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Vitodens 222-F year four maintenance...

Skyline
Skyline Member Posts: 154

Time is flying and my boiler maintenance rolled around again for the forth time. It does not look mu ch different from last year at all. Prior to cleaning, it looked pretty clean:

It did look better after cleaning, not visible the filter had been cleaned:

The igniter and flame sensor looked just fine as well:

Both of them are three years old, not four as the boiler, since the company that did the first year maintenance deemed it necessary to change them. The used ones are in a box around the boiler in case they needed.

While probably could getaway with cleaning every two - three years, I don't mind paying for it every year. I love this boiler too much to do that….

I forgot to ask the service guy. Is there firmware update for this boiler and should it be updated? The boiler works just fine, so, there's no urgency to do this, I am just curious. Since I used to be a computer guy, I'd probably do it myself, instead of relying on a mainly plumber service guy.

TIA…

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,854

    Why would you update the firmware is you are not experiencing a problem? I suppose there is hope for my uft-100 that I haven't cleaned since i installed it about 5 years ago(other than the condensate trap).

  • Yes, agree with you that everything looks fine. Normal amount of coffee grounds. Looks like you have radiant heating, not radiators; radiator heat condenses less with less buildup.
    Your refractory and target wall look fine. They sometimes crack, especially with a DHW sidearm.
    Don’t know of any firmware upgrade.
    Did you pour any water through the heat exchanger? I like to make sure it drains well. Do you have a condensate neutralizer?

    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
  • Derheatmeister
    Derheatmeister Member Posts: 1,580

    Never mind firmware updates….We have found that it is very important to have these boilers installed level or slightly "tilting towards the Back".

    The reason for this is that the acidic condensate will "Pool up" against the Aluminium faceplate and corrode it in the Six o' clock position/ bottom.

    This corrosion can allow Carbon monoxide to escape !

    Besides of removal of the Coffee grounds,Cleaning of the condensate trap we service the rods and give the burner mesh a "Polish up" near the Ionisation rods so that the flame can be retified.

    Hope this helps.😏

  • If the condensate is pooling up, there's something wrong with the drain. Any boiler should be installed absolutely level.

    As far as the burner, we remove it and wash it with a strong spray of water and replace the burner gasket.

    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
    Derheatmeister
  • Derheatmeister
    Derheatmeister Member Posts: 1,580

    To be Clear….Yes it must be level but we have found that giving the boiler and additional tilt (As much as 1/2" on the bottom) ensures that the Condensate will not destroy the Heatexcharger !

    If you compair the newer HX to the older HX you will notice that the Grove on the Bottom of the HX has a different slope which helps guide the condensate towards the Back drain. 😉

  • Skyline
    Skyline Member Posts: 154

    Actually, my house has two zones, zone 1 all radiators and zone 2 with one bedroom has baseboard. The service guy does rinse off the heat exchanger, after he finished cleaning it off with nylon wheel, attached to a cordless drill. Then uses some chemical to remove any "greenish discoloration" with some spray and rinse it off with water again. During this process, he pays attention to the condensate neutralizer kicking on couple times. The last step is to remove the filter and empty it. I like this guy, he does a good job and he's funny too. He doesn't mind me hanging around and we just talk.

    I do tend to agree with you about the condensation building up in the heat exchanger. If it does build up, there's something wrong with the drain line. Doing maintenance every year, even during the early years, makes me feel better about the drain being clean.

    The firmware for devices, appliances, etc., nowadays are updated regularly. Most of the manufacturers are pushing out product early, let the customers test it, report issues and address them with an update. Maybe Veissmann did some design testing and they don't need firmware update. I am OK with that, not trying to force update on the boiler, if it does not need it, I was just curious….