F76 Fault Code - Vaillant Boiler

[Kemosabe55]

In Jan 2018 I had the dreaded F76 fault code appear which shut down our Vaillant ecoTEC 630 + Boiler. I was able to restart /relight boiler which stayed on for progressively shorter periods of times over a couple of days. I called out local heating company with Vaillant 'accreditation' and who diagnosed (correctly) a failed thermal fuse which is not a replaceable part (for safety reasons). I was advised that the heat exchanger needed to be replaced with an estimated cost of replacement of over £1k inc parts/labour. I was then advised that a new boiler with a 7 year guarantees was my best option (@ £1.6K -£1.8k inc fitting).

Anyway I decided to get a second opinion from Valliant directly. I told them the boiler was already broken down and to my surprise they were happy to offer me their Platinum breakdown cover @ £250 for 6 month cover which covered me for any repair required up to a total of £1500 during the 6 month period and if they couldn't repair it then I would not be charged - not even for the call out. Needless to say I almost bit their hand off and I signed up.

The Vaillant engineer came out within 24 hours , he replaced the heat exchanger, upgraded a number of internal pipes as a preventative measure , he replaced the water pressure/flow sensor , he replaced the 10 liter expansion tank which wasn't holding the required 1 bar pressure ,he swapped out the (unreliable) Wilo pump for a (more reliable) Grunfoss pump and he recommissioned the entire system in less than 2 hours. Had i purchased all these parts separately t would have cost me in excess of £800 and the fitting/labour would been an additional cost. So I have an almost entirely new/reconditioned boiler and all that it cost me was £250. I was so delighted with Vaillant service which was way beyond my wildest expectations. Their customer service was outstanding for me.

With hindsight , my (maybe cynical) view is that I think that most local Vaillant 'accredited' heating companies are aware of the Vaillant breakdown cover but they don't want you to know about it as they would much prefer that you deal directly with them so that they can charge you a small fortune for parts/labour repair to keep them in business. Had i not contacted Vaillant directly for a 2nd opinion , then I would have probably gone with the advice of the local heating company and replaced the boiler - so by contacting Vaillant I saved myself £1.5k.

[DIY_Johnny]

Why did they give you cover for a fault that had h already occurred?

[Someone-Else]

Why did they give you cover for a fault that had h already occurred?

Who cares? it was their choice, and he became a happy customer

[DIY_Johnny]

Who cares? it was their choice, and he became a happy customer

I'm not sure I believe the post. First post from a new member on both forums praising vaillant service.

Also I know that £249 guarantee. It specifically excludes the heat exchanger, expansion vessel, nor "fair wear and tear,," whatever that means?

Maybe I'm being cynical but that's what vaillant say

[Kemosabe55]

I can assure you that Vaillant were aware of the fault code and the fact that the boiler was not working when i called them and they were still willing to offer me their breakdown cover.

and specifically to Mr grumpy , we all have a first post and it doesn't matter to me what you think or what you believe. I just thought it was worthwhile to come on here and let others know and maybe to their benefit..... oh and you;re wrong the breakdown cover that I have ( and not the one that you refer to) does include the heat exchanger and anything else that goes wrong up to the value of £1500 during the 6 month cover period.

[DIY_Johnny]

No need to be defensive, my first post was a genuine question as I have vaillant boilers in all my properties and when
i rang vaillant about cover they didn't have any other cover except that 250 fixed repair guarantee and specifically excluded the heat exchanger and expansion vessel. There is nothing on their website either about it from what I can see, hence my curiosity. Maybe some new type of cover has come in recently, I don't know.

Anyway its good news as one of mine is 11 years old so I can see a major fault occurring soon. There is this intermittent noise occurring in it. Can only be described as a big bumble bee inside it. When the heating knobs were changed on it 2 weeks ago, there did seem like a slight burning smell from it when I took the cover off, so maybe the gasket has worn out. Waiting for my gas guy to come out and assess it

[gas4you]

Any boiler I estimate needs repairs of £400 or more I always recommend a fixed price repair from the manufacturer.

Only had one manufacturer refuse to do this once, Ariston, so the boiler was replaced instead.

Apart from the fact that a really expensive job is usually a pita job anyway, which I don't want to know about, posts like this are a very good reason to inform the customer.

Usually I get asked back for the usual servicing etc from those I advise to do this to.

[gas4you]

No need to be defensive, my first post was a genuine question as I have vaillant boilers in all my properties and when
i rang vaillant about cover they didn't have any other cover except that 250 fixed repair guarantee and specifically excluded the heat exchanger and expansion vessel. There is nothing on their website either about it from what I can see, hence my curiosity. Maybe some new type of cover has come in recently, I don't know.

Anyway its good news as one of mine is 11 years old so I can see a major fault occurring soon. There is this intermittent noise occurring in it. Can only be described as a big bumble bee inside it. When the heating knobs were changed on it 2 weeks ago, there did seem like a slight burning smell from it when I took the cover off, so maybe the gasket has worn out. Waiting for my gas guy to come out and assess it

Usually the auto bypass valve causing this noise. (I am assuming it is an Ecotec 831 or similar?)

The gasket if original, should have been swapped annually, then once a new graphite seal fitted, I replace them every three years or when/if the combustion chamber door is removed.

[Kemosabe55]

No need to be defensive, my first post was a genuine question as I have vaillant boilers in all my properties and when
i rang vaillant about cover they didn't have any other cover except that 250 fixed repair guarantee and specifically excluded the heat exchanger and expansion vessel. There is nothing on their website either about it from what I can see, hence my curiosity. Maybe some new type of cover has come in recently, I don't know.

