Hello,
we have received a quote for the installation of a ventilation system with heat recovery from Vaillant recoVair VAR 275/3, including all ducts, silencers, valves, Helios Flexpipe system, and commissioning for a house up to 150 m² (1,615 sq ft), priced at 13,000 euros.
Is this a typical price for a Vaillant system, or is it an excessive charge from the construction company?
Kind regards, A.
we have received a quote for the installation of a ventilation system with heat recovery from Vaillant recoVair VAR 275/3, including all ducts, silencers, valves, Helios Flexpipe system, and commissioning for a house up to 150 m² (1,615 sq ft), priced at 13,000 euros.
Is this a typical price for a Vaillant system, or is it an excessive charge from the construction company?
Kind regards, A.
B
Bieber081511 Oct 2016 16:35As far as I am concerned, I still have 1 1/2 years left.
A
Andre-Jana7 Jan 2017 07:49Hello everyone,
I will probably be installing the Vaillant "RecoVair 275" in my house. Beforehand, I tried to find some user experiences online to see if the system has any major defects. If you can even call it that. Overall, most end users seem to be satisfied. Except for a circuit board failure. To save you from costly troubleshooting, I am copying a solution from another forum here. I hope this helps you....
I had the same issue. Sudden total failure of the system. The remote control showed nothing anymore. First, I also measured the voltage on the bus (thanks for the tip!). Since it was not 5V, I ordered a new main circuit board: €257.30 (about USD equivalent) – that hurts. But at least the device worked again with that. Now I had the old circuit board on my desk and was about to dispose of it when curiosity got the better of me. A quick inspection showed that the 25 V electrolytic capacitor (C4 on the board: a big one, 20cm (8 inches) high and 12mm (0.5 inches) diameter – I can’t upload a photo right now) had a swollen case, or rather the bottom of the lid was coming off. This happens when the capacitor dries out – the liquid electrolyte inside the capacitor diffuses out. This happens faster or slower depending on the capacitor's operating temperature. The original capacitor is a CapXon KM Series Standard rated for 105 °C (221 °F). According to the datasheet, this type has a lifespan of 2,000 hours at 105 °C. The lifespan doubles for every 10 °C (50 °F) reduction in temperature according to the 10-degree rule. The external temperature of the power supply, which is located directly next to the defective capacitor, was measured at over 70 °C (158 °F) during operation with a contactless thermometer. Considering the thermometer’s measurement uncertainty, let’s agree on 65 °C (149 °F) for easier calculation. That is 40 °C (72 °F) below the rated temperature, so the expected lifespan is 2,000 h × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 32,000 hours. Since a year has about 8,000 operating hours and the device runs more or less continuously, I estimate the capacitor’s operational lifespan under these conditions is about four years. Our system has been running now for five years, and so have those mentioned earlier in this thread. Next, I ordered a new capacitor from Conrad with these specs:
Capacity: 1000 µF
Rated voltage: 25 V
Lead spacing: 5 mm (0.2 inches)
Max. temperature: 125 °C (257 °F) – this should last four times longer than the original
Cost for this premium capacitor: €1.29 (about USD equivalent) (the 105 °C version like the original is already available for €0.21)
After replacing this one capacitor, the system works again with the old board. The data stored in memory is still all there.
I conclude that the PCB designer did not consider the temperature issue. I do not want to suggest this was intentional. I will check with Vaillant about it. This is certainly not a quality feature and should lead to widespread failures after just four to six years, forcing customers to buy a new circuit board with the same problem for around €250 plus technician costs. That’s why service technicians always bring a replacement board with them...
Hello,
I also had problems with the control system of the ventilation unit. After disconnecting the system from power for about half a day over New Year’s and trying to restart it, there was no display on the remote control and the fans ran at full speed. Thanks to the tips from Sonnenhaus2, I took a closer look at the board myself. Visually, the electrolytic capacitors looked okay. However, the output to the remote only showed a voltage in the millivolt range. I replaced both capacitors (1000 µF 50 V & 25 V). Now the system and remote are working again. For your information – about 20 V (approximately) appear at the remote output (it fluctuates slightly, probably due to interference from eBUS signals). I also had problems with the bypass control, which I had disabled for months so the system would still work at all. Now that works again, too!
It’s really amazing how these cheap components fail right after the warranty expires. But I’m sure it’s just a coincidence...
There is one more thing on the board I noticed – I can’t say if it was there before the failure. Shortly after switching on, there is a quiet clicking sound that does not stop. I suspect it comes from the relay of the error output switch. It is not annoying and cannot be heard from the outside when the board is installed. But maybe someone here has a tip.
