Sime Friendly Format 80e - Heat but no hot water?

i have the 80 e and when heating on then you put hot water on at same time boiler trips any clues regards carl

carl
November 2009

We had this problem with this boiler (Sime Friendly 80E) and have put up with it for a year, since buying our house as had electric shower and a kettle for washing up! Hot water would come out of our taps for a few seconds, then stop and we kinda figured that the micro switch was not getting activated to divert the flow from radiator to taps. Today we got a gas engineer out as we suspected a corroded divertor valve diaphragm (as in last post). My partner had ordered this part already. The repair guy fitted diaphragm and on taking out old one from brass casing, it was knackered, broken and kind of looked melted. He said it was caused by wear and tear and being in a hard water area. We also needed a new flow valve black plastic thing that controls the flow of hot water as that had burst out its fitting in the manifold and water was escaping when the water was pumped through the boiler, but on replacing it with a new valve, it still leaked so we now need a new manifold, which is on order. Whole job is looking to be £176.25 inc. VAT and parts/labour/call out inc. to fit the manifold on another day. If it had just been the diaphragm and he'd used ours it could have been as little as £58, which was a set fee for coming out (no payment plan). Just got the guy out the yellow pages. Seems reasonable though.

Steph
June 2008

hi, the problem is the diaphragm in the diverter vavle, this look at a diffirential pressure between the heating system pressure and the domestic cold/ hot water pressure, when you turn on the tap the cold water/hot water being a biger pressure pushes the diaphragm, and at the back of the diverter is a micro switch ,240 volt be carefull not to put your hand around that switch cover, stiking out of the back of the valve is a small shaft and a disc on the end which pushes on the micro switch and in turn starts up the gas valve for the hot water,if the diaphragm is damaged ie not moving the shaft to operate the micro switch then you get no hot water ie will not fire up,for hot water,to check this have someone turn on the tap while you with the front cover off, look and listen for the click of the switch at the back of the diverter valve it looks like, a brass body with a 3to4" diameter diaphragm housing with 6 screws around the brass outer edges and the rest of the body has about 5 pipe connections.that will do for now just to prove the fault.to change this diaphram is anonther long story. do not play with the gas[bang]. bobby rob.

bobby rob
May 2006