Boiler not firing - Icos HE15+boilermate 2000

Hi, I have a problem with my boiler not firing. It's an Ideal Icos HE15.
The boiler feeds a Boilermate 2000 and the system is about 9 years old.

Initially it started as the boiler throwing a fault (fault code F) intermittently, then more often.
Now the boiler doesn't fire at all and we have had to use the emergency override on the Boilermate.
If I reset the boiler it attempts to fire three times then throws the fault. I have tried having the boiler thermostat at differing temperatures as this seemed to make a difference at first, but may have been all in my head!

We had an independant heating engineer look at it, but he didn't know the Boilermate system and seemed to think it was some kind of communication fault between the Icos and the Boilermate, but he didn't know how to further investigate.

Any suggestions? We have been on emergency heating for a few months now and it's costing a fortune. Nobody seems to know how to work on these systems.

Thanks

Hi Luke

If the Ideal Icos is trying to start (the same applies to any boiler) then it is receiving a command from the Boilermate.

The problem lies with the Ideal boiler and not the Boilermate. Thats the good news..................the not so good news is that the problems is more than likely due to a failure of the control board on the Icos boiler (Ideal are on their eigth.....yes that's right, their eigth version of control board for this boiler). I would advise that you get a gas engineer to test the boiler (there's nothing wrong with most plumbers, but sometimes it helps to have a differently trained mind on these things).
There are other alternative problems that could cause the problem with the boiler other than the control board, but without being onsite to test them I couldn't give you any further advice, but rest assured it is the boiler that is causing the trouble.

Kind regards
Dave Hickey

Hi Dave thanks for that information. I will locate a gas engineer to have a look at the boiler and take it from there. I think the problem is that most heating engineers see the Boilermate and immediately overcomplicate the issue!

Should it be the control panel do you know roughly what that part retails for? Having been on the wrong end of an £80 charge for a thermocouple (part only) I am wary of accepting quotes on face value! Suffice to say I got a refund shortly after finding out how much the thermocouple cost!

I'll let you know how I get on.

[edit] is this the correct part? http://www.boilersparesdirect.co.uk/parts-online/shopexd.asp?id=22328

If so, is it a simple remove/replace or is there config to do on it?

Hi Luke

Yes that is the correct control board for the Icos, but it does have to be configured by a number of small jumpers to tell the board which model you have (it is a multiple model board including the Icos and Isar). However, I would advise against simply replacing the board until the boiiler has been checked correctly as it could be a number of other things (gas valve, ignition/detection electrodes etc.etc.)

Just one other small item, did you mean you had a thermocouple changed, or did you mean a thermistor as the Icos doesn't have a thermocouple (it uses DBI - direct burner ignition).

Regards
Dave

Hi Dave, I'll get an engineer to look at it rather than just replace the board, it's just good to know what kind of work is involved before contacting someone.
Sorry, my thermocouple experience was with a previous boiler, not the Icos.

Thanks for your help, it's appreciated.

Luke

Hi, after paying £45 a visit for the boiler to fire each time an engineer attended I snapped and replaced the board myself.
Feeling quite smug that it fired first time and stayed on for 30 minutes or so, I proclaimed to the world that I'd fixed it!
Then, inevitably I suppose, it threw the all too familiar F/L code and refused to fire.

So, we know it's not the board, but there my willingness to tinker ends and I need professional help. The boiler probably does too...

Any recommendations for an engineer that can attend in the Rotherham/Sheffield area?