiler. Had to re-charge it to get the pressure up and just had to climb out to defrost the condenser pipe. Excellent advice everyone and thank you.

L Bradley
December 2010

frozen condensing pipe. and flashing reset button alternating with the blue button on my greenstar 28i junior.
only two hot kettles soon had the ice out and air bubbling down the pipe.
Thanks for all the tips below. it's -7 today in the midlands.

Tom
December 2010

Brilliant. The ol' kettle and hair dryer works like a treat!! Took at least 6 kettles worth but it cam good in the end! Cheers.

Bez
December 2010

Thank you!! thank you!! thank you!!

You guys are amazing. thanks to your replies to this issue, i have saved a massive bill and a cold cold house.

Four kettles and a hammer to break the ice has made the boiler stop flashing and gurgling.

STEPHEN OF KIDDERMINSTER
December 2010

This worked for us after several kettles of water so just be patient with it and keep resetting after each kettl., Thanks for the help and saving us a call out fee. Off to by some insulation for the pipe.

Jat
December 2010

i actually love this site! student here comes home to find red flashing light on boiler, plenty of hot water and a mop bucket under the pipe to empty the blockage and voila! sooo happy now, nice warm house :)

Kristy and Richard
December 2010

I know it's been said but thank you Bob! Just been nearly in tears at the thought of a dead boiler and a massive bill 6 days before Christmas but found this site and 3 kettles on the condensate pipe later it's working perfectly.
Am off to the shops for pipe lagging tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!x!x!x!
December 2010

I've just fixed mine with this fault. Additional symptoms were gurgling noises. My condense drain was blocked, probably due to minus 4 outside. I unplugged it under the sink (big mess) to drain condense then everything fired up normally. No more gurgling.
Very helpful site. Thank you

Paul Williamson
December 2010

I love this site - twice had seemingly frightening problems with our Greenstar 30Si and the advice heer has saved the day! Same problem today -5 outside - defrosted condensing pipe outside but took 20 kettles of boiling water and a hairdryer. Still wouldn't start until we removed cap from syphon outlet underneath and loads of silt and dirty water came out. now Now working....hurray.

Madeline
December 2010

Wow I'm so happy
My boiler wouldn't stay on for more than a 2 mins..
reset button was flashing and blue light every two secs. Went online to Drayton (which is make of my termerstat and receivers. Was told to put new batteries in . Then recomission them which I did ,following the instructions ,still no joy. Couldnt even overide it . So thought I would have to get British gas round on fixed rate one off deal . But website wouldn't accept my postcode ?? So perservered with the DIY attempt online and fell across this site .. Saw the mention of kettles and hairdryers and thanking BOB so thought I would give it a go . I did ,kettles and hairdryer outside and up ladder to defrost the ice as thick snow everywhere,,then reset button pushed again and low and behold IT STAYED on .. We have heat and hot water. Bob I love you x lol Thankyou for taking the time to help people on here x Don't you just love the internet x And imagine how many trivial jobs plumbers must get and charge a fortune for when all you need is to boil the kettle lol Anyone for tea ??

desperatefrozenwoman
December 2010

Wow what great help this has been. I was desperate this morning, not heating boiler packed up! Tried the reset and pressure but no joy! called to get an engineer but would have to wait hours and pay a huge call out fee. Tried the boiling water and it worked. Thanks so much, great advice !!!!

LavLap
December 2010

Cleared my condensate pipe of solid ice (well, hitting it with a hammer meant the pipe fell off! Still doesn't work!!!! It's clearly foobarred my boiler in the process

Roxiegimp
December 2010

Fantastic!! We had visions of an emergency call out and a new boiler and all it took was a few kettles of boiling water!! Thank you so much.

cbhpfa
December 2010

i had fault code EA & could not find out what it meant?..
now i know thanks to the boiling water poured over the external condensing pipe..thank you very much

piyush patel
December 2010

the combination of 1stly added more gas to the pressure then hairdryer on pipe inside & boiling water outside worked for me too!!

decided to try internet after trying to reach my recommended boiler peeps for more than 4 hrs & found this site fab!!

needless to say I've bookmarked it!

Claire Howlett
December 2010

Many thanks Bob, my 28i had lost pressure and while i know how to sort that I couldn't understand why every morning this week the pressure was still good but no pilot light, the boiling kettle appears to have worked and you have saved me a small fortune.

Alex
December 2010

Bob's a hero. Thanks

Pete, Tarmark
December 2010

Another vote of thanks from another shiverer.

