Hi all,
(I don't live in the UK and English isn't my primary language; however I'm hoping I can get help here as this forum seems to be the best one for Vaillant-related DIY questions)
My story:
in the apartment which I own we have a Vaillant VCW 180 XEU boiler for both, hot water and CH. Last year we began to experience some troubles with the heating - the boiler would work very irregularly, sometimes heating-up, sometimes not. Hot water worked reliably.
A few days ago we tried using the CH again and it was a no-go. Hot water works just fine. We called a Vaillant-certified repairman who told us that we either need a whole new installation rounding up to 3k or a major repair of our boiler. BUT he also announced that Vaillant does not supply parts for VCW 180 anymore and that he won't be fixing our boiler using old/used parts (probably due to warranty/insurance issues).
He did however give us a list of broken/needing-replacement parts (the list is in German, I hope translation makes sense):
- Priority Switch Valve #12-684
- Servo Pressure Regulator #05-0164
- Electronic Regulator (PCB) #25-2947
[ to note here: the main pump was replaced 3 years ago ]
I was able to find all these parts on eBay and they are coming in a few days. As we aren't able to find anyone who'd install these parts for us I'm thinking of doing it myself. To be frank I don't have any formal engineering education but I know how things work and also that threading on gas pipes goes the other way. I have repaired car-engines, know how to weld and generally good with electronics. I have a good toolbox too![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Now, can you please give me some hints and advices on how not to make things worse and to succeed in my undertaking? I know it is a risky matter, so I don't need to hear about it again; I wouldn't be doing all of this if I could cash-out for a new installation. I realize though that I can't be running a boiler from 1989 for that much longer, but during this winter it has to work!
- Do I need any special, Vaillant-specific tools?
- Do I need to care for torque specs when screwing things back together?
- Shall I be replacing seals when changing the above mentioned parts?
- How to properly refill the system after it's put back together?
- Any other parts which might be good to replace once I'm at it?
Greeting to all from Berlin!
Daniil
(I don't live in the UK and English isn't my primary language; however I'm hoping I can get help here as this forum seems to be the best one for Vaillant-related DIY questions)
My story:
in the apartment which I own we have a Vaillant VCW 180 XEU boiler for both, hot water and CH. Last year we began to experience some troubles with the heating - the boiler would work very irregularly, sometimes heating-up, sometimes not. Hot water worked reliably.
A few days ago we tried using the CH again and it was a no-go. Hot water works just fine. We called a Vaillant-certified repairman who told us that we either need a whole new installation rounding up to 3k or a major repair of our boiler. BUT he also announced that Vaillant does not supply parts for VCW 180 anymore and that he won't be fixing our boiler using old/used parts (probably due to warranty/insurance issues).
He did however give us a list of broken/needing-replacement parts (the list is in German, I hope translation makes sense):
- Priority Switch Valve #12-684
- Servo Pressure Regulator #05-0164
- Electronic Regulator (PCB) #25-2947
[ to note here: the main pump was replaced 3 years ago ]
I was able to find all these parts on eBay and they are coming in a few days. As we aren't able to find anyone who'd install these parts for us I'm thinking of doing it myself. To be frank I don't have any formal engineering education but I know how things work and also that threading on gas pipes goes the other way. I have repaired car-engines, know how to weld and generally good with electronics. I have a good toolbox too
Now, can you please give me some hints and advices on how not to make things worse and to succeed in my undertaking? I know it is a risky matter, so I don't need to hear about it again; I wouldn't be doing all of this if I could cash-out for a new installation. I realize though that I can't be running a boiler from 1989 for that much longer, but during this winter it has to work!
- Do I need any special, Vaillant-specific tools?
- Do I need to care for torque specs when screwing things back together?
- Shall I be replacing seals when changing the above mentioned parts?
- How to properly refill the system after it's put back together?
- Any other parts which might be good to replace once I'm at it?
Greeting to all from Berlin!
Daniil