I will probably be installing the Vaillant "RecoVair 275" in my house. Beforehand, I tried to find some user experiences online to see if the system has any major defects. If you can even call it that. Overall, most end users seem to be satisfied. Except for a circuit board failure. To save you from costly troubleshooting, I am copying a solution from another forum here. I hope this helps you....
I had the same issue. Sudden total failure of the system. The remote control showed nothing anymore. First, I also measured the voltage on the bus (thanks for the tip!). Since it was not 5V, I ordered a new main circuit board: €257.30 (about USD equivalent) – that hurts. But at least the device worked again with that. Now I had the old circuit board on my desk and was about to dispose of it when curiosity got the better of me. A quick inspection showed that the 25 V electrolytic capacitor (C4 on the board: a big one, 20cm (8 inches) high and 12mm (0.5 inches) diameter – I can’t upload a photo right now) had a swollen case, or rather the bottom of the lid was coming off. This happens when the capacitor dries out – the liquid electrolyte inside the capacitor diffuses out. This happens faster or slower depending on the capacitor's operating temperature. The original capacitor is a CapXon KM Series Standard rated for 105 °C (221 °F). According to the datasheet, this type has a lifespan of 2,000 hours at 105 °C. The lifespan doubles for every 10 °C (50 °F) reduction in temperature according to the 10-degree rule. The external temperature of the power supply, which is located directly next to the defective capacitor, was measured at over 70 °C (158 °F) during operation with a contactless thermometer. Considering the thermometer’s measurement uncertainty, let’s agree on 65 °C (149 °F) for easier calculation. That is 40 °C (72 °F) below the rated temperature, so the expected lifespan is 2,000 h × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 32,000 hours. Since a year has about 8,000 operating hours and the device runs more or less continuously, I estimate the capacitor’s operational lifespan under these conditions is about four years. Our system has been running now for five years, and so have those mentioned earlier in this thread. Next, I ordered a new capacitor from Conrad with these specs:
Capacity: 1000 µF
Rated voltage: 25 V
Lead spacing: 5 mm (0.2 inches)
Max. temperature: 125 °C (257 °F) – this should last four times longer than the original
Cost for this premium capacitor: €1.29 (about USD equivalent) (the 105 °C version like the original is already available for €0.21)
After replacing this one capacitor, the system works again with the old board. The data stored in memory is still all there.
I conclude that the PCB designer did not consider the temperature issue. I do not want to suggest this was intentional. I will check with Vaillant about it. This is certainly not a quality feature and should lead to widespread failures after just four to six years, forcing customers to buy a new circuit board with the same problem for around €250 plus technician costs. That’s why service technicians always bring a replacement board with them...
Hello,
I also had problems with the control system of the ventilation unit. After disconnecting the system from power for about half a day over New Year’s and trying to restart it, there was no display on the remote control and the fans ran at full speed. Thanks to the tips from Sonnenhaus2, I took a closer look at the board myself. Visually, the electrolytic capacitors looked okay. However, the output to the remote only showed a voltage in the millivolt range. I replaced both capacitors (1000 µF 50 V & 25 V). Now the system and remote are working again. For your information – about 20 V (approximately) appear at the remote output (it fluctuates slightly, probably due to interference from eBUS signals). I also had problems with the bypass control, which I had disabled for months so the system would still work at all. Now that works again, too!
It’s really amazing how these cheap components fail right after the warranty expires. But I’m sure it’s just a coincidence...
There is one more thing on the board I noticed – I can’t say if it was there before the failure. Shortly after switching on, there is a quiet clicking sound that does not stop. I suspect it comes from the relay of the error output switch. It is not annoying and cannot be heard from the outside when the board is installed. But maybe someone here has a tip.
Great, thanks for the information...
The issue with electrolytic capacitors (elkos) is not specific to the ventilation industry but affects the entire electronics sector...
Electrolytic capacitors naturally tend to dry out... and when exposed to higher temperatures... they do so even faster...
I still remember the wave of defective motherboards in the 2000s as well as the early flat-screen TVs... they failed one after another... and in 90% of cases, the electrolytic capacitors had dried out...
The issue with electrolytic capacitors (elkos) is not specific to the ventilation industry but affects the entire electronics sector...
Electrolytic capacitors naturally tend to dry out... and when exposed to higher temperatures... they do so even faster...
I still remember the wave of defective motherboards in the 2000s as well as the early flat-screen TVs... they failed one after another... and in 90% of cases, the electrolytic capacitors had dried out...
Rather, it is a problem of the mindset that “everything must be produced one cent cheaper.” Because they saved just one cent on a high-quality electrolytic capacitor here, the circuit board will last 4-5 years instead of 20 years. This should be punished so severely that this nonsense comes to an end.
Similar topics