VOKERA EXCELL - No Hot water or heating

[brianmcritchie]

I've bought a property which has a Vokera Excell boiler. Not been in long and all of a sudden I have no Hot Water or Central Heating. The pilot light is on. The pressure is sufficiently high. There is electricity getting to the boiler and I've even checked the fuse on the mother board. There are no air pockets (bled all radiators). Yet nothing !!!!. A new mother board is less that £100, so don't mind shelling out that. Any ideas what else it could be, before I order one !!!!!!

Thanks

Brian

 

[ChrisR]

Loads of things! You could spend a few hundred and still not get the right bit. You need a Corgi!

 

[brianmcritchie]

Thanks Chris,

Your right. Going to give the gas man a call tomorrow !!!!

I hate boilers !!!!!

Brian

 

[Agile]

I love boilers!

Today I had a call to an Ideal Response 120 and agreed 1500 hrs. An hour later he calls and says his wife has been on to Ideal and they say that its a difficult boiler to work on and unless someone has been on their course they are unlikely to fix it. I ask if he does not want me now. He says no unless I can convince him I can fix it.

Now I dont see my job as convincing clients so I point out that we operate a no fix no fee and ask if he really does not want me to come. He still says he does not want me to "waste my time". I thank him, tell him I have been on their course and sorry he does not want me to come and hang up.

He calls me back and I go round, 35 minutes later its working again, no parts and only basic diagnostic fee. It was a lack of flame detection.

I only work for the enjoyment and I dont enjoy it if anyone doubts my capabilities!

Boilers are lovely!

Tony Glazier

 

[brianmcritchie]

I don't doubt your capabilities.

You can come round and have a look at my Vokera. It sits there and does nothing !!!!

Glasgow's not far away !!!!!!

Brian

 

[Agile]

DP will be going back to Glasgow tomorrow after our dinner in Cricklewood tonight, he likes Vokera's.

By coincidence I am going to another Ideal Response 120 this morning with the same fault of no ignition reported.

Tony Glazier

 

[brianmcritchie]

Good luck with the IDEAL RESPONSE 120.

The boiler almost fired up this morning, but then laughed at me again.

Who's DP???, sorry, new to this Forum??

Brian

 

[Agile]

DP is an expert on Vokera boilers, we had dinner with him last night in London. He is returning to Scotland today and DIA will alert him to your plight.

I ended up going to THREE Ideal Responses yesterday and one the day before. Not my favourite boiler.

Tony Glazier

 

[doitall]

Good luck with the IDEAL RESPONSE 120.

The boiler almost fired up this morning, but then laughed at me again.

Who's DP???, sorry, new to this Forum??

Brian

Brian if you look in my profile and send me an email, I will give you DP contact

 

[DP]

Just got in!!

Good meal, better company. Enjoyed the get together. Have now put faces to the names.

 

[brianmcritchie]

Have Given up.

British gas have ******** me around. I stupidly thought they would set the standard for central heating installation. How wrong I was !!!!!

They have constantly failed to turn up when I have business to give them, they will not give me a breakdown of the £3000 quoted to fit a new boiler because I found that to be quite expensive........ and lots more !!!!!

Anyway, thanks for your help previously, have a local CORGI guy coming in to do the exact same job with a similar priced boiler and is charging far less.

Sometimes local companies are the best !!! Bless them !

Brian

 

[Agile]

I thought that Danny would have repaired you existing boiler by now.

If you choose the largest national company you should expect them to be much more expensive that your local small firm round the corner.

£3000 is not expensive for BG, its about their standard charge. You should not expect them to give you a breakdown as its not relevant. We would not give breakdowns as thats just extra unpaid work for someone who is not happy with our quotation.

Your local firm does not have National advertising or shareholders to produce a profit for so is bound to be cheaper.

Such a pity that we will never know what minor fault aflicts your old boiler, probably just the o/h stat or some other minor problem!

Tony Glazier

 

[DP]

It would seem you can not take a hint brianmcritchie. Like Tony I enjoy my work and Vokeras are boilers I like even more. I carry most (often needed) parts for this make (Excel being no different).

So you have gone for the local man who is keen to sell you a new boiler and not offer to repair a superior boiler. You are making a big mistake as the new boiler (unless it is at the high end with solid constuction) will hardly be able to keep up with a well looked after Excel that I would expect will easily top 15 years of faithful service. I wonder how long before you will be replacing the proposed boiler.

Couple of years ago I overhauled an earlier model (Flowmatic- recovered from a skip) that was fitted in place of a boiler that was in a habit of bursting the main heat exchanger every 12 months or so. The flowmatic is easily 12 years old. I do not expect the Flowmatic to give this client any grief. The Flowmatic was fitted because the total cost of overhaul and changeover was less than supply and fit replacement heat exchanger on the old boiler. I would say the Excel range is equally good save one minor flaw.

Hardly any boiler made today is built like boilers of yesteryears. That goes for Vokera as well. Main heat exchanger out of a Flowmatic and Excel was chunky and heavy. Not the case on current models.

 

[brianmcritchie]

Thanks DP and Agile for your response.

The Excell was looked at by my local CORGI chap. The mother board and gas valve were defective, the filling loop was non regulation (it was a permenant tap) and the gas input was 15mm all the way to near the gas box in the street !!!!, the flue was leaking like hell and the electrics were not regulation (it was plugged into a plug socket- I inherited all this when I bought the property)

It was almost as cheap to get a new boiler. So that was the decision I went for.

The boiler is also 15years old.

I totally agree. Boilers 15 years ago were huge, indestructable pieces of kit and as with most pieces of electronic equipment, they don't make them like they used to. I hope it will be reliable.

Thanks, your respones and help have been great.

Brian