wood burning rayburn

[Stereo]

We found in our Esse that one bad load of logs can bork it in one go. I got desperate once and burnt some damp oak in it. Spent the next afternoon clearing it out. It will cope with the sort of dry powdery soot you get from soft wood but if you burn wet hardwood, it jsut gums up and is unusable immediately.

 

Very fussy on wood but if you get the right stuff in it, it's a dream.

[twmarriott]

Got back from work yesterday and water all over kitchen floor!

rayburn boiler perforated.

i drained the accumulator 450ltrs and turned the water off moped up the kitchen.

now it only went in in december last year so is 1 year 3 months old, we allways thought it was a friday afternoon one as the door gauge was erratic etc and never worked.

i phoned NFU they'll cover any damage to the kitchen, sadly theyre solid pine and oak units i made so no harm done and a quarry tile floor but suggested i phone rayburn.

spoke to rayburn they don't want to know.....

now as its so new i suspect we'll maybe get some where legally... solicitors letter as a start, any one else know of similar problems or what to do? or recomend how/where to get another boiler i suspect i'll have to fit it myself!

[Stereo]

Is this a new Rayburn? If so, that's not acceptable. I guess you need to find out how it's failed but I would guess on a join rather than corrosion.

 

Your first port of call is the company you purchased it from if it was new.

[twmarriott]

bit of an update, after shouting at rayburn and threatening sale of goods act 1979 at them, had an engineer out from head office, i'd already stripped the rayburn, and found the welds have failed on the bottom of the boiler, blatently obvious, they look appaling and to be honest i wouldn't have accepted it if i knew, i'm not a welder but could do better.

engineer was a nice chap, and dead straight, he clearly stated it was quality of product, also found a minute crack in the oven too. again he though crap castings...

he's written a report but we'll wait and see what they do. Aga shop kidderminster didn't want to know so went to head office telford and have now a special customer services number.... very disapointed but more frightened that the engineer said he'd seen them fail for similar reasons within 3 weeks! he also said they don't pressure test them all now....lots of folks don't really use them so its not a issue like it is with ours.

i think they may replace the boiler or swap it for another but i am starting to wonder looking at the quality if its the way to go........?

will keep you all posted

[twmarriott]

That's crap! 15 months old is very new for such a serious failure. I hope that you get somewhere with the legal route.

 

Got up on the roof last night (in the dark, with a head torch - single storey, so never fear) and swept the chimney. We were down to two inches of flue at the top. Now it's been swept, it's drawing beautifully, but the hot water has decided to stop working - no pressure at all. I suspect an air lock in the hot water system, but don't really know how to address it. I'll tackle google in the morning.

 

big j go steady with the fire air locks can be problematic and also cook boilers, let the fire out and bleed the system carefully or with a very small fire.

[twmarriott]

Is this a new Rayburn? If so, that's not acceptable. I guess you need to find out how it's failed but I would guess on a join rather than corrosion.

 

Your first port of call is the company you purchased it from if it was new.

 

brand new yep didn't want to know.... dealing with head office now watch this space

[Stereo]

Cripes, I was starting to wonder if I should have gone Rayburn instead of Esse. Hmmm. I think what you are going through is pretty disgusting to be honest.

 

When we bought our Esse it got delivered and installed but it was a while to get the flue and plumbing installed. During this time I got a call from Esse who told me that a junior member of staff may have drilled through some boiler casings while tapping out the threads for the hob covers. They admitted that they didnt know which stoves were affected. Anyway, ours was all fitted up and we started to fill it up. Immediately we had a growing puddle on the kitchen floor (slate luckily). Damn.

 

A call to Esse and many apologies from them later, we had a new stove within 48 hours and they fitted it and got it up and running. They even brought some logs!

 

Now, our Esse is not perfect. It could be better. But I will always remember that service they gave me.

[twmarriott]

Well after 10 days of no cooker, hot water (other than electric kettle) or central heating other than an indoor bonfire we're getting a replacment rayburn tomorrow, took 5 days of swearing at rayburn to get them to send an engineer out, however he was great talked sence and immediatly found the faulty weld, theres been no quibbling from rayburn since and the wifes had a phone call today looks like there will be another arriving tomorrow morning bit short notice but i'm quietly impressed, just hope the new one is better built.

[twmarriott]

well we have a new one, its still got to be comissioned, but massive difference in build quality too, this ones much better and interestingly has some bits in stainless the other had in mild steel. overall a much better machine and were happy with it...

i'm putting some more radiators on it swapping them from the heatstore indirect coil, to the cold side of the flow from the cylinder following a chat with the rayburn engineer he reconed we want to maintain a better gradient between hot and cold side of the boiler flows, we had a 8kw leak on the cylinder but he thought it worth making it bigger and worth putting a temp/mixer valve to try maintain a steady temp across the boiler.

Fernox is the stuff to use and make sure you put enough in, i asked about boiler corrosion (off record he rated the stainless boilers from goddard engineering) but it was negligable looking through the pipe holes in ours but as we have a 450 ltr cylinder it was suggested we use more than one bottle of fernox (not a domestic sized cylinder system).

theres a low limit switch for the pump so that should stop the pump if its not up to temp (60 deg).

we had quite a long chat about making the rayburn last the longest possible....

suggestions like don't burn wet wood (makes cresote) don't burn taybrite, and don't burn treated joists as the treatment when burned is corrosive, but also don't burn briquettes came as a supprise, apparently the binding agents are bad when burned too...? he rated the welsh dry steam coal we'd got here...

that said i suspect theyre covering their arse not wanting another boiler failure....with us...its cost them 1 rayburn already!

[Spruce]

suggestions like don't burn wet wood (makes cresote) don't burn taybrite, and don't burn treated joists as the treatment when burned is corrosive, but also don't burn briquettes came as a supprise, apparently the binding agents are bad when burned too...? he rated the welsh dry steam coal we'd got here...

that said i suspect theyre covering their arse not wanting another boiler failure....with us...its cost them 1 rayburn already!

 

I *think* that briquettes made in a proper briquette press don't have anything added, the lignin in the wood sticks it all together. The need for additives comes when the press doesn't apply enough pressure.