Evohome set to off but boiler fired up minutes later.

[rcopus]

Can’t you go back to DIYnot already?

The advise of isolating power to the boiler was fine. No need to get so offended and take the attitude everyone else is completely dumb just because you mess about with copper pipes and boilers for a living. Your jobs not at threat from the DIY’ers don’t worry!

[Dan_Robinson]

Stooping to name calling and making claims of ignorance is not doing your argument any favour. It would behoove you not to make assumptions about what individual DIY'ers do or do not know about anything, and what they are capable of.

Of course it matters. You're implying that "we" are routinely touching things that we shouldn't be, so I've asked you to provide a specific example of what your concerns are rather than a hand wavy "oh its too scary and dangerous, don't touch it, only us experts know what we're doing" assertions.

You're trying to imply even removing the covers on boilers needs gas safe training - nonsense. My boiler has a user removable cover (without screws) that exposes all the gubbins with exposed gas pipes, gas control unit, mains wiring, the whole lot all just sitting there in plain view - you have to take the front cover off and expose all this just to adjust the thermostat or light it!

I'm sure there are boiler designs where you can't get at some of the non gas stuff (plumbing, temperature sensors, PCB etc) without disturbing the gas pipes, gas control unit etc - in that case fair do's. But that is on a boiler by boiler basis, and depends on what exactly you're trying to get at in the unit.

So turning off the power before working on a system is bad advice ? Ok.... I'll file that piece of advice away in my waste paper bin...

I misread the original posters post - I thought they were breaking into the plumbing side of the system without ensuring the system was properly off - and as pointed out, Evohome has a much broader and greyer definition of "Off" than most standard control systems, so my advice was to make sure the system was really turned off at the mains before cracking open any plumbing, least the Evohome surprise you by turning the boiler back on and pumping water everywhere... I think this is a perfectly legitimate piece of advice when most people don't realise what "Off" really means on an Evohome.

And it should also be turned off before working on any of the electrical wiring, including changing a thermistor - anyone changing something like that without turning the power off isn't as qualified as they think they are.

Of course "checks" will require the power to be on again after the work is done. Duh.... so I'm not even sure why you mention that.

Carry on...

Not entirely sure where I was name calling?

But I suggest you read read my post carefully and comprehend.

Removing the outer cover on many boilers directly affects combustion. It also exposes components that can affect combustion if inadvertantly knocked.

The fire box (sic) doesn't need to be opened to affect the safe operation of a boiler.

My comment on my lack if interest in YOUR boiler is because I am speaking in the general, with Vaillant as an example.

But hey you crack on and over react.

But perhaps you can tell me how one measures ionisation on and isolated boiler?

[paulockenden]

Dan, your comments and advice here has been really great, but I’ve noticed a few of these “I’m a proper heating engineer and you're all just amateurs” posts (paraphrasing, of course). This isn’t the first thread where it's happened.

I hope you'll take this as friendly (and perhaps brutally honest) observation when I point out that it doesn’t really come across particularly well.

We all know you're a heating engineer - it says so at the bottom of each of your posts.

I hope you won’t take offence.

P.

[Dan_Robinson]

Dan, your comments and advice here has been really great, but I’ve noticed a few of these “I’m a proper heating engineer and you're all just amateurs” posts (paraphrasing, of course). This isn’t the first thread where it's happened.

I hope you'll take this as friendly (and perhaps brutally honest) observation when I point out that it doesn’t really come across particularly well.

We all know you're a heating engineer - it says so at the bottom of each of your posts.

I hope you won’t take offence.

P.

I certainly don't hand offense. I'm merely pointing out that tinkering with electrics can have other effects. I'm not having a go at anyone, I'm hear to learn as well as give advice.

I'm sorry if the free advice I give based on nearly 20 years experience in the field results in answers people don't want to hear, but it is given from the standpoint of safety and having seen sme disastrous results of well meaning advice and/or work given by those who know less than they run.

[paulockenden]

Terms like "you DIYers" can come across as quite dismissive, when used in certain contexts.

The "free advice [you] give" is usually excellent - I don't think anyone is complaining about that. It's just those little digs that have started to appear recently that sometimes come across as... well... not what you'd expect in a friendly forum like this. That's all.

P.

p.s. I get told that sometimes my own posts come across a bit wrong too, so join the club!

[bruce_miranda]

I am not taking sides here. And this forum is definitely a friendly one, so lets keep it that way. But "us DIYers" sometimes find out new things that the "professionals" state categorically is impossible, because their manuals state so. And then weirdly we get a load of Private Messages, asking us how it is done once we have figured it out. I cannot even recount the number of times I have had to either point out an electrical or a plumbing mistake to the professionals I call in. Or in one case actually redo an installation myself and call the guy back to have it re-certified! So I think the spectrum is quite large and the overlap area in the Venn diagram between DIYers and Professionals does exist.

[Otto-Mate]

Forum members are reminded that they should treat each other with respect.

This thread is now closed. Thank you all for your understanding.

M.