Ideal ICOS Boiler - L/F Fault - Constantly Needing Reset?

[tigers999]

Afternoon all

I wonder if someone could help me? My boiler (HE12 I think) is yet again having problems but this time it doesnt appear to be as bad as before as the boiler itself is actually lighting.

We only noticed the problem lastnight as the radiators stopped working and it came in really cold. When we checked the boiler it had the good ole L/F fault on the display so following the instructions in the manual we reset the boiler and hey presto the boiler lit and all was well. Later on lastnight though it went off again so I did another Boiler reset and again the boiler lit. It stayed on all night however in the last 3 hours it has gone off 3 times and each time I have reset it, it lights first time and fires the boiler up no problem? It just seems to cut off again and give us the L/F fault?

Abit of background on the boiler for you -

We have had none stop condensate pipe blockage problems with this boiler since we moved in (new barratts house) so to try and help with this a few months ago we had a new condensate pipe fitted outside of the property to help with draining away instead of it constantly backing up and filling the boiler stopping it from lighting. It seems to have worked because the condensate pipe has not blocked or backed up since however I have a feeling that this condensate pipe outside might have something to do with this problem now so I thought I would mention it. Could the pipe be freezing? Just seems funny if it is this that we have been through 2 weeks of Ice and Snow with no problems and as soon as it warms up abit it does this?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice offered.

 

[Agile]

That fault is normally a lack of ignition and that can be caused by condensate unable to drain away.

It can also be dirt in the base of the boiler. That should have been cloeaned out at the first annual service !

Tony

 

[tigers999]

That fault is normally a lack of ignition and that can be caused by condensate unable to drain away.

It can also be dirt in the base of the boiler. That should have been cloeaned out at the first annual service !

Tony

Thanks for the reply Tony,

I decided to check the condensate trap this afternoon and after removing it, it didnt look like it was blocked up. I gave it a wash through and checked where it attaches to the boiler but that was all clear too. I then re-attached the trap and turned the boiler on and this time it would not light at all

Getting frustrated I left it 15 minutes and then gave it another try and to my suprise when I turned the boiler on at the fuse, it fired up first time?!?!?

This was about 45 minutes ago however on looking at the boiler again now it has gone off again and displaying the L/F fault code I have reset it and it is back on but am I seriously going to have to do this every hour to keep the boiler on? lol

Any ideas or advice is really appreciated. I know nothing really about boilers, could it be the ignition going or something?

 

[tigers999]

That should have been cloeaned out at the first annual service !

Tony

I meant to say, yeah I learned this the hard way! Annual Service is a must! I know nothing about boilers but that is why I know about problems with the condensate trap on these boilers, no annual service for the first 3 years which obviously led to condensate pipe blockages and L/F faults

I have since learnt my lesson and it was only serviced a while back though so I dont think there shoud be much dirt at the bottom of the boiler?

Thanks again mate

 

[tigers999]

I think I have found the problem (incase anyone is interested lol)

During previous work on the boiler a new condensate pipe was drilled outside and dug into the ground. You see Barrats had plumbed our boiler in with the condensate pipe going straight into the kitchen sink waste pipe, however it just kept getting blocked and backing up and as it was totally unaccessable (behind all of the kitchen tiles), a new pipe was put outside to give us access to the pipe so when it does happen we can atleast access it.

Anyway, this is where the problem is I think.

After lots of trial and error today I realised that the boiler was cutting out ONLY when the condensate pipe was connected into the ground. As soon as I disconnected that pipe stopping it from going into the ground as such, the boiler doesnt cut off. I am guessing the ground that the pipe is dug into is frozen or something causing the steam from the condensate trap to back up and shut off my boiler?

Any ideas how to get around this temporarily until the winter is out lol? There are no drains or anything nearby to put the condensate pipe into which is why the boilerman chose to dig it into the ground I think. Am I right in thinking this gives off poisonous gases of some kind which is why it needs securing into a drain or the ground?

Thanks again for any advice or help

 

[thomasm5]

L/F can be the flame detector (or its wiring which can degrade as it gets hot as v. near to the boiler), the spark electrode, or spark generator/and HT cable (like on a car). Condensate trap blocked shouldn't be a prob as the air goes out the chimney so backpressure unaffected by condensate trap. I've had to replace the electrode and spark generator over time and flame detector wiring over time. btw, very happy with this boiler as easy to maintain and service, so can't understand why so much moaning about it being unreliable in other posts/threads. Heat exchanger does need a regular annual clean out though as soot can block the heat eachanger fins (if left for a number of years), reduces efficiency, and in worst case, cause enough of a blockage to cause ignition problems. Hope this helps as there are a lot of ICOS boilers still out there and serviceable (35 on my estate!)