Combo boiler/washing machine hot water question

[Vodkacranberryplease]

Hi all I have a boiler problem (valiant combi boiler) and wondered if anyone knew anything. I've lived here about 3 years and it's been the same mostly since but I fiddled with a tap into/out of it at the beginning. But I'm not even sure I did anything wrong as I fiddled with it because there was a problem.

It just never makes the water that hot, ever. No matter what I do on the boiler. It has moments in the shower but not the bath. The taps might run hot for a bit then stop and be warm, and it's never that I just get proper hot water for any period of time.

And now (this year) if I want hot water and turn the tap on it doesn't automatically turn the boiler on - I have to turn the thermostat for the heating. It was a gradual thing eg sometimes would sometimes wouldn't now it's all the time. I have checked the pressure and topped it up (as you do with London combi boilers).

Everyone I know who has had a boiler person out has been told to replace it. So I am hoping someone has had this problem and can say if it's likely to be a small or large fault, as the people in London won't come out for a small thing - they want you to spend hundreds if not thousands.

And a stupid question re my washing machine (hotpoint washer/dryer). Do they heat water or do they use hot water from the boiler? Because if they don't heat then I'm cold washing most of the time. And if they do heat can the heating element get fuzzed up with limescale?

I'm usually pretty good with this kind of thing but tbh it's just a job I'd rather not do unless I know it needs doing and obviously anything but the most basic boiler fix is outside my remit (though I did replace the timer!)

Most washing machines are cold fill and heat their own water. Don't know about the boiler

Thanks Pixie! That's what google says too and not sure mine is doing that.

I know it had a heating element but thought it might be just for the dryer. It's LG too btw.

I have no idea about the boiler I'm afraid. But most washing machines are cold fill. You could run it on an empty 90 degree wash to test it out. The heating element will definitely get covered in limescale after a while, so you could do a 90 degree wash with vinegar to clean it.

I usually run a 90 degree wash with vinegar once a month and use soda crystals in every wash to soften the water and stop build up.

I'm no expert, hopefully one will come along soon, but if you can only get hot water by turning up the heating thermostat there might be a diverter valve issue with the boiler. To get hot water for a bath when there's a combi boiler you typically don't open the hot tap completely as they don't effectively heat the water if you do that which could be the reason the shower is hotter.

Can you post a photo of your boiler showing the controls?

@theneverendinglaundry this place is linescale central so I will run those washes - I have all of that stuff! Thank you!

Also - worth looking into getting a service agreement with British Gas as they have a set call out price and promise to fix things for you for that. They aren't cowboys who will tell you the boiler needs replacing when it actually needs a part. If the boiler is a Worcester, their Heatteam could be the best people to contact.

I think you need PigletJohn he's the expert in these things. He's probably in his shed at the moment but I sure he'll be along soon.

@wowfudge thought I'd replied! Anyway here's the pic. I also turned it to water only - no difference.

Sadly it's not Worcester - it's valiant turbomax 242. It had an old timer and I put a new digital one in so is not new but is not ancient.

Yes OP same here, I have to descale my kettle once a week! Its vile!

Sorry it's sideways! Very basic though and the only light is the one for power. I was running the hot tap at the time.

I have mixer taps and since I've had the flat have not really known which side is which because it is that patchy! Stops and starts etc. Haven't had a proper bath forever though showers are ok as long as I don't turn the hot around too far. Though sometimes if I stop the shower and the start it again it only does cold for ages! Or on some mornings I've had to get out of the shower go to the cupboard, and restart the boiler to get the hot back!

Happy to pay a few hundred quid to get it fixed. Not happy to risk having to buy a whole new one..

Oh it's not sideways after all!

I can only see your photo in the app and can't make out any details. I'd look at getting British Gas out to it if you don't have a recommendation for a decent boiler engineer.

I think your boiler might need to be re-pressured. If it is that there would be a small tap which will put water back into the system. One of the dials shows the pressure - I think the pressure should be 1 to 1.5 bar. You could look on YouTube.

Then again I may be talking rubbish (I often am)

Oh so pressure was lower and I topped it up (always something that has to be done ime). No difference. So then I put the thermostat on and ran the hot tap and got lukewarm water but the hot water light didn't show up!

Sorry, I think the pressure bit is to do with your central heating system and I realise it's your hot water that's the ptoblrm.
When was the boiler last serviced?

"It just never makes the water that hot, ever."

" if I want hot water and turn the tap on it doesn't automatically turn the boiler on - I have to turn the thermostat for the heating."

The diverter valve in your boiler. Or it might be the flow switch. You need a boilerman. it won't be the boiler pressure.

It needs to be serviced every year for safety reasons. Hasn't a plumber noticed anything?

I don’t think it is normal to have to re-fill your boiler regularly. In years of renting different flats with different models of combo boilers I can only remember one where the boiler kept losing pressure and it was due to a fault that had to be fixed by an engineer. In our current place (been here years), we had to refill recently after bleeding a lot of air from a radiator but that’s the only time it’s been necessary.

Your washer dryer might have two heating elements, our water heating element failed (totally furred up with lime scale) but it took me ages to realise as the dryer was still heating up! It then happened again (damn hard water).

If you go to Aldi/Lidl and buy a few bottles of white vinegar or a big pack of citric acid in Wilco you can do them to a really hot empty cycle to de-scale.