Vailant ecotec pump,

[Petetrev]

Hi all.
I have a vailant ecotec 831 r1 boiler, the pump is starting to get a bit noisy, I have a gas safe friend that will fit a replacement for me,
I know I need a 178983 pump for my type of boiler, but I have noticed the words ( Type VPal - 7/2a ) on some pumps & ( Type VPal - 5/2a) on other,
Does anyone know what these figures mean, as both pumps are advertised to fit my boiler, both 5 wire to replace original 3 wire old pump.
Cheers for any I for, pete

 

[Mottie]

Won’t your gas safe friend know?

 

[Petetrev]

Nope just asked him, hasn’t a clue

 

[Gasguru]

The number refers to the nominal pump head, the 7m being for the the higher output boilers.
Why are you fitting a 2 speed pump (5 wires) to a boiler designed for a single speed pump (3 wires).

 

[CBW]

The number refers to the nominal pump head, the 7m being for the the higher output boilers.
Why are you fitting a 2 speed pump (5 wires) to a boiler designed for a single speed pump (3 wires).

If it’s original wilo, not sure it matters as the pcb is 5 pin or 3 pin. Original pumps were 3 pin, but boards 5 pin

 

[Gasguru]

3 pin pumps are single speed and indeed the connector fits the 5 pin board socket.
However the 5 pin pumps are 2 speed (as well as Live/Neutral/Earth you have 2 additional wires to the winding connections) but they need an extra relay on the pcb to operate.
I'm not sure whether the pcb has the wire links fitted in the absence of the relay to force the pump to run at high speed.

 

[Petetrev]

Thanks for the info,
The pump on the boiler is the old wilo,
It too has a 5 pin plug, with 5 wires,
It’s the eco plus 831 R1,
VUW gb316/3-5
GC 47-044-32,
According to wilo, both 3 & 5 wire pin plugs were fitted early on, the boiler is 2006, so one of the first I think,
Still in great condition, it’s just the wilo is known for failure, but has lasted more than most, the system is spotlessly clean, been cleansed every 12 month, has a MC pro, & a spirovent,

 

[Gasguru]

Ignore Wilo....I doubt very much if you managed to contact the OEM team and besides NDAs would block any real info....the heating pump industry is a very closed world.
3 pin pumps were fitted to the cheaper versions of the ecotec and as a greenwashing con the 2 speed versions were fitted to the more expensive models in an effort to make the boiler appear more eco (you'll safe a whole £ a year on the electric bill...and that might be wiped out if the extra pump relay fails and you need a new pcb )
Get the proper 5 wire pump, the 2006 model probably had the rubber hoses...make sure you're gas eng. checks these...they block and fail.

 

[CBW]

Any vaillant pump I Swap from Wilo to Grudfos 3 pin to 5 pin respectively, haven’t had any issues, also the part number to replace the wilo at the time was 178983. You can now get 3 pin pumps, as the newer type only take 3 pin afaik. Obviously the brand new ones were erp pumps.

 

[Petetrev]

Thank all, great info/help,
We have done the rubber pipes, also the diverted valve,
I’ve found a few pumps for sale all stated 178983, but some are 7/2 & some are 5/2,
I’ve found a great deal £70 with a 12 month warranty & it’s a 7/2,
Cheers