Alde boiler

[Freya]

Hi! The spark on my Alde 2928 boiler won’t turn off - turned off as normal but spark won’t stop ticking. Have removed front panels and checked wires but no luck. Any ideas? 

[Tony Brooks]

Assuming a 2928. There is a cam thing operating a micro switch immediately under the control knob, at the top of the rod running between the knob and gas valve. This turns the power to the igniter on and off.

 

So if you mean it keeps clicking when the burner is alight and boiler running it is the igniter that needs replacing.

 

If you mean the boiler ha seen shut down and the control knob turned to the OFF position then the micro switch has either failed or it deeds adjusting so the cam pushes it's little tongue to its off position.

 

 

[Freya]

Hey - thanks Tony - ok yes I have found the button that stops it and been able to turn it off temporarily but I suspect it needs replacing or someone more permanent! Cheers

[Tony Brooks]

15 minutes ago, Freya said:

Hey - thanks Tony - ok yes I have found the button that stops it and been able to turn it off temporarily but I suspect it needs replacing or someone more permanent! Cheers

 

I don't properly understand this. The cam that pushes on little button on the micro switch is adjustable and with the control knob OFF the cam should cover the little "button" so you could  not push it. I suspect the cam - from memory more or less a bit of bent steel strip that clamps onto the rod - needs adjusting.

[frangar]

6 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I don't properly understand this. The cam that pushes on little button on the micro switch is adjustable and with the control knob OFF the cam should cover the little "button" so you could  not push it. I suspect the cam - from memory more or less a bit of bent steel strip that clamps onto the rod - needs adjusting.

You aren’t alone…I’m not sure what what’s meant I either! That strip can be the very devil to get in the right place…they also fall out if not just in the right spot. 
 

We need more info as to when it won’t stop sparking…when the gas control is on or off?? Eg black knob round knob at the solid circle or a number etc. 

 

Of course it might be the OP is out of gas and the unit is working perfectly..it will try and relight till the knob is moved to the off (solid circle) position. 

[Opener]

When you press down and turn the black knob, it does two things. Turns on a supply of gas to the burner and operates that microswitch. If you mess around with the controls enough you will eventually break off the activating cam. We've all done it!!

Buy a new one or do what the rest of us did. Track and extend the wires on the switch itself. Mount a small switch on the plastic control box - either a 'make/break switch' or a 'hold to contact'.

You just need an extra hand - one for the knob plus one for the switch.

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, Opener said:

You just need an extra hand - one for the knob plus one for the switch.

 

Don't the majority already have two-hands ?

Maybe it just means you will have to put down the glass of wine for a few moments.

[Opener]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Don't the majority already have two-hands ?

Maybe it just means you will have to put down the glass of wine for a few moments.

Sorry but the Alde Comfort range is very poorly designed. The space behind the control box flap is simply not big enough for a glass, wine or a short! Even with the front cover panels removed, no suitable horizontal surface. Need to take an extended break when lighting by leaving your glass somewhere safe 🍷🍺🍸.

[StephenA]

4 hours ago, Opener said:

When you press down and turn the black knob, it does two things. Turns on a supply of gas to the burner and operates that microswitch. If you mess around with the controls enough you will eventually break off the activating cam. We've all done it!!

Buy a new one or do what the rest of us did. Track and extend the wires on the switch itself. Mount a small switch on the plastic control box - either a 'make/break switch' or a 'hold to contact'.

You just need an extra hand - one for the knob plus one for the switch.

 

the switch broke in ours and we did just that - we have a nice little red topped button which activates the ignition circuit.... suspect it will outlast the rest of the boiler which is now getting rather long in the tooth and unreliable.

[Nightwatch]

As mentioned in other threads, we replaced our Alde boiler as it had exceeded its lifeexpectancy a number of times. There seems to be more and more threads about defective Alde boilers. They are a dying breed.

[StephenA]

2 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

As mentioned in other threads, we replaced our Alde boiler as it had exceeded its lifeexpectancy a number of times. There seems to be more and more threads about defective Alde boilers. They are a dying breed.

 

Indeed they are and the new ones aren't a simple drop in replacement.... we hardly use ours any more but know sooner or later we're going to have to replace it with something else.

[frangar]

7 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

As mentioned in other threads, we replaced our Alde boiler as it had exceeded its lifeexpectancy a number of times. There seems to be more and more threads about defective Alde boilers. They are a dying breed.

I’m hoping to keep mine going as long as possible…they have a lot of advantages over a diesel unit…low power consumption…quiet…fits available space etc. 

[Nightwatch]

3 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

Indeed they are and the new ones aren't a simple drop in replacement.... we hardly use ours any more but know sooner or later we're going to have to replace it with something else.

We were in a situation a. when we knew it was time, and b. also had the opportunity, money wise, to do something about it.

 

We rarely used ours as it was temperamental and used gas like it was going out of fashion. We are very pleased we took the plunge.

May I add, our new boiler isn’t silent but a lot quieter than they used to be.

[Opener]

Has anyone had the same experience as us with a 2928? Modified as described with a manual switch. It has

 a quiet life over Winter with gas and 12v turned off. Over the last three or four Springs it has been non-operational ie ensure gas (light the hob to purge gas lines) and turn on 12v (prove power to top terminal block).

It will not light or even spark. Has been remedied a couple of times but that involved changing out the spark generator box - they are becoming very difficult to source. So why should a sealed box not sit happily in a cold atmosphere over Winter? Would there be any mileage in disconnecting and taking it home over Winter?

[StephenA]

16 minutes ago, Opener said:

Has anyone had the same experience as us with a 2928? Modified as described with a manual switch. It has

 a quiet life over Winter with gas and 12v turned off. Over the last three or four Springs it has been non-operational ie ensure gas (light the hob to purge gas lines) and turn on 12v (prove power to top terminal block).

It will not light or even spark. Has been remedied a couple of times but that involved changing out the spark generator box - they are becoming very difficult to source. So why should a sealed box not sit happily in a cold atmosphere over Winter? Would there be any mileage in disconnecting and taking it home over Winter?

 

Ours does that - turn the power on and it sits there, sometimes sparks 3 or 4 times then stops, then after a while starts sparking infrequently. All I can assume is that the blocks are not as damp proof as we think they are.

[Tracy D'arth]

Its the ignition candle in the pilot assembly that gets damp and shorts the HV spark to ground.