The house is warming up again

Andy
December 2010

I've had the same problem as you guys......my condensate pipe was lagged but the pipe it fed into wasn't. Many kettles of water...and just removed a 15 inch plug of ice. Heat at last and no funny noises from the boiler. Thanks for the brilliant advice.

Bessie
December 2010

Had the same problem this morning. Went outside on the ladder, must of looked silly with a hairdrier in my hand. Five minutes later we have working hot water and heating.
Many thanks for the help.
The eighth wonder of the world- THE INTERNET!

Toastie
December 2010

Bob are you married. I think I love you!!!

Fordy
December 2010

Just wanted to add my thanks here too. Can't believe you have helped me out. Exact same problem this morning, pipe was obviously frozen outside but managed to sort it with kettles of boiling water. Thank you!!!

Colin
December 2010

This has worked great up until a point, we've been up ladders its 8.30pm and -8, lots of ice came out but its still shuddering and wont stay on.
Cant get a hold of the landlord :0(
Any other ideas are very welcome

fransull
December 2010

Can I just add my thanks to Bob and everyone else - the kettle trick seems to have worked here too.

Percy
December 2010

I have tried the boiling water trick and the hair dryer trick but our condensing pipes are copper rather than plastic. I don't know if this means these methods won't work but I have tried 4 times now and it still wont fire up completely. Help!! Also the pressure gauge is showing 1 (which is the red zone rather than the happier green zone!)

Bec
December 2010

Fantastic Guys....perfect! My cdi 30 had stopped working, no water or heating. Took the advise to remove the inside condensing tube, putting a bowl as a water catcher underneath and now the boiler is working fine. Will thaw out outside pipe tomorrow or perhaps leave the bowl and disconnected pipe off until the weather improves! No more gurgling noises either.

C Woods
December 2010

Same problem as previously mentioned - the kettle trick on the condensate pipe saved the day and a potential call out for an emergency boiler fixing man.

Moral of the day is 'Don't Panic, Captain Mannering - just use hot water!'

Thanks

Andrew Goodall
December 2010

Same problem on GreenStar 30Si.

Used a kettle full of boiling water on the condense pipe outside, and fired up straight away.(It was -8°C this morning)

Thanks for the tip.

neo
December 2010

Great advice. Woke up this morning to find no hot water and radiators not working. Tried to reset it numerous times but to no avail. Searched Google and came upon this place.

Used 2 kettles full of boiling water on the condense pipe outside, pressed reset and the boiler started working again.

Without this site i would have ended up calling out the plumber and being charged.

Thankyou so much!!!

L&C
December 2010

Thanks for the frozen condensate pipe diagnosis.

Even quicker than the kettle is to disconnect the condensate pipe at some point internally under the boiler - please have a bucket under it when you do!! - I got about two cupfuls of murky water. I left it disconnected with the bucket in place and I can either thaw the condensate pipe out externally at my leisure with a kettle or just leave it like this til the weather improves and reattach it when it is naturally thawed out when we are back above freezing.

Boiler started beautifully and 168 pound call out charge saved.

Russ
December 2010

it's midnight and the house getting colder and colder - the wintry snap in dec 2010 -2 outside...and the boiler had stopped with the EA code flashing and the blue light flashing.....ours is the worcester greenstar 30i
what to do? google Bob the boiler man via this site. A kettle of hot water poured on the plastic condenser pipe outside cleared a bit plug of ice. then press the reset button for 3 seconds and - hey presto - we are getting warm and toasty. This internet thing - sometimes it can be brilliant. Thanks

Samsam and Superjulie of Berkshire
December 2010

Superb. The two kettle fulls of water, job done! Thanks.

Rob
December 2010

Brilliant site!! Just fixed my CH system. No hot water or CH. Blue light flashing, tried the reset, system gurgled and struggled to get going and stopped again. Left it a few minutes with all the power switched off and tried again as suggested in the fault guide booklet. Still the same. Read the solutions posted here, low and behold, condenser pipe frozen to some water in my gutter. Shoved a screwdriver up the pipe to clear the ice, water ran out, reset the boiler, now toasty again in my house. Cancelled the CH engineer, taking the wife out for a meal tonight on the money saved. That's both of us happy. Thanks a million.

Geoff
December 2010

My boiler was gurgling and we had no hot water, I pressed the reset button and it went through the motions and then......nothing, eventually found this website and I got the hair dryer on the condense pipe out side which was frozen solid. Now my boiler works and I have just had a lovely hot shower. I wouldn't have thought to check the pipe outside without this website.
Thanks.

