Baxi 100 combi

[simond]

Hello

An acquaintance has asked whether we can fix his 5 yr old Baxi Pot combi. Apparently it has been boiling up and hissing on CH. A new pump and a PF have been recently been carried out, and the problem persists and now affects HW too.

I'd rather not send one of my team out and charge him if it is a simple fault and I recall reading here somewhere that certain Baxi models have an in line filter somewhere...... or did i imagine it?

 

[Agile]

Many of them have a filter accessed by a nut cap facing forwards built into the isolating valve.

They should be on the return on the right but about 40% of the ones I see are on the flow!

When the valve is off the filter is on the boiler side so about 3-4 litres of water have to be drained off.

If the filter is blocked the boiler will usually behave itself if the CH has been range rated ( when available ) but few have and 24 kW of heat quickly becomes obvious when its not going anywhere.

Tony

 

[corgigazza]

Had a similar fault on one of these six months ago and the fault would not happen whilst on site took 3 visits and found that when on ch the burner stayed on constant finally traced it down to faulty pcb. having replaced faulty flow switches also.

 

[gas4you]

Simon, found my first ecotec plus with burner seal gone today. What a mess

 

[corgiman]

Simon, found my first ecotec plus with burner seal gone today. What a mess

hasnt their been a recall or summink on the ecotecs?

read summink on the IPHE website about it

 

[gas4you]

yes thats right corgi. Unfortunately I went to service it today after 1 year and seal had gone. Found out this evening that this boiler was in the system to have seal replaced but I beat them to it. All the others that Vaillant hadturned up to or had written to customer had already been replaced by me. Sods law that the one they were slow on was the only one to go.

Still got Vaillant coming out at 4:00pm Sunday to replace air pipe and check heat ex for warping etc.

They have now supplied me with box loads of replacement seals today. Can't get in my office

 

[corgiman]

yes thats right corgi. Unfortunately I went to service it today after 1 year and seal had gone. Found out this evening that this boiler was in the system to have seal replaced but I beat them to it. All the others that Vaillant hadturned up to or had written to customer had already been replaced by me. s***s law that the one they were slow on was the only one to go.

Still got Vaillant coming out at 4:00pm Sunday to replace air pipe and check heat ex for warping etc.

They have now supplied me with box loads of replacement seals today. Can't get in my office

yeah but YOU have to fit them

not good

are there any decent boiler makers anymore

BOOO and SUCKS to Part L I say

 

[gas4you]

yeah but that will be when I do the service. I'm not replacing anything for free

 

[simond]

Yes, lets stick up for Vaillant!

They have got a problem and have contacted as many GWN'd customers as possible. The repairs (if needed) are carried out by their own service staff at no cost.

We install over 100 ecoTECs each year and have seen none in the 12 month service interval where the seal has been damaged. I suspect it takes longer than a year to fail........

The ecoTEC is one of a small no of boilers were the manufacturer stipulates the seal is replaced at the annual service, so if properly cared for this earlier type of seal was unlikely to be a problem.

 

[gas4you]

Have now been informed by Vaillant engineer that the Ecotecs have a tendency to increase co2 % by themselves over the year! His advice is to ignore the MI's about setting it to 9% +/- 0.5% (case off) and use the 9% as the maximum allowed. In fact he suggests setting to no more than 8.8% with case off.

The one I had with seal gone and air pipe melted had increased its self to 9.3% over the year! as proved by the print out I had left when commissioning. Also never leave then boiler factory set at maximum Kw if the system does not need it. It must be range rated.

 

[Agile]

Was that 9.3% AFTER the new seal had been fitted?

Isn't it the Ecotec which Vaillent dont quote the range rating codes for in the book supplied?

I have seen an EcoMAX with a seal which has started to leak a little. Its about 5 y.o. and has never been properly serviced as far as I can tell. I assume thats not covered by the recall and the seal is different?

Since the Ecotec seal presumably has to be changed when the chamber is opened for a service then I wonder why Dave has been sent the spares.

I asked a few reps at the show about opening the chamber on a service every year and they mostly said there was no need if the CO2 was OK and no other signs of incorrect operation.

Tony

 

[gas4you]

Yes Tony it was 9.3% after new seal had been fitted, but if you go to any ecotec 12 months after you have commissioned it you will usually find the co2 has increased.

The new seal is supposed to last for 5 years as long as the burner is not removed and yes you are correct that the Vaillant reps will tell you and technical, that you only need to do a co2 check and visual inspection for an annual 'service' as well as cleaning out the condense trap obviously, but I along with Vaillant engineers do not feel this is adequate. eg how can you check the insulation hasn't cracked or degraded, how can you check the burner condition and the state of the h ex coils. FGA's are a necessity as we all know but still nothing beats the trained eye.

That is why they are reps and not engineers and not many are left who are traditional 'Vaillant' employees

I have been sent box loads of seals free of charge do to my loyal and respected relationship with Vaillant and my 2 area sales managers, who are I hasten 'Vaillant' reps as is my local engineer who has been with Vaillant from year dot, with whom I now have an arrangement with vaillant that only he will ever visit my boilers if they ever need attention and not one of their other Group Service engineers.

As for the range rating codes I am not sure whether they are in the installation instructions or not, but any installer who has been on the training course would have been clearly told about them. If and when I ever change makes of boilers that I fit I always go to the manufacturers training facility for training rather than rely on often ambiguous M I's and that is always their factory training centres and not 'satellite' training centres run by local ACS centres etc. I want all my info first hand from the 'horses mouth'