Hi experts: Our 12-year old Vaillant EcoTec Plus 824 failed today (the weather being very cold and windy, if this is relevant). It was serviced last September, by Vaillant.
When I turned on the hot tap, the water ran cold for ages and the rads were nearly cold. I went out to look at the boiler display panel, and there was no fault number showing — normal activity seemed to be showing, although the triangle on the left (not the water-pressure indicator) seemed to be static, being half-filled with black, and not changing at all.
I did not touch anything, but went back inside, turned on the hot tap again, and it started to run hot again.
About an hour later, I ran the hot tap, and it ran cold for ages.
At that, I rang a heating engineer (a private operator, not Vaillant), and he told me to look again at the display panel, which did. This time, it showed Fault number F57. So, I shut the boiler off, waited a minute, then restarted. It started up, began loading, and the hot water and rads were OK again. I rang the engineer with this information, and, after asking the make of the boiler, he said that if it happened again, to ring him and he would fix it. He said that from what I told him, it seemed as if the circuit board was faulty.
Later, being worried about a possible, very expensive C.B. replacement, I looked up Fault F57 on the Web (a Vaillant information sheet). It said that the fault number indicated that the ignition electrode was badly corroded.
Now, my question is this: if Vaillant themselves say what the fault is likely to be, why would an engineer say that it seemed that the C.B. could be faulty? I should think that he would point out what Vaillant points out as another possible cause for the fault. I am concerned as to whether, if the boiler fails again, the fault could be dishonesty diagnosed in order for the engineer to charge a much greater fee than what would be charged for a new ignition electrode.
In this cold period, I want to have the confidence to get an honest diagnosis and a speedy fix to the boiler, and these conflicting diagnoses have shaken my confidence.
With thanks in advance for any informed comment on this matter.
L.L.
When I turned on the hot tap, the water ran cold for ages and the rads were nearly cold. I went out to look at the boiler display panel, and there was no fault number showing — normal activity seemed to be showing, although the triangle on the left (not the water-pressure indicator) seemed to be static, being half-filled with black, and not changing at all.
I did not touch anything, but went back inside, turned on the hot tap again, and it started to run hot again.
About an hour later, I ran the hot tap, and it ran cold for ages.
At that, I rang a heating engineer (a private operator, not Vaillant), and he told me to look again at the display panel, which did. This time, it showed Fault number F57. So, I shut the boiler off, waited a minute, then restarted. It started up, began loading, and the hot water and rads were OK again. I rang the engineer with this information, and, after asking the make of the boiler, he said that if it happened again, to ring him and he would fix it. He said that from what I told him, it seemed as if the circuit board was faulty.
Later, being worried about a possible, very expensive C.B. replacement, I looked up Fault F57 on the Web (a Vaillant information sheet). It said that the fault number indicated that the ignition electrode was badly corroded.
Now, my question is this: if Vaillant themselves say what the fault is likely to be, why would an engineer say that it seemed that the C.B. could be faulty? I should think that he would point out what Vaillant points out as another possible cause for the fault. I am concerned as to whether, if the boiler fails again, the fault could be dishonesty diagnosed in order for the engineer to charge a much greater fee than what would be charged for a new ignition electrode.
In this cold period, I want to have the confidence to get an honest diagnosis and a speedy fix to the boiler, and these conflicting diagnoses have shaken my confidence.
With thanks in advance for any informed comment on this matter.
L.L.