Colin
December 2010

Had the gurgling problem, blue light flashing, red light flashing on the reset button, went outside, climbed up the garage roof and poured hot water over the outlet pipe from the boiler (pipe was indeed full of frozen ice). Problem solved :o)

Paul J
December 2010

Well done what a great site, frozen condense pipe, unfroze it with hot water then lagged with my yoga mat, cut up and wrapped, o well no more yoga but a boiler which works and no massive bill by the 'boiler man' who charges more than my lawyer!! THANKS

J.Simon Tudor-Worrall
December 2010

blocked condenser pipe, i used a hairdryer: took 24 inches of solid ice out of the pipe

todd unctious
December 2010

What a fabulous site - I had the flashing red reset light on my worcester 24 boiler at first I thought it was the water pressure so kept trying the key underneath and turning the black knob next to it - the read the site about the bottle underneath so emptied that pressed the rest button a couple of times and hey presto its working again!!

Sarah
December 2010

What a saviour this site was....boiler was gurgling,sounded like running water all the time,radiators luke warm then it started popping and banging finally cutting out......pipe outside was frozen up but waste it feeds into was the real culprit. 6 kettles later and no feeling in the extremities(its 6inches deep in snow) sound as a pound.

HH
November 2010

Same problem for me as the rest it seems. Flashing reset light, gurgling and banging on fire up. Anyway after looking through the responses, I tried the kettle of water which didn't resolve. Next I removed the plasting flap from the bottom of the boiler and emptied the water bottle situated on the left side. Clipped it all together again and works fine!!

Thanks all
Jason

Jason
November 2010

Bob you are a legend help yourself to a beer!

Ian
November 2010

Just used 3 kettles of boiling water and all cosy again - thank you so much! I don't get paid for another couple of days so woud have been very cold.
Thanks again.

Boosie Chick
November 2010

The hot water solution worked for me in the snow and freezing temperatures this November - what a lifesaver! Just to point out though, it took perseverence, with at least 10 kettle-fulls!

Nurse Jill
November 2010

Oh my god - thankyou Bob!! What a fabulous resource the internet is! Kettle-on-pipe has saved us from a very miserable cold night in Stamford. 10 out of 10.....and thank you so much for sharing your expertise...

Stella, Andy & 18 month old Eva x
November 2010

worked like a charm. i live on the first floor so it involved climbing onto a window ledge with a kettle. after one kettle load a huge amount of water drained from the pipe and after resetting the boiler has been running smoothly.

to save those who have just come across this page searching, here's the solution care of nigel:

possible cause

the plumber told me the boiler condenser pipe was blocked , probably with ice ( recent weather snow and -5 degrees ). the condenser pipe is the white plastic pipe which leaves the bottom left hand side of the boiler exits through your exterior wall has a 90 degree bend on it outside , the pipe then falls into a drainpipe/drain.

possible solution:

boil a kettle of hot water, go outside and find where the condenser pipe ( small diameter approx 20mm) pipe exits the wall. pour the hot water over the pipe. if ice is blocking the pipe this should melt it. ( you may need to repeat with two or more kettles of hot water.)

press the reset button on the boiler and await the start up sequence. the boiler will light up the green flame light will light up and the blue light on the control panel will stay lit. you will hear the boiler light up and start. the red reset light will now be off.

if this does not fix the fault you will most likely need to call out your plumber.

Russ
November 2010

Had same problem today with my 28i ~ as said before, thank Heavans for the internet, googled my problem found this page and Bob and the Gas Mans advice. Syphon chambers full with water and silt. Removed emptied, cleaned (really easy), back on and hey presto! central heating now back to glorious health. Thanks to Bob ~ you are a real hero

Soozi
November 2010

yeh every one its defo ice in the outer pipe frozen soild just chucked a full boiling kettle over it all the ice was never ending but it worked thanks to every 1 for thier helpful comments as its minus 5 in merthyr tydfil bbrrrrrrrr hope my comment helps some 1 thanks again nice n warm again

DARRYL PHILLIPS
November 2010

I'm having the exact problem as Rich. The hot water is fine but no central heating. If I hold down the spanner button for 10 seconds, all the radiators come on and work fine, but then the hot water doesn't work.

Anyone know of a solution PLEASE!

Amy G x

Amy G
November 2010

I have this boiler, and the hot water is working fine, but I cant seem to get the heating to come on. The thermostat seems to be working and the green light on the receiver box comes on fine, but the boiler doesnt come on for the heating....any ideas please?

