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Help with SABRE HE25 COMBI BOILER- RED LIGHT OF DEATH?

Hi, Im after some advise and hoping someone can maybe help me (please!)
I have a Sabre HE25 Combi Boiler (same as a Vokera compact 25 I believe?), which is only 18 months.
My problems started 3 weeks ago when the boilers green light changed to a flashing orange light which indicated a ‘temporary fault’ and to ‘wait’. The hot water would change to cold water etc after about 10 minutes and then come back on as hot again shortly. This then changed to water going cold and not going hot again.
A friend kindly offered to have a look at the boiler for me (as I am quite skint right now but he is no plumber) and through things we have read on the internet, I cleaned the tubes (from the Differential Pressure switch to the fan) with cotton buds and blew through them. The boiler seemed to work with the front inner metal cover off but as soon as the cover was replaced and seemed to ‘touch’ the tubes attached to the Switch, the boiler would go out again. This was rectified by releasing the corner of the metal cover just slightly to let air out and then the boiler would fire up again and work. You could hear the noise of air when opened.
Ok, after much playing around for a good few hours, my friend thought I might have a faulty Differential Pressure Switch and need a new one. After much phoning around locally and having problems getting the part (that’s another story!!), I eventually got one and my friend replaced it (after going a week with the top cover slightly off so I could have some hot water).
. This seemed to work and I have hot water, great! However, now I have realised this obviously wasn’t the whole problem as I have now found out I cannot get heating for longer than 10-15 mins without the boiler shutting down and displaying the red light of death (overheating or so the manual says. I don’t know if has been like this since the water a few weeks back or started this week) The radiators get nice and hot. I can switch the boiler off straight away and then straight back on again and it works again but only for so long. The fan has been checked and is clean.
If anyone can offer any advise (apart from don’t buy a Sabre boiler) I would greatly appreciate it. Yes I know I should call a plumber and I know I will have to but I really don’t have the money right now so am just holding off with no heating for the moment. When I called the Sabre helpline they wanted around £200 to come and fix it. If it is bad news, please break it to me gently!! Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading.

onethingafteranother!
October 2009

Vokera Heating, Home Heating Systems Help Combi Boiler Red

I had red led blinking for every 0.5 seconds.
I had to press reset button behind two covers which were on pipe no.9 on 417 thermostate in diagram.
And it started to working.

M
April 2016

had problem with red light and tried the venture pipes and resetting and nothing.. then id try it day later and it would all work as normal but green light would flash constantly then day later would pack in again.. but I then went outside and noticed the condense water pipe from boiler that goes to drain was sloping wrong way so I took off and noticed sludge build up so cleared it all out and the boiler fired up straight away with green light flashing every 5 seconds as normal... after weeks of problems sometimes its such simple solution!!! hope this helps b4 calling expensive engineers out..

joiner dunc leeds
March 2016

hi I had exactly the same problem with mine & after going through every possibility took the inspection plate off the top (right of the flu) the round one with 3 screws & immediately cured all the problems I had