Temperature control knob on Vaillant eco Tec Plus

[PAH09]

Hi all

I have a Vaillant ecoTEC plus 837 and had exactly same problem of breaking spindles on the control knobs. They have not been heavily handled and seem fragile - in my humble opinion. I will have to get replacements and these posts have helped (most of them anyway!). Thanks.

Currently wrestling with my Vaillant VRC 400 Weather Compensator. Programming it is doing my head in, but the many postings on this piece of kit (esp from 'Agile'/Tony) are tremendous help. The science behind these WCs is far more complex than I imagined - shame the user-operation/implementation is equally complex! I think the Heating Curve setting has been the cause of some of the difficulties I have been experiencing...but still experimenting.

Anyway thanks to 'people who post' and to the DIYnot.com forums.

Peter

 

[Beerlover]

If you have a VRC 400 controller the contrrol knobs should be set to MAX as the controller then controls everything. Get your installer to set it up for you and then leave the damn thing alone

 

[ALEC1]

There are two issues with your heating controller, one is the translation in the book and the other is your understanding of what a heating system should do and how it can work...

in principle you only need to alter the heating curve, and assuming the radiators are correctly sized then everything will be fine.

Other settings can be varied, thats up to you....

 

[PAH09]

Thanks to both Beerlover and Alec1. What you say makes sense and helps my understanding.
Peter.

 

[Agile]

Back to the original thread for a moment.

The knobs are DESIGNED to shear off to protect the £200 PCB from damage. They are NOT required for daily operation if the boiler has been correctly fitted with the required room stat etc.

As far as W/C is concerned the golden rule is that if you want to use it then that involves setting it up correctly ( few installers know how to do that properly ) and then NOT touching it and leaving it to do its job!

Tony

 

[impetus]

In addition to the comments posted on this issue, here's my experience.

Have had the above Vaillant Boiler fitted for 2 years, two months.
Last night I needed to turn up the boiler temperature for the first time this winter. The heating knob just fell off in my hand. It had had no abuse whatsoever, I am the sole inhabitant and user of my boiler and I don't have kids. Therefore, I found I could not turn my heating up to counteract the cold snap.
Thanks to all the post writers here with the problem, I felt forearmed and so contacted Vaillant UK spares on 01773 596615 with confidence, assuming they understood there was a problem here. After an initial negative response, I suggested it was their fault and the advisor came back with the information from her senior to say they would send me a set of new knobs for the boiler, as a gesture of goodwill, free of charge.
I was prepared to say I would contact Trading Standards and may still do.
I think Vaillant needs to admit the problem and send out the spares as a given fault and, especially so, as it's a very cheap part to remedy, but crucial to the operation of the boiler. They must have an idea of which models are involved and the period of manufacture to narrow it down. The DTI in the UK says claims can be made on a faulty product for up to 6 years. I hope the new knobs are built for the task. Given my experience in plastics manufacture, the moulding company didn't do sufficient product quality control, assuming the choice of plastic was correctly selected.

 

[Agile]

I was prepared to say I would contact Trading Standards and may still do.

I think Vaillant needs to admit the problem and send out the spares as a given fault and, especially so, as it's a very cheap part to remedy, but crucial to the operation of the boiler. They must have an idea of which models are involved and the period of manufacture to narrow it down. The DTI in the UK says claims can be made on a faulty product for up to 6 years. I hope the new knobs are built for the task. Given my experience in plastics manufacture, the moulding company didn't do sufficient product quality control, assuming the choice of plastic was correctly selected.

You seem to be very vindictively minded when they have sent you new knobs.

What you dont seem to realise is that they are intentionally weak so they snap BEFORE the £200 PCB is damaged by heavy handed people. Perhaps thay might be a bit too weak but suffice to say I have not been asked to replace any for at least two years. The filling knobs on some models are another story though.

Furthermore, the strength of cheap plastic parts is unlikely to be quality controlled in the same way an aircraft part would be.

Tony

 

[ALEC1]

I feel sure that the knobs are there only for the UK market... the don't need turning at all if you use a proper controllers...such as the 392, 430 or 470...

 

[Agile]

But Alex, how does your weather compensation know how hot you want the hot water?

 

[ALEC1]

haha tony. the controller decides it to match your specified temperatures...

 

[Numinis]

..same happened to me...

The dials have been moved once only - to get the radiators hotter. (interested that that shouldn't be necessary) Today, one simply came away - no force AT ALL was applied.

I repeat NO FORCE at all was applied....and there is no conceivable reason for any such breakage.

 

[Agile]

..same happened to me...

The dials have been moved one - to get the radiators hotter. Today, one simply came away - no force AT ALL was applied, and if an tradesman tells me I am clumsy, I will have a few words to say to the "engineer" concerned.

You would not have needed to have moved it at all if you had the correct weather compensation controller fitted!

 

[Agile]

Thanks to both Beerlover and Alec1. What you say makes sense and helps my understanding.
Peter.

If you need any help and are not too far away then I can drive over!

Tony

Untitled

• Agile
• 4 Apr 2009
• 29

 

[Numinis]

What would that be - I have a Honeywell CM67 - my guess that is the wrong device to run it?

 

[NickB_99]

Have had the above Vaillant Boiler fitted for 2 years, two months.
.... The heating knob just fell off in my hand. ...
Thanks to all the post writers here with the problem

I posted on this in 2009. Mine were replaced by Vaillant and have been fine ever since.