Thanks!

Rich
November 2010

Thanks Bob ! I've had this problem last winter and has started again from last week. The plumbers just tinker with it and couldnt fix it so far..2 kettles of water and its worked like a charm !!

Damsel in distress from hertford
September 2010

no heating im freezing !!! reset attempts not working

Jayne
September 2010

we can get hot water,but when i put the heating on the remote shows a flame but the heating dont come on,it dont fire up.please help

ann
September 2010

Hi all

I have the 24i junior boiler.

Now thw pilot light is lit, i have hot water when i run the taps & shower etc.

I turn on the heating, it fires up for a few seconds then stops.

Please help

Thanks in advance

Lewis Pearce
August 2010

just had the engineer around , one year old rads were rusty with debris blocking the smaller heat exchanger , fitted a magnaclean on his advice

loki
May 2010

Our Worchester Greenstar 28i junior boiler seems to have died, although just the blue light is on (not flashing) whatever button we press, the pilot light wont come on, the batteries have been changed aswell, we are at our wits end, it was only recently serviced just before christmas. I really dont know what to do :( Please help!

Teeside damsal in distress
February 2010

If anyone can provide a link to the engineers' service manual, I'd be very grateful.

Gasman
January 2010

same problem here, but a different solution, we checked the condensing pipe and as it is located to a drain in the garage and it was dripping we ruled out the blocked pipe. checked the tank and both chambers were full as someone else has described. we I removed the outer boiler casing i could see that there was a large build up of silt in the tank. refered to the manual removed and flushed the tank (easy) put it back together and hey presto, Bobs your uncle and Fanny's your Aunte.

mike
January 2010

i just had the same problem blue light and the red reset button flashing tried pouring water over the condensation pipe to no avail finally called a plumber and my trap was full, if you look underneath the boiler on the left hand side you will see a box with fluid/water in.Apparantely it should only have one half with fluid/water in but mine was full on both sides. He took off the cover and emptied the box and thankfully working now.

kim
January 2010

I am in the process of pouring water on the condenser pipe outside. Should I be defrosting the flue as well where the noise is coming from or is this not the problem?

Kez
January 2010

Had the dreaded low frequency groaning noise and flashing blue light from my Greenstar 24i junior this morning, after -11C the previous night. Wife was not happy as we had just had the boiler repaired with a similar problem ten days ago by expensive plumber. Another two days before engineer available, aaargh! Luckily found this site and Bob's advice. 4 kettles later and we're up and running again. Bob you are a god!!

mrbarrysir - Moray
January 2010

first class, thankyou

glen
January 2010

Kettle boiled. Problem solved ! Downloaded manual and engineers manual before reading this thread - no use at all as neither mention the EA error code ....

Thanks for the advice !

Tony
January 2010

Thanks ever so much Bob. My elderly mother in North Wales just phoned to say her 24i had developed a fault. I was seriously worried as she is old and on her own. I found this thread and told her to wrap up warm, find the condenser pipe and heat it with her hair dryer. It took a while but she cleared it all and the boiler works again. Bob - you may quite literally be a life-saver! Thanks :)

Roy Sinclair
January 2010

Thanks Bob - are outpipe too was frozen - having reset the boiler the blue light was still flashing and there was no green gas light. There was also a funny gurgling sound given out my the boiler. My husband put a hairdryer to the outpipe and loads of chunks of ice started coming out. After resetting the boiler is now fully operational. Many many Thanks.

Kath
January 2010

Thank you we were faced with a 5 day wait for British gas to come out even with children in the house. Apparently the the home care contract only says they will come out not when. I spoke to a nice man from Bosch technical services who suggested using a hot water bottle on the out let pipe.Unfortunatly we have a six foot horizontal section of pipe. So my husband stood out side with a hair drier. (not to be attempted if snowing) we now have heating and hot water again until the next time.

Mrs H
January 2010

Bob, I'm amazed the "kettle solution" worked - what good advice. There are still genuine people out there willing to help others

Carey
January 2010

bob, you are the best. 1am and freezing. 1st time ive ever fixed anything in my life!
heating back on now.
thank you

dan
January 2010

Bob - another thanks from me. My wife and I just back from our honeymoon in India and the condensate pipe had frozen - just as you suggested. Many thanks - you saved us from a very cold first night back.

Justin
January 2010

Thx. This forum just got my boiler going. Cheers Ade

Ade Robertson
January 2010

Many thanks- we had the same gurgly boiler that needed resetting. Tried pouring the hot water over condenser pipe- heard it de-frost! Have now lagged pipe and house warm and toasty again. So grateful for your website.

