"Michael Pacey" wrote in message
. uk...

I have a problem with my ancient Ideal Concord W gas boiler (says WCF
on the front). I'm pretty sure it is of the combi-boiler type.

It was working fine until recently I noticed the boiler itself is
giving off excessive heat - it is scalding to the touch. Then I
noticed
that the wall above the boiler is quite sooty - not sure if this is
new
or not, but I didn't notice it before. The flame seems to be burning
yellow, where I would expect clean blue, and it is lapping up in front
of the internal guard between the heat exchange and the boiler cover.
I think this is what is causing the heat coming off the boiler.

Is this something I can adjust myself or will I need to call in an
engineer? The bad news is I don't have the service manual for the
boiler, it came with my flat.

The "CF" bit of its model (WCF) means it's of the "conventional flue"
type - in other words it takes air from the room it's in, uses it for
the combustion of gas, and the products of combustion then pass up the
"chimney" to outside.

If there is something wrong, this means that products of combustion can
also pass back into the room, unlike the other common type of boiler
("room sealed") where there is no connection between the room and the
combustion chamber. The dangerous product of incomplete combustion is
Carbon Monoxide - odourless, invisible, and rapidly lethal.

There is something horribly, dangerously wrong with your boiler: as
others have said, it simply isn't getting enough air for the gas to burn
fully, and this could be for three reasons: too much gas flowing
(seriously faulty gas valve); a restriction of the inlet air; or a
blockage of the flue preventing combustion products escaping, so the gas
is trying to burn in an atmosphere with far too much CO2 and CO.

You really _must_ turn it off immediately, and I would also turn off the
gas completely so that even the pilot light goes out.

Post again in the morning to reassure us all that you have, and that
you've survived.


--
Kevin Poole
**Use current month and year to reply (e.g. )***
Car Transport by Tiltbed Trailer - based near Derby