Vokera Flowmatic - life expectancy??

Hope you guys can help me out here...

I have a Vokera Flowmatic 20-80 R.S. combi boiler approx 17 years old. The gas company who services my boiler are taking me "off contract" unless I replace the boiler as I'm calling them out too often to maintain it. They say some parts are not made anymore with more due to go out of production. After speaking to a private gas engineer he said the Vokera, with regular proper servicing, should last another 15 years. So, what I'd like to know is, will it be worthwhile getting the Vokera serviced regularly or should I bite the bullet and get a new more efficient boiler. The Vokera is running nicely at the minute...

Thanks in advance!
Cheers, Bryzo

It seems a shame you have to scrap a perfectly working Boiler because some large Company can't be bothered to search for parts.

But I think you put your finger on it when you said "I'm calling them out to often to maintain it."

Its your call, a more efficient Boiler may save you in the long run But the life of a Condensing boiler (I hear) is only about 5 to 7 years. Its got something to do with the build up of exhaust gases in the system.

I should have mentioned in my original post that I had 4 callouts last year before the underlying problem was eventually fixed and 2 this year where on the second callout the engineer reattached a wire inside the boiler that had come loose (2 minutes work and no new parts used).

Cheers, Bryzo

soldier on with what you have for the moment.

you can only put off the inevitable for so long.

start saving.

it realistically wont live that much longer.

if it were to last 3 more years, you have 3 years notice in which to save. more often than not people have no notice at all.

whoever told you it will last another 15 years is very optimistic. good boiler but past its day now.

there are plenty of parts not available for these and its only a matter of time now for the rest of them to be discontinued. keep it as long as you can but be aware of the parts and start saving now.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll start saving now and hopefully it'll be 3 years till the Vokera finally bites the dust!

Cheers, Bryzo

It sounds as if there was very little wrong with your boiler and a lot wrong with the Nuptie people employed to do the servicing!

These are a very reliable design apart for the diverter valve which does need to have a small part changed every 2-3 years.

You should be able to get it maintained by Ranoch Services until Danny retires! As far as I am aware all the normal service parts are still available.

Tony

Its your call, a more efficient Boiler may save you in the long run But the life of a Condensing boiler (I hear) is only about 5 to 7 years. Its got something to do with the build up of exhaust gases in the system.

Click to expand...

You have heard wrong i'm afraid

17 years from your vokera is a good lifetime, another 15 years is very unrealistic. A modern condensing combi such as the Vaillant ecotec 831 should last approx 15 years, some cheaper makes may only last last 10 (if your lucky). You get what you pay for but quality of system and installation is also very important.

After mending a Flowmatic about 6 times in the last two years, all different faults and often a combination, I and its owner decided a new boiler was due. A Vokera Compact 29 fitted the pipes and the wall space and they love it.

ChrisR said:

After mending a Flowmatic about 6 times in the last two years, all different faults and often a combination, I and its owner decided a new boiler was due. A Vokera Compact 29 fitted the pipes and the wall space and they love it.

Click to expand...

I doubt that Danny would agree that it should have been changed!

Tony

I sympathised with Chris when he came across the said Flowmatic. We had discussed the boiler at length many times to try and resolve various defects, some of which were (I am sure) caused by unknown parties tinkering with boiler and modifications that were non standard. Repairs were difficult due to remoteness of boiler, difficulty with parking and lack of spares since Chris does not lock horns with this model on regular basis.

I carry a wide selection of parts for the Flowmatic for a single visit repair. Glasgow may well be renamed Flowmatic for the vast numbers that were fitted. End user at one time was able to call at Vokera depot for purchase of any Vokera spare. This has now stopped.

Vast number of Vokeras that are fitted means I get a large number of boilers to hone my skills on. Spares purchased last week included 4254, 0159, 0557, 5917, 5916, 0555, 0309, 0026, and 0139 which are all small components without which repair/ service would be less than satisfactory. Larger parts like heat exchanger, fans and PCBs are stock items as well.

RS Turbo predates Flowmatic and is some 25 years old now. While a lot of parts are no longer available for the Turbo, flow manifold and domestic manifold are common to both models. My supplier still stocks fan for the RS Turbo which is supposed to be obsolete. I can get (have not had a problem so far) every service part for the Flowmatic. Parts not available are items like boiler case, combustion chamber etc. Question is, how many engineers need a combustion chamber or outer white case, or have ever had a call to replace the combustion chamber (been there and got the tee shirt).

I like the Flowmatic because it is one boiler that virtually talks to me when it is ailing. I lifted one from a skip six years ago to be still giving faithful service after it was overhauled, rescued one that was drowned by burst cold water mains, resurrected many pronounced dead by umpteen ‘engineers’. Only last week plumber called to repair a leak on a rad to then replace 560 ohm resistor on the boiler because it would not fire up. Customer was then given the same story as this poster. Turned out the fan was dirty. Am going to service this boiler on Wednesday.

DP was indeed like a godparent to this particular ailing beast, though I didn't call him every time it went wrong or sprung a new leak!
It had had a faulty aps, DV switches, pcb, DHW stat, main stat. diaphragms, tail end, aav, prv and thermocouple.
It had been descaled, its dhwhe swapped, a new pump, and STILL it would overheat and cut off on DHW, but not always.

Added to that, it was in the corner of a kitchen so I always came home with pulled muscles and grazed knuckles. We only stuck with it as loing as we did because it was running (happilly, in that area) on 14mbar.
Its replacement got a new gas pipe, 13m of it buried in the floor screed.

Indeed there are times when you fight a loosing battle, sadly this was one such battle. Sad part is this particular boiler was some 425 miles distant. Have in the past been to Edinburgh and further afield to attend repairs but London was a city too far. Closer home it would have been an opportunity I would not have liked to miss.

Have to admit Chris fought this beast solo to discuss the battle when he was licking his wounds end of the day.

memor maplin said:

But the life of a Condensing boiler (I hear) is only about 5 to 7 years. Its got something to do with the build up of exhaust gases in the system.

Click to expand...

That is total nonsense.