Linda Glennie
January 2010

My thanks also to Bob - I might have checked the frozen pipe outside eventually, but kettle of water and this website saved the day

James
January 2010

Our boiler too was making strange noises and boiler stopped all togeather, with the red reset and blue light flashing. On the advise of British Gas to try resetting the button to no avail.I was told it would take them 4 days to come out. Then my boiler started leaking water, Desperatley i phoned them again. They replyed i should try to retain the water leak but they would not be able to come out sooner.They said sorry we cant do no more.( We are on the 3 star plan.) In desperation because of the immediate freezing conditions i found this sight and looks like many more have the same problem. Well we have followed your advice and me and my disabled Husband have poured 2/3 kettles of hot water on the white plastic waste pipe on the outside wall leading from the boiler and it has actually worked. It must have been frozen solid. This has stopped the water leaking from the boiler and we have now got Heat and hot water.
It has worked for us and we are so gratful for all your advise.Thank you so much.

Lynn
January 2010

Hi i also try the hot water thing that most are saying is working, but still not kicking in. it nice to see a forum with people with the same boiler and problem. ours was ok until we noticed this morning, it must have frozen up in the night when we dont use the heating when we go to bed. but i will give it another go tomorrow. what mine is doing, the red fault button flash along with the blue oval light, then when i press reset button, it also lights up two other buttons, one with a spanner icon and the other green eco and the blue light for the ignit light, these only flash for a second, then turn off then only the red and oval light flashes. also system pressure gauge is down to 0. is this still a frozen problem i have, or something els. thanks for reading

jayne
January 2010

my greenstart 28i doesnt work since i found the flue, and condensate frozen this morning. i have defrosted them and now the light flashes quickly? help me

dave kay
January 2010

I have no idea who BOB is, but I would shake his hand. I too had a problem with a gurgling condensing combi which keep defaulting to the reset button. Sure enough the condensing drain pipe outside was frozen, got a kettle of hot water and now the boiler is purring like a kitten. Excellent

Sara
January 2010

Came home to a cold house. Code EA. Reset 3 times, no joy. Engineers closed. 1 Google & 2 kettles of water later, sorted. Thanks Bob. You are a (GREEEN)STAR!

Anwar
January 2010

Wont reset we have drined the frozen water from the pipe outide and won't let us reboot the bloomin thing!! Help please!! I have read something about a condensate trap is that something we can do? Thank you in advance

Victoria
January 2010

Can anyone help??? Ive the cleared the ice but still cannot get the ignition to kick in. The fan was starting but even that has stopped. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Dave

Dave
January 2010

thanks to Bob & Nigel we defrosted the condenser pipe & bingo it worked saved a plumber cheers

Julie Paul
January 2010

similar problem found - and found these helpful solutions - ever grateful for shared help!

peter h
January 2010

Excellent advice, my wife had a luke warm bath this morning so we knew something was up. Had the blue flashing power light and reset button on our Greenstar Junior 28i so started to panic. The manual is next to useless at this point. I had access to the water trap inside the house so opened that up to find a lot of water pressure built up inside. Emptied this out and poured hot water in as well as on the pipe outside, a few cracks of the ice melting and I had running water again.

Bob you are a legend

Wazzzer
January 2010

so how come it wont re ignite once ive cleared the ice

dave
January 2010

I used a hairdryer with an extension lead to defrost my outside pipe.

Thanks Bob - you're a saviour (well, you've saved me a day without heating or hot water and a £100 call out)

Ross

Ross
January 2010

Bob Whittle - you have HERO status in my house!!

Jim
January 2010

i had the same problem yesterday. Out pipe was frozen solid, cleared it and everything went ok. Same problem again today but now the boiler wont reset. Any suggestions??

Cheers
Dave

dave
January 2010

Just got back from a holiday in Aus to find the boiler flashing away! Thanks to you guyd, particularly Nigel and Bob, what could have been a major problem turned into a minor inconvenience. Heating now appears to be working fine. Thanks a million times!!

David
January 2010

bob is the man. 4 kettles of water on that overflow plastic pipe worked a treat.

Tom
January 2010

oh my god !! panic stations first thing this morning, NO HEATING !!!! this was my first port of call, purely by luck on google and tried the boiling water trick and it worked like a dream !!! god bless BOB !! If I knew who you were or were you are I would come and kiss you !!( when the weather is a bit warmer, of course )

chris smith, hereford (oringinally merseyside )
January 2010

Great site and many thanks for the info to allow me to get my 80yr old next door nieghbours gas boiler working....
cheers.
The fitters had routed the condensing pipe down the outside wall and then horizontal to the drain so the water was collecting and freezing in the pipe...

