Hi,

I can only get hot water from my Glow-worm Compact 80e combination boiler if I turn the water on full-blast. Sometimes I actually have to turn 2 taps on (basin and bath) before it even gets warm. Once warming I can usually turn off the second tap. However, the water flow is so fast it barely gets warm.
If I then gradually turn the tap off, the water does get warmer, but never hot, and well before I have turned it down to a "normal" flow it goes cold.
British Gas have had a look at it twice and have replaced a diverter valve(?) and then the engineer said that was all he could do except for flushing out my system which is chargeable over and above my service contract and would cost me £600!!! I'm flabbergasted that he can't do anything else, but I'm in no way qualified to question his diagnosis. Does anyone know if thet sounds reasonable or am I being taken for a ride?
Added to that, there's a 15mm pipe that sticks out through my wall which constantly drips when the central heating is on, and as a result my system loses pressure and needs topping up at least every other day. The BG engineer has replaced something there also but it hasn't made the slightest difference.
If anyone has any ideas of things I could suggest to him on his next visit, I would be very grateful to hear them.
Are my 2 problems related, or have I actually got 2 different problems with my boiler?
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

PeedOffAndy, January 2009

Hi, can you please let me know if you found a soloution to your problem as I have a glowworm compact 80e and can only get hot water when I turn two taps to get the boiler lit, and then turn one off and decrease the water pressure coming out the remaining tap until it gets slightly warm. It is becoming incredibly frustrating and I'm not sure what to do about it. Many thanks.

A, August 2012

Your blow of could be faulty or its doing its job because the expansion vessel is leaking inside try taking of the dust cap on it and quickly pressing the valve if water comes out the expansin vessel has gone

BAz, February 2009

getting it power flushed will not fix the hot water. get on the phone and tell them to get back and fix it!! - make a serious complaint, but it sound like you do NOT need a power flush.

the gasman, January 2009

Ok.. sounds like you have two faults.

Dripping pipe - faulty pressure relief valve, no air charge in expansion vessle, blockage in feed pipe to vessle.

Poor hot water - sounds to me like you have a faulty diphragm in the hot water flow switch. this can stretch causing the fault you describe.

C, January 2009

pressure relief valve leaking.

Ben, January 2009