Vaillant Ecotec 831 Repair or Replace? > 13 years old + F.75 error + Water leak + Stopped working

Gary_Laurus

Hi all ,

Our 13 years old, Vaillant Ecotec 831 stopped working after it leaked water and gives a F75 error

Local engineer says that there  are 2 issues that need to be fixed

1. Diverter valve replacement > to fix the leak

2. Pressure sensor replacement > to fix F75 fault

total cost is £492 

BUT he can't guarantee how long it will work for because it's 13 years old. Apparently the maximum life time of a boiler like this is 10-12 years.

I am confused as to 

1. Repair at a cost of £492 and then spend more if it fails again

2. Replace the boiler (Boiler is priced at £1000/£1100, but not sure what the labour cost is to replace)

Would be very grateful for your advice.

Facts

Vaillant Ecotec plus combination condensing boiler 831

13 years old 

Stopped working 

F.75 error 

Water leak

Hasbeen

Divertor valve £45  VAILLANT ECOTEC PLUS 824 831 937 DIVERTER VALVE 178978 (GENUINE) | eBay

Is this the fault?
How To Fix A Boiler Diverter Valve | Vaillant

Pressure sensor £18 VAILLANT ECOTEC PLUS 824 831 837 WATER PRESSURE SENSOR 0020059717 WAS 253595: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Vaillant ecoTEC F.75 Fault Code: (vaillantservice.co.uk)

Total parts £63 Approx? plus time. He appears expensive? 

Personally I would repair!  

tacpot12

Call Vaillant for their Repair and Care plan. It costs £311.88 and will cover repair costs of upto £1500. You can take it out when the boiler is broken, and it will cover you for six months. They will offer to continue the insurance (The Repair and Care plan is an insurance policy from Domestic and General), but if you are concerned about the life of your boiler, you might want to continue it, or see if there is another insurance provider who can provide cover at a lower price. If your boiler breaks while covered by Repair and Care and cannot be fixed or repairs add up to more than £1500, they will pay £750 towards a new boiler. It's a good deal for six months, but starts to get expensive if the boiler becomes reliable for a couple of years. Time to start saving for a new boiler...

They also have a fixed price repair option with a £99 min fee for callout and max £285 fee if they can fix your boiler. 

You can call 0330 102 8573 or see One-Off Fixed Price Boiler Repair & Care Plans | Vaillant UK

niktheguru

I agree, repair the boiler.
I have a 19 year old vaillant ecotech boiler and its still going strong.

Tallerdave

If you fix the leak, you may find you don't need to replace the pressure sensor, because you'll have restored the pressure for it to measure!

Gary_Laurus

Thank you SO MUCH for your advice   

Hasbeen, tacpot12, niktheguru & Tallerdave 

Sorry for the delay in replying, didn't have access to the Internet. 
I will get it repaired using the Repair and Care plan Definitely time to start saving for a new boiler
BTW Vaillant Repair and Care plan is for only a one off repair right? so after I take this cover and once the first repair is done, if it breaks down again then I assume the next repair is not covered?
Thanks again for your help.

Gary_Laurus

Hasbeen said:

Divertor valve £45  VAILLANT ECOTEC PLUS 824 831 937 DIVERTER VALVE 178978 (GENUINE) | eBay

Is this the fault?
How To Fix A Boiler Diverter Valve | Vaillant

Pressure sensor £18 VAILLANT ECOTEC PLUS 824 831 837 WATER PRESSURE SENSOR 0020059717 WAS 253595: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Vaillant ecoTEC F.75 Fault Code: (vaillantservice.co.uk)

Total parts £63 Approx? plus time. He appears expensive? 

Personally I would repair!  

Yes I guess those are the parts that need to be replaced. £492 does sound very expensive  

alnsv1000s

I have a 6 year old Vailant 831 but had a 10 year warranty. The Diverter valve leaked causing drop in pressure, and was replaced under warranty, for a new style one that is metal rather than plastic. Been fine ever since. Had a major service of the boiler last year and engineers said everything inside was as good as new. Hardly any cleaning required. 

Phone another approved engineer and ask them for the cost of replacing the diverter valve. Took about 30 mins to fit. 

alnsv1000s

alnsv1000s said:

I have a 6 year old Vailant 831 but had a 10 year warranty. The Diverter valve leaked causing drop in pressure, and was replaced under warranty, for a new style one that is metal rather than plastic. Been fine ever since. Had a major service of the boiler last year and engineers said everything inside was as good as new. Hardly any cleaning required. 

Phone another approved engineer and ask them for the cost of replacing the diverter valve. Took about 30 mins to fit. 

I reckon £300 max fitted.

https://www.plumbarena.co.uk/product/vaillant-0020132682-diverter-valve-cpl/?gclid=CjwKEAjw6IauBRCJ3KPXkNro1BoSJAAhXxpy0Jwu3QcJol7OuWyNQ8RzxmViv2W50zXjlFQM8ZJ_cxoCEe3w_wcB#.YCSPHS3fWhB

tacpot12

Repair and Care plan lasts for 6 months. In my experience, this is plenty. Either they fix it and it is reliable for the next five years or so, or it fails again after a week or so. 

clive0510

I think on balance probably have the boiler repaired. I have a vailant turbomax which was losing pressure and wouldn't work. had to have loads of work, new expansion valve, new pump, exchanger. total cost was over £500. that was about 8 yrs ago and the boiler itself is now 16 yrs old. and its still going strong. touch wood.