Spence
January 2010

Thanks goodness I checked here. I was having the same issue (boiler trying to start, making a low frequency noise and then stopping).

I wrapped a towel around the waste pipes outside and poured boiling water all over it (I also got into the pipe and poured salt and boiling water there too) and hey presto, saved the cost of an engineer!

I quickly tested before I did all this by disconnecting the waste pipe outside...when water ran out I knew there was a blockage somewhere!

bluefoxtoo
January 2010

Words cannot express how happy my family are that this simple solution has fixed my 24ij.

Bob = legend

shaun
January 2010

How cool is the internet ? Googled my boiler problem, found this page and, sure enough the pipe was blocked (as it was bound to in cold weather) where the 'engineer' had run it right into the ground in my garden. Simply disconnected a couple of lengths (it still comes out of the garage and faces down the wall) and, fingers crossed, back in business. Big cheesy smile and a thank you. :-D

John L in Newquay where it's not even that cold
January 2010

Followed Bob's advice and it works a treat. Came home to a cold house and the 30CDi boiler flashing an EA error code. Won't have to suffer a cold night when it's sub-zero outside and the kids moaning about a freezing house in the morning, nor the hassle of phoning Worcester-Bosch at the weekend.
This is what makes the internet such a fabulous tool!
Cheers Bob - I am just another on the long list of satisfied customers on here who owes you a drink!

Keith T, Eltham
January 2010

Another vote for the Kettle-on-the-plastic-pipe cure - thanks everyone!

Jerry,Enfield
January 2010

Further to Bob's answer... I paid a plumber to change condensing pipe from inch & quarter to inch & half, thinking this would mean an end to the problems, however 48 hrs later the boiler packed in again, same problems flashing blue light and the error code EA. This time watched the plumber - he disconnected the joint between the grey pipe from the boiler and the white condensing pipe. Lots of water came from the grey pipe, so make sure you have a bucket handy. When all the water from the grey pipe has drained then reconnect the grey and white pipes again. Press reset for 10 seconds. And the boiler should restart. I have done this 3 times today, and each time it works for 3ish hours. Enough to get me by till a more permanent solution can be found. It appears that not all the problems are due to the condensing pipes freezing. The plumber talked about this being a design fault in the boiler that has only become apparant in the current conditions.

little indian brummie woman
January 2010

If cold outside, its the pipe taking condensate from bottom of boiler that has frozen: thaw it, reset boiler and all will be well. Stupid that manual does not say anything about this - £75 for a plumber I suppose.

pat hh
January 2010

Usually suspect of these help yourself sites, but I'm pleasantly pleased to report the kettle water onto the plastic condenser pipe worked a treat. Many thanks to the contributors

Rob
January 2010

Thanks Bob. Saved me a fortune and I don't have to spend the night in -14o temperatures with no heating. My hero!

HB
January 2010

This worked for me too! I have been trying to find the problem for well over an hour from the on-line manuals and my wife was shouting at me about not getting it serviced and why do I always think I can fix it by looking on the computer? Now the radiators have started working again I got a big kiss and we might even go to bed early to celebrate! Thanks Bob :)

Ray
January 2010

Hi had the same problem, very worried because of the strange noises!!! tried the hot water trick and it worked like a charm! thank you very much.

Warm once again up north!
January 2010

Thank you so much Bob! I am not the best DIYer in the world but your advice was spot on! Within 5 mins of defrosting the plastic condensate pipe on the outside wall my childrens bedrooms started to heat up! Saved us a lot of time and money on plumbers too. We're all very grateful!

Andy and Family.
January 2010

Bob, sometimes just a SMALL SOLUTION CAN MAKE A WHOLE FAMILY SMILE...not enough thanks in the world for your time in response to all these guys online........A SAVIOUR !!

Waspy
January 2010

FAULT:

NO HOT WATER, STRANGE WATER GURGLING NOISE FROM THE BOILER AND LOUD BANGING NOISE COUPLED WITH THE SLOW FLASHING BLUE LIGHT ( OFF LONGER THAN ON ) AND A FLASHING RESET LIGHT.

