Motor home boiler!! Help

[Enidthevan]

Hi we have a 1989 elnagh Ford transit motor home and it has this boiler… we’ve never found one like it online and have never had any need to use it. However want to check it’s working before selling, but can’t seem to get it to work!

It has ignition button, temperature/number knob and then a push in/twist button with flame and ignition symbols… we’ve tried igniting as you’d expect (pressing down flame button, clicking ignite with temperate/number turned up) but there’s nowhere to see any flame or whether it’s actually ignited and we can’t hear anything, no water running through it noises or boilery noises. We are at a loss!

Hope this link works for the pics…

Boiler pics – Google Drive

drive.google.com

Anyone got any ideas??

Thanks!

Enidthevan

 

[jockaneezer]

You might need some water in it first ? Turn the drain valve to the horizontal position (lower sketch in your photo) and run a bit tap until you get water coming out, then try and light it. Also, can you check fuses to see if it's getting power to it ?

 

[Enidthevan]

You might need some water in it first ? Turn the drain valve to the horizontal position (lower sketch in your photo) and run a bit tap until you get water coming out, then try and light it. Also, can you check fuses to see if it's getting power to it ?

Hi! Thanks for your reply, so we have to valves in this area, one on the base of the actual brown boiler tank which when we twist it, it releases water outside underneath the van… not sure if that’s right. And then the second valve is closer to the water pump is the same water drains outside if that’s twisted?

 

[Enidthevan]

And also, we always get water coming out of the hot water tap, it’s just always cold!

 

[jockaneezer]

Do you know if you have a bank of gas valves anywhere in your van ? Ours has a set of 4 under the sink to supply gas to the oven, hob, fridge and boiler, you could check if the one for the boiler is turned off ?
My only fear is that on such an old van, the boiler maybe had a fault and a previous owner has somehow isolated it ?
The valves will look something like this....

Other than that, it would need stripping down to check if it actually makes a spark (sometimes a spider's cobweb or debris will stop the igniter from producing a spark) or check if the gas delivery valve is working. Only attempt these actions of you feel capable of dealing with them safely.

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[Enidthevan]

Yep the valve under the sink is in the correct position! I did think this about the cobwebs etc our heater ignition was shoddy for a long while then we dusted it off and it’s better! No idea how to get to it in this though.

We think the water is definitely going through the boiler so our main issue is knowing if the ignition has worked as there’s no little window to look for the blue flame and don’t think it’s making any new noises (not sure what we are even listening for either to be honest! )

Have left it at what we think should be ignited now going to give it an hour and test the water hopefully it works if not may have to get someone who knows what they’re looking at to check ignition!

Thanks a bunch

 

[autorouter]

A quick google throws up:
SCARICO X APERTO INVERNO = unload x open winter
CHIUSO X VIAGGIO = closed x voyage
I'd guess it's a tap for draining the boiler to stop it freezing in the winter and getting damaged. Standard safety measure for motorhomes.

In the first picture is that a blown air heating pipe, with a vent through the cupboard wall? Does that mean this unit is a heater for the motorhome, as well as a water heater?

The click button is a piezo electric spark generator. The wire from that will go to a spark gap next to the pilot flame. So you could follow that to find where the pilot light is. May need a mirror to look round corners, and maybe remove a cover so you can see it.

There's a manual for the controls here, but I don't think it helps with your immediate problems. May come in useful when it's all working.

https://www.comtherm.hu/files/files/SIT/Katalogus/610%20gb.pdf

 

[Enidthevan]

A quick google throws up:
SCARICO X APERTO INVERNO = unload x open winter
CHIUSO X VIAGGIO = closed x voyage
I'd guess it's a tap for draining the boiler to stop it freezing in the winter and getting damaged. Standard safety measure for motorhomes.

In the first picture is that a blown air heating pipe, with a vent through the cupboard wall? Does that mean this unit is a heater for the motorhome, as well as a water heater?

The click button is a piezo electric spark generator. The wire from that will go to a spark gap next to the pilot flame. So you could follow that to find where the pilot light is. May need a mirror to look round corners, and maybe remove a cover so you can see it.

There's a manual for the controls here, but I don't think it helps with your immediate problems. May come in useful when it's all working.

https://www.comtherm.hu/files/files/SIT/Katalogus/610%20gb.pdf

Thanks. This was super helpful! We found the pilot light viewfinder (fiddly and hidden!!!) so now we can actually see that the blue light comes on when ignited and when we hold for a few seconds it stays on but as soon as we release /turn it to the flame mode it goes out any further hints or tricks welcome

 

[nicholsong]

Thanks. This was super helpful! We found the pilot light viewfinder (fiddly and hidden!!!) so now we can actually see that the blue light comes on when ignited and when we hold for a few seconds it stays on but as soon as we release /turn it to the flame mode it goes out any further hints or tricks welcome

How long did you hold it for?

Our fridge lighting on gas takes longer after periods of no use. Also temperatures are dropping so it needs more time now.

Geoff

 

[autorouter]

Three possible reasons: first as nicholsong says it may just need more time to heat up. Another reason is the thermocouple is not fully in the flame, because it's been bent/pushed out of the flame or the flame isn't strong enough to reach it. Or maybe the thermocouple is just not working. They are a common failure point.

The thermocouple heats up in the pilot flame, and holds the main valve open. If the pilot flame goes out for any reason, the thermocouple cools, and closes the main gas valve. Many gas heaters use a system like that, especially those with non-electronic sparking/flame sensing.

I don't know much about this, but I believe they are fairly standard parts, so it's quite likely a 'universal' one will fit.