Vokera Linea 24 not heating water (no fault code shown)

[Trex]

Hi all,

new here and hoping someone can help.


I have a Vokera Linea 24 Combi Boiler and the thing has over the last ten years been nothing but a PITA seems like every third winter it throws a flakey, leaving us with no heating and no hot water and guess what it's that time again! Last time was the PCB which was replaced.

This time the fault has been happening for a couple of months but a reset usually clears it but the problem is now permament but at least we are not chasing some form of intermittent fault.

Basically when on heating or hot water or both the boiler is igniting for three seconds and then cutting out, the LED is staying lit as green and no fault code is being shown which is the confusing part!!!

Heating engineer was onsite and investigated but says he has never seen this before, he checked the system by running through the fault diagnosise as layed out in the manual but could find nothing definate. His best guess is that the PCB or Gas Valve needs replaced. So he reckons maybe £300 to repair with no guarentee that the fault will be rectified in which case it maybe better to go with a new boiler.

While I now hate the thing with a vengance I am still loath to replace it if repairable at reasonable cost. I figure that I can buy at PCB and install it myself as stop gap, no I'm not an engineer but reasonably adept with most things so am thinking why not? Under no circumstances do I intend to touch the gas side, so if the PCB fails to resolve the problem I would have to have the engineer back to install the gas valve.

Hopefully someone can help, has anyone come across the same problem ignition then cutout with no fault code being thrown?

To my mind this would indicate something mechanical rather than electrical and there is maybe another solenoid or something that I am unaware of that would cause cutout approx threes seconds after ignition.

 

[bellairaphon]

whats your heating like?

nath

 

[Agile]

Hi all,

Heating engineer was onsite and investigated but says he has never seen this before, he checked the system by running through the fault diagnosise as layed out in the manual but could find nothing definate. His best guess is that the PCB or Gas Valve needs replaced. So he reckons maybe £300 to repair with no guarentee that the fault will be rectified in which case it maybe better to go with a new boiler.

First I would ask you how often you have the boiler properly serviced. I would suggest never?

That engineer was obviously not competent at diagnosing faults. Any idiot can read the manual fault diagnosis without needing to be a boiler engineer.

Furthermore he seemed to expect to charge £300 without guaranteeing to fix the fault. That is verging on the fraudulent. He is clearly totally unable to diagnose faults but still expects you to pay for his incompetence!

Luckily for you there are other solutions which engage with some degree of customer satisfaction. Most of the energy suppliers have boiler repair arrangements. However in this case I would suggest the British Gas fixed price repair which is about £180 and if they cannot fix it then there is no charge.

Tony

 

[East Kent Coastal]

Your boiler isn't getting the past the 3 second soft ignition/low flame function. As stated you will need a RGI specialising in fault diagnosis and repair to test your appliance components or, as it could be one of the more pricier parts like the gas valve or PCB at fault, getting in BG or someone else who offers a fixed-price, no fix no fee arrangement may be the best idea.

 

[Trex]

Nath,

on the heating side, it does the same, the gas ignites and runs for approx three seconds and then goes out. Does supply some heat to the radiators as the sequence is continuous - at least it was over the last day and a half.

About an hour after the engineer left the gas ignited and ran constantly when I put the heating onto manual (I am on holiday and was feeling cold) whereas over the last day and a half when ran on manual it was doing the cutting out thing. The hot water side is now running normally at present as well again.


Tony,

your pretty much correct - the boiler has never seen regular servicing. The last service was two years ago. Three years ago the boiler was also serviced and the PCB replaced when the fault was pretty much the same but a fault code was being thrown - sorry I cannot remember which one it was now.

To be fair the present engineer ran through some scenarios(I was not present)and used a multimeter to check values but no I'm not prepared to spend £300+ when he does not know if that would rectify the the problem. If we have to shoot in the dark on the above symptoms then maybe better to start with a cheaper component like the Thermistor? Which I read elsewhere can cause cutout issues.


I am taking onboard comments about no fix no fee but would assume such a system "does not" cover the cost of parts?

Assuming there is no real indication of what the problem is -

IE: I pay for new PCB still does not work. I still have to bear the PCB cost? Same goes for the Gas Valve? In the event that a repair does not work? I maybe save £180 (labour?) but go down £300+ on parts, that I can incidently buy myself for approx £160 and pay a local guy to install.

It's really not for me to say the attending engineer is incompetent after all he appears to be getting the required values on his meter and has no fault code to assist. Perhaps in the situation you would be simiarly baffled.

