please help me with my boiler before i smash it up!

[FatimaShitbread]

Was directed here after starting a thread in chat about my boiler. It's a Vokera combi that can't seem to cope with working!
It all starting with the green light going to red so I'd have to keep turning it off and on which was a pain but manageable. At least we had heat! Then it wouldn't come on at all. Plumber came, said it was the thermistor so that was changed and it hasn't got any better. It will now come on but only manages a few hours before the light going red. Now when I go up to the boiler though, it seems to be making a racket. I an no expert but it sounds like there is a fan running. While it is making this house, it will not turn back on. The light stays red. I have to wait for the noise to stop before I can switch it off and on.
Plumber has shown to Vokera who advised it would either be there thermistor or pcb, which was changed around a year ago. They have said it can't be anything else. Could it be the PCB again this soon? Our could it be anything else? Please help me. I'm freezing! (on and off!)

[tribpot]

I had a Vokera combi that kept cutting out exactly as you have described. I used the utterly useless AA Boiler Cover service (and really I can't urge everyone to avoid this enough, they are shit). They said it was the heat exchanger, i.e. a part not covered by their service contract. Advised I should have a power flush. Had a power flush, boiler not only stopped working completely but was tripping the RCD circuit of the house.

The AA came and opened it up properly and discovered that the pipes inside the boiler had corroded to the point where there was water running constantly into the electrics and pilot light, hence why the bloody thing kept cutting out. Naturally the AA declared it 'beyond economic repair' (because then they only have to pay me £250 towards a new boiler, which it has taken them MONTHS to do).

I looked on Which and Vokera is rated bottom with the exception of one brand listed as 'Don't Buy'. As the boiler was around 10 years old, I decided just to sack it off completely and buy a new one, which works magnificently and isn't some shitty Vokera.

I would get a proper heating engineer to come and take the front off the boiler and check properly right inside the guts to make sure there's no water leak. Apparently the Vokeras are notorious for this because of the material they use for the pipes. Of course in my case the power flush basically hastened the problem by flushing heavy duty chemicals through these fragile pipes, but it was up shit creek long before that.

Is it worth getting one of Vokera's own engineers out? I looked on their website and they do do this for a fee.

[FatimaShitbread]

Thanks for your reply. It makes s lot of sense as to why out will come on for a short time but then s the water leaks it goes off. I really can't afford a new boiler at the minute. I have dreadful credit score so couldn't get a pay later boiler and no family to help out. Did they say the pious were fixable? If they're able to do that to get me through this winter I'll gladly save for one for next year! (I intend on doing this whether it gets repaired or not!) I've never had such a crap boiler! Unfortunately I inherited it when I bought the house!

[Spanglecrab]

Vokera are cheap to buy but can be very expensive to repair. Which model do you have?

[FatimaShitbread]

I have no idea spangle will it tell me on the boiler anywhere?

[FatimaShitbread]

Vokera compact 25 HE.
Does that sound right?

[Spanglecrab]

Yes it's right.

The only advice I'm going to give to start are things you can look for yourself. Best to rule then out first.

There is a white plastic pipe coming off the bottom of the boiler. Can you follow it's route and tell me where it goes?

[FatimaShitbread]

I am working until 4pm I shall report back when I am home. Thanks Spangle

[tribpot]

I was quoted about 800 quid to fix ours, which would have been good money after bad. I really feel for you at this time of year. We had a week with no heat or hot water in November when it was somewhat warmer and it was grim.