POSSIBLE CAUSE

THE PLUMBER TOLD ME THE BOILER CONDENSER PIPE WAS BLOCKED , PROBABLY WITH ICE ( RECENT WEATHER SNOW AND -5 DEGREES ). THE CONDENSER PIPE IS THE WHITE PLASTIC PIPE WHICH LEAVES THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE BOILER EXITS THROUGH YOUR EXTERIOR WALL HAS A 90 DEGREE BEND ON IT OUTSIDE , THE PIPE THEN FALLS INTO A DRAINPIPE/DRAIN.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION:

BOIL A KETTLE OF HOT WATER, GO OUTSIDE AND FIND WHERE THE CONDENSER PIPE ( SMALL DIAMETER APPROX 20MM) PIPE EXITS THE WALL. POUR THE HOT WATER OVER THE PIPE. IF ICE IS BLOCKING THE PIPE THIS SHOULD MELT IT. ( YOU MAY NEED TO REPEAT WITH TWO OR MORE KETTLES OF HOT WATER.)

PRESS THE RESET BUTTON ON THE BOILER AND AWAIT THE START UP SEQUENCE. THE BOILER WILL LIGHT UP THE GREEN FLAME LIGHT WILL LIGHT UP AND THE BLUE LIGHT ON THE CONTROL PANEL WILL STAY LIT. YOU WILL HEAR THE BOILER LIGHT UP AND START. THE RED RESET LIGHT WILL NOW BE OFF.

IF THIS DOES NOT FIX THE FAULT YOU WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO CALL OUT YOUR PLUMBER.

GOOD LUCK!

PS

IF THIS DOES NOT WORK , I WOULDN'T ADVISE TINKERING WITH THE BOILER, CONTACT A PLUMBER.

NIGEL
January 2010

Further to my post earlier, it now works!! Thanks Bob! Still not sure why the boiler was not lighting up for a couple of hours after I put the water in. Was I correct in actually pouring the water down the flue, or did Bob mean pour around it? Either way, thanks for the advice Bob; I am warm again and it saved me a fortune.....

caroline
January 2010

thanks bob save me a fortune too.

dave r
January 2010

Had the same problem and tried Bob's solution. Gurgling and whoofing noise gone but will not ignite. After 4 attempts defaults to flashing blue. Have a feeling I may have put in too much water (approx 1 litre). Any advice before it (and self) freezes. Boiler is a Worcester Greenstar Ri.

Caroline
January 2010

Thank you Bob Whittle! This saved me from waiting 4 days for British Gas to bother to come out.

Gavin
January 2010

Thanks Bob

Have tried your advice as the pipes were frozen but the boiler wont restart. Blue light flashes every 2 secs and the red reset light flashes too.
Can anyone help as we are FREEZING!!

Thanks J

Julie D
January 2010

Bob for PM. Woke up this morning with the same problem and couldn't even get through to Worcester. Read this post and 5 mins later the problem was sorted. Thanks!

Richard
January 2010

Thanks Bob ! Just had exactly the same problem - defrosted the waste pipe and bingo !!

Andy G
January 2010

Bob, you are a genius!

The Mighty Bosch
January 2010

Our boiler, 24i Junior (just over 2 years old) just emitted a very odd sound and the ignition light went off. We tried turning it off and on and it just started to gurgle, with the strange sound happening again.

We read the post below and checked the condensation pipe outside (which is linked into waste pipe) and bingo out came a significant amount of water. Turned out the water in the waste pipe had frozen solid and was stopping the water from leaving the system.

Great advice, the boiler is working fine - not a single strange noise.

Thanks to Bob Whittle

Happy Lady
January 2010

have just had a similar problem with my 28i.

followed bob whittle's advice to defrost the condensate pipe and... it works!!

thanks a lot mate.

Jez D
January 2010

check the condensate pipe out side is not frozen,this causes the condensed water backing up the pipe into the boiler and interupting the ignition process so the boiler will indicate a fault.try defrosting with hot water from the kettel.

bob whittle
January 2010

only had the boiler a few months ( 24i) and ave had lots of problems. radiators r luke warm with thermostats on full. ive been told by engineer that u can have c.heating on OR hot water and not both thats why my hot water is only luke warm all the time...as any 1 ever heard of that b4?

kerry
December 2009

i have a 24i jnr,
heating seems to work fine but the hot water was ok yesterday but now wont get hot the burner lights and stays lit but apears to be in low flame and deose not increase would this be down to the pcb oe gas valve Ive been living is Australia for a while and now lost touch with these things any help thanks,

