F22 caused by leaking pump?

[DRM]

I’ve just had a phone call from a customer of mine informing me that his ecoTec plus 831 boiler is showing F22 and there are signs of water escaping from underneath.

I told him to switch it off and remove the front cover. He has done this and discovered that the water seems to be coming from the pump area.

I gave this boiler its first service a month ago and noticed the pump was noisy in operation and told him to inform Vaillant while it was still under warranty.

Are the two things connected?

We had to get Vaillant out to a newly installed 831 that was gushing from the pump once before, but I don’t know what the engineer did to correct the fault.

If the snow permits, I intend to visit tomorrow, but what will be required, a new seal, a new pump or a new pump housing?

This property is currently empty, but we need to get the heating going again before any subsequent frost damage occurs.

Any input would be very welcome.

 

[Agile]

Usually dirt in the system has spoilt pump bearings.

Should not replace pump under warrantee!

Tony

 

[DRM]

Tony you are way off the mark here!

The complete system was newly installed 12 months ago and was chemically cleaned & treated.

A quick look at the fully completed Benchmark certificate would confirm this fact.

As they say, in your case. Bang goes the theory

 

[simond]

Earlier Vaillant ecoTECs had Wilo pumps and it is not uncommon for them to seize or the bearings break up within the first 5 years.

In the last 12 months Vaillant have started using Grundfos pumps and this should give better durability.

I think it is a warranty issue if this has happened.

The other typical cause is the pump air bleed leaking, which is usually something stuck inside that isn't water, or, if it is an earlier unit, leakage from the now deleted rubber hoses. In the latter case, warranty again.

Not 'warrantee', Agile!

 

[Agile]

The complete system was newly installed 12 months ago and was chemically cleaned & treated.

A quick look at the fully completed Benchmark certificate would confirm this fact.

All installers put in the Benchmark what they SHOULD have done. That is not always what they ACTUALLY did.

Someone on here bought bottles of inhibitor cheap on Ebay. When they arrived all the installation stickers were missing! You will guess why! So 20 installations had stickers but no inhibitor!

Wear on pump bearings is caused by dirt! Wilo pumps are used on many boiler models.

Tony

 

[DRM]

All installers put in the Benchmark what they SHOULD have done. That is not always what they ACTUALLY did.

I am sure you don’t mean to be insulting Tony and that no offense was intended in your comments, but FYI the manufacturers are attending under warranty.

 

[Agile]

I have not been insulting in any way.

All I have done is to point out that what is listed on the Benchmark is often not what has been done.

Also that wear to the pump bearings is caused by dirt in the system.

If the manufacturers will cover that then you are lucky because many will not.

Tony

 

[simond]

The Wilo pumps are apparently susceptible to the chemical composition in the UK water and in some instances the pump seals can fail prematurely.

In order to get our 5 yr Vaillant support we used to have to submit test tube samples to Sentinel labs for independent testing.

We've had pump failures within 5 yrs where the system water had passed the standards set by Vaillant and had been documented.

So whilst I concur that filthy systems will shag a pump out, you are mistaken in solely attributing this cause to the OP's issue.

 

[DRM]

I have not been insulting in any way.

As I said, I am sure you don’t mean it.

All I have done is to point out that what is listed on the Benchmark is often not what has been done.

You wrote that” All installers put in the Benchmark what they SHOULD have done. That is not always what they ACTUALLY did.”
This statement does not apply to all installers and certainly not in this case, thank you very much!

Also that wear to the pump bearings is caused by dirt in the system.

FYI the manufacturers have changed the make of pump that they use to correct this fault.

If the manufacturers will cover that then you are lucky because many will not.

I am not lucky at all. This has cost me time and unnecessary stress!

BTW I was looking here for assistance to help my customer. Not to be criticized (intentionally or not) by someone who has not got command of the facts.

 

[Agile]

Unfortunately you dont seem to want to read and understand the actual words which I have written and then you accuse me of being insulting.

The Wilo pumps have plastic bearings. The finely devided magnetite is attracted into the pump by the magnetic field. That quickly wears the plastic bearing.

The Grunfoss pumps have a ceramic bearing and a very hard steel shaft. These are far less susceptible to wear although they will actually seize up more often in some cases due to the smaller tolerances.

Tony