ok I got a local gas man to move my combi instant 105e gradually the thing has started cutting out more and more until it wont run, now the gas man has gone sick, his wife tells me he has had an accident and won't be back for some time, I don't want to have to pay for a problem which may have been caused by this man if its a simple fix, so I am just looking for advice and if you tell me forget it get someone in ok, but I am logical I know my limits and I will only do what I consider myself able to do.
so here it is- The unit cuts out leaving the first red led flashing- while I was looking for the obvious I took the panel off and ran it with the front door off to check for anything obvious, I got the impression through the veiwing window the flames were not complete due to crap on the burner, I took the covers of the burner (powere disconected ect) and vacumed all the parts and put it back together apart from the viewing window anyway there seemed to be a lot of air being sucked through the window so I put it back on and as soon as I did that the flames were extinguished, I tried again and found the same thing, my question is if the flue is not indicated as being blocked why would the unit be starved of oxygen? could it be the flue liner? as a further experiment I put the window back on and found that if I unclamped the liner and slid it to one side the unit worked normally (is this letting in oxygen from the top?)
I have now no hot water and I have phoned three gas men but none are available, any help appreciated

Dave Hartley, April 2007

I have the same issue and a different answer for you.

Yes you really should get someone in to fix it who is a pro but there is no harm having a good idea what level of work you are paying for before hand.

I have had this issue before and if the flames are lifting off the burners "reaching for air they can't get" then the unit is starved for air. You have tested it with the inner cover off and it worked fine so after putting the cover back on it went out you can deduct that it is not getting the air it needs to produce a good strong flame.

The inner flue is the air inlet pipe and the outer flue is the exhaust gases pipe. The exhaust gases also heat up the air to reduce condensation (caused by two highly contrasting temperatures passing through the unit) and also help the burning process (nice warm air coming in). so if your flue is quite long like mine you can deduct that the inner flue join may have come apart and the unit is sucking in exhaust gases that it has just expelled (instead of air) from the outer flue pipe putting the flame out.

I had this issue before and a service engineer fixed it so I watched him and asked questions. It cost me £60 for this simple service.

If you have isolated your unit and the outer flue is already apart it wouldn't do you any harm to have a look and see if the inner flue has come apart and if it has, push it back together and tighten the joining clamp. Then tighten the outer flue. Also duct tape is good for making sure your outer flue is air tight to stop the noxious exhaust gases from escaping into your house.

Don't put it on your inner flue join though as the heat may melt the glue and block your exhaust flue.

I suggest after you have put it all back together again that you get someone in to inspect your work and test it for exhaust gas leaks before you run it for any serious length of time, but get a price from them first so they don't rip you off.

Again, only do this if you are competent.

Randy, November 2007

You do need to get someone in. The first l.e.d is the flame symbol with a line through it suggesting burner lock-out.This could be for a number of reasons.
As for running the appliance with the cover off, that will never work and is dangerous. The cover is a functioning part of the appliance.As for removing what you called the "liner", i assume you meant flue elbow or flue adaptor. This just lets the products of combustion into your home with the possibility of seriously harming anyone in the building.
I know you have been let down by the guy you got in but the lock-out fault could be co-incidental.
It would be far safer to get someone in.
Try the corgi register for your area.
Best method is to ask people you know to reccomend someone they trust...

T.H.S, April 2007