Anyway its good news as one of mine is 11 years old so I can see a major fault occurring soon. There is this intermittent noise occurring in it. Can only be described as a big bumble bee inside it. When the heating knobs were changed on it 2 weeks ago, there did seem like a slight burning smell from it when I took the cover off, so maybe the gasket has worn out. Waiting for my gas guy to come out and assess it

My response wasn't aimed at you - it was at the guy who said he didn't believe me and seemed to justify his belief b/c it was my first post.
As an FYI it isn't the fixed priced b/down cover which i believe is a one off charge every time you call them out and I also note that that cover doesn't cover the HE. I think it may be a new type of cover now being offered from Vaillant. I just looked at policy document they sent me and the only exclusions are related to damage due to hard water /lime scale deposits, sludge or blockages or any external fittings to the boiler , pipework etc.

[DIY_Johnny]

Usually the auto bypass valve causing this noise. (I am assuming it is an Ecotec 831 or similar?)

The gasket if original, should have been swapped annually, then once a new graphite seal fitted, I replace them every three years or when/if the combustion chamber door is removed.

thanks dave, spot on its an ecotec 831, i very much doubt if the gasket has been changed regularly, as when i get an annual service they usually in and out in 30mins. Maybe, can't be certain.

Would the auto bypass need to be replaced or serviced?

[DIY_Johnny]

My response wasn't aimed at you - it was at the guy who said he didn't believe me and seemed to justify his belief b/c it was my first post.
As an FYI it isn't the fixed priced b/down cover which i believe is a one off charge every time you call them out and I also note that that cover doesn't cover the HE. I think it may be a new type of cover now being offered from Vaillant. I just looked at policy document they sent me and the only exclusions are related to damage due to hard water /lime scale deposits, sludge or blockages or any external fittings to the boiler , pipework etc.

A few times we have seen on this forum a first time poster makes a great claim usually accompanied by a web link about a great service so unfortunately we all fall under the same scrutiny as first time posters. i had it myself seeing something on an appliance forum whereby I noticed that someone had a complaint about a neff oven and was being advised to change the whole motor. I posted a link to a place that advised me to change a component only. The service from the parts company was excellent so thought I'd pass on that info. with a web link but I was accused of being a seller

Yeah the first one was the policy I was quoted, a 249 pound max charge for every call out but the exclusion of the HE and EV put me right off. Don't think I ever had a charge much more than that, maybe a new diverter valve but that was only 120 for the part. The HE is the costly one. Even the EV is about 110 or so for mine i think. I suppose the pump could be expensive though

So this policy is called Platinum Cover?

[gas4you]

Usually the auto bypass valve causing this noise. (I am assuming it is an Ecotec 831 or similar?)

The gasket if original, should have been swapped annually, then once a new graphite seal fitted, I replace them every three years or when/if the combustion chamber door is removed.

thanks dave, spot on its an ecotec 831, i very much doubt if the gasket has been changed regularly, as when i get an annual service they usually in and out in 30mins. Maybe, can't be certain.

Would the auto bypass need to be replaced or serviced?

Occassionally this can be fixed by screwing it in then out again, counting the number of turns, otherwise it needs replacement.

One problem with theses boilers and other Vaillants of this age, is that when you turn the boiler off to service, then on again, the pcb is prone to blow, usually displaying the word 'con' in the display.

Hence why I always pre warn my customers before doing so and only do this at the three yearly service.

[Kemosabe55]

When i called Vaillant the person who I spoke with mentioned 'Platinum' cover on the phone - however the policy document which was sent to me a few days after they repaired the boiler does not make any reference to Platinum anywhere - I just have a policy number.

However i have just noticed I made an error in my original post, let me clarify - I opted to pay for the policy via 6 month standing order at £49.98 /month which equates to nearly £300 - not £250. So i am paying £50 more vs. other breakdown cover policy which is a one off call out fee and I know that policy does not include HE repair.

On the basis that I had a fairly good idea before calling them that it was the HE that need replacing (approx £400+ for the part + labour to fit ) , then I knew their £300 policy was probably the best value policy for me. I didn't even attempt to hide the fact that it may be the HE that needed replacing as i told them the fault code i was getting (F 76) and I specifically asked them if the HE is included in the policy that they were offering me and I was told that it was.

When the Vaillant engineer came came out, he also replaced a number of other items as mentioned in my original post , possibly as preventative maintenance measures to avoid further costs on future call outs. I wasn't complaining and i am absolutely delighted with what they did for me. But don't take my word for it , call them and ask them about their different breakdown cover options as I am sure they will tell you the same as they told me.

[Kemosabe55]

worth adding that today , approx 2 weeks after the repairs to our boiler outlined above, that the boiler failed to come on on its timer settings earlier on this evening and was showing a F62 fault code - fortunately it restarted w/o a problem by pressing the 'igniter' button on the front panel and has stayed on.

However I've called Vaillant and they are sending someone out tomorrow morning to have a look at it and I will report back on here what the outcome is.

[Kemosabe55]

Update 13 Feb: A Vaillant engineer came out this morning and despite the fact that the boiler continued to work fine since displaying the F62 fault code yesterday, he replaced the PCB and was done and gone in less than 30mins. For anyone interested , this is the link to the Vaillant breakdown cover policy I have.

link removed as possible spam. For anyone following this thread it was not Vaillant themselves who provided the cover it was a 3rd party warranty provider. Mod 2.

It has been great value policy for me as I now have an almost entirely new boiler and the diverter valve/fan are the only original items that haven't been replaced.