While in the present circumstances I have some sympathy, it is fair to say I am not entirely happy with his approach which seems all too common enough in lots of trades. Just keep replacing bits on what information you have until the problem goes away. Probably why I have not had the boiler regularly serviced as problems just seem to appear whether on the boiler the car or motorcycle, often shortly after having being worked on. At least with mosts other things I can just service and diagnose them myself to prevent further complications - whereas with the boiler I just run it till it breaks. Actually two services in the last three years does not seem too bad really.


Geegas - thanks for your response as well. It's the consistancy of the three seconds that makes me wonder if it was some self test loop, in which case on failing I thought that a fault code would be thrown.



All the above aside has anyone seen a similar problem with no fault code on a Vokera Linea 24? Or have some thought as to where the problem may lie?

Thanks,

 

[howmuchlonger08]

Ign box on't gas valve replace it .....job done

 

[Boilerman2]

Good call howmuch, sounds like the honeywell box to me as well

 

[Agile]

I also agree that the ignition PCB is a prime suspect however it could also be a very simple minor fault within the cc. I have encountered a faylt like that myself but the time constand was longer than reported here.

However the RGI who attended did not apparently seem to suspect that.

The BG and the power supplier's fixed price repairs INCLUDE all spare parts. Thats very good value when an expensive part is required.

Again I strongly disapprove of any engineer who does not have the skill and confidence in his abilities not to offer a no-fix no-fee. Particularly to expect to charge for new parts which are not needed.

Fixing boilers requires a professional and experienced ability and itsa dispicable that the present situation is that anyone can take a short course and then behave like this by conning the public into paying for parts which are not needed.

Suppose your doctor suggested that you should have a liver transplant and after the trauma of that operation it did not solve the problem so the doctor then suggests you have your spleen removed...

Tony

 

[Trex]

Ah well did not figure it would last, it's back to the cutting out scenario. Ignites and runs for about three seconds. Cuts out for three, fires up for three and so forth.

My partner says that the engineer contacted Vokera and they suggested replacing the PCB and or Gas Valve. Apparently they called him back just after he left, they had been busy when he tried contacting them when he was on-site.

I spoke to his boss who called round this afternoon and informed him I was not intending to pay for replacement parts on the basis that this maybe the only way to solve the issue - after all when do you cry enough £300- £400 or £500.

I have no problem with the company other than the aforementioned. Thier hourly rate is fair enough and the parts prices they quote are on par with recommended retail. I figure that most suppliers will not accept returns on electrical parts as they could be easily faulted by installing into a faulty heating system, electrical circuit, etc. Not uncommon I think.

I agree that diagnostically it should be possible to narrow the fault down to a single component but from bitter experience some years back with an intermittent fault on an ignition circuit on my Kawasaki motorcycle. I know that sometimes these things can lead you in circles. Eventually in that case it became clear that a slightly worn ignition key barrel that broke contact at approx 9500 rpm and above was the fault, a frustrating experience.

Tony in days past its has run for longer minute periods, it generally seems rhythmic. You mention previously experiencing something similar but fairly simple within the "cc", excuse my ignorance but what is the "cc".

The igniter board is another expensive piece and I had not thought that it would have been an issue as was probably only a spark ignition and once lit why would the igniter board be responsible for it cutting out?

Does it support a pilot light in some form, I'm really curious about how my boiler nemesis works now! Hard stares at it are getting me nowhere.

I will look further into the £180 no fix / no fee scenario but it seems to me to be too simple and there must be a catch?


Thanks to all for your responses.

 

[Agile]

The igniter board is another expensive piece and I had not thought that it would have been an issue as was probably only a spark ignition and once lit why would the igniter board be responsible for it cutting out?

Does it support a pilot light in some form, I'm really curious about how my boiler nemesis works now! Hard stares at it are getting me nowhere.

I will look further into the £180 no fix / no fee scenario but it seems to me to be too simple and there must be a catch?


Thanks to all for your responses.

The ignition PCB is quite a complicated part.

It runs the fan, checks that the fan is actually running and that the flue is not blocked, starts an ignition spark, turns on the gas galve and then checks there is a flame!

If there is no flame then it turns off the gas and tries the sequence again.

That motor cycle ignition key must have really been turning at 9500 rpm! I dont think I have ever seen any key turned that fast!

There is no catch on the BG no-fix no-fee repair. The only criteria is that spares are available and the boiler is correctly installed. There are a few boilers like the Geminox which they will not cover.

Tony