Alby
December 2009

Hi, I have this boiler. My water is hot and working fine but the central heating is not working. If I press and hold the maintenance (?) button ie the button with the spanner icon it turns orange and the boiler whirs then the radiators fire up. Does anyone know what the issue may be? I think the pressure is ok and the batteries are new in the box on the wall that controls heating temp etc.
I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Many thanks in advance

Tom Lawrence
November 2009

can't help with this but can anyone help with my problem, my worcester greenstar 12 ri has been perfect for 2yrs 2months, warranty just run out typical!!!! althougth we did not get it serviced either.
yesterday for some reason whilst I was rinsing sick off
stuff in the bath (grandaughter unwell). I got a shout 2 tell me boiler was leaking in the kitchen.my son looked at the hot water tank overflo and ajusted the ballcock.blue light was flashing so I switched off and reset.It seems ok now but afraid to leave house with it on, anyone got an explanation or advise???

pol
February 2009

i just had the same from mine, its just over 2 years aswell.

i got no hot water and then found the blue light flashing, i had noticed the other day that the pressure was at zero, but the boiler was working ok, i refilled it and left it at that.

Also yesterday i had a new gas meter fitted and although i bled the system via the gas hob and fire, i didnt think about the boiler (i forgot to switch it of when the gas was off)after switching it off for 20 mins then resetting it again it seems to have done the trick, will keep an eye on if for a few days.

hope this helps

hyperviper
November 2008

We moved into a flat 2 years ago with a new 24iJunior, in March 07 we had to get Scottish Power engineer out to do some work on it as a few parts weren't working, (£140 all in for parts and labour). Now I have kept pressure up at 1.5/2 and the warning light has decided to start flashing as soon as we turn on two radiator or run hot tap and 1 radiator ?

Andy
September 2008

Jonathan

Not quite sure what you mean.

Am i right in thinking you've already increased system volume and pressure by filling the system through the filling loop and it keeps losing pressure?

Maybe there's a leaking air vent on a radiator.

Closed systems will lose pressure and require topping up once / twice a year in my experience.

Let me know how you get on

Alan

Alan
April 2008

How do I increase bleed the boiler or rather how do I get the pressure up? The pressure is down and will be working on finding source of the problem but in the meantime how do I bleed the boiler

Help please somebody

Jonathan
March 2008

Update from my previous post.

Managed to get it working, somehow!

Now don't laugh folks........ while wondering how to reset the switch, i gently tapped/tweaked the burner ignition indicator light and hey presto, the boiler lock out released and the boiler fired.

As i said can't explain it other than coincidence or some kind of electrical fault. Boiler been running for over a week now with no problems.

Only other complaint i have about this boiler is an annoying, intermittent high pitched vibration which appears to be coming from the gas inlet valve.

Alan
February 2008

Hello mate, I had exactly that problem and have managed to rectify it.
First of all, if you have the instruction manual there is a troubleshooting guide labelled as 'D'. This is the one you need to follow (handy if you've got a multi-meter).
Basically, I replaced my PCB (circuit board) and then my sensor and it has been fine now for the last week.
Hope you can sort it!!

Brian.

Brian Simpson
February 2008

I have the same sort of problem the boilers 2years old. Pressure was low on the system re-filled it boiler worked fine for an hour then shut down.

Boiler now won't run and also can't reset it as the reset switch is locked.

Spoke to Worecester Bosch quoted £185 for a call out plus parts.

Any help on a solution would be welcome

James
February 2008

Sorry can't help but experiencing a similar problem, my boiler's been installed for 15 months. It's a 24i junior but not the condensing version.

Boiler originally shut down due to low system pressure (leaking rad air point, now fixed)

Refilled the system and reset the boiler once and got it running. Boiler now decided it's not running, can't reset it now as the reset switch now appears to be 'locked' and flashing once a second.

Gas supply appears to be ok (cooker working) and my system pressure ok.

Not contacted Worcester about it yet. I'll give it a go again tonight and try get it running.
I'll keep an eye on this post, let us know what the problem was when you get it sorted and i'll do likewise.
Cheers

Alan
February 2008

Hello Dave,
Regardless of the manufacturers warranty you have statutory rights under the Sale of Goods Act. The product has to be fit for the purpose for which it was purchased. If it has only lasted 18 months and you have not done anything to the boiler that might have caused it to breakdown then in my opinion it is not fit for purpose and the installer and the manufacturer have a legal obligation to put it right. You need to pursue them in writing on this. If you still get nowhere speak to your local authority Consumer Protection Dept and CAB and if necessary take separate legal advice. Good luck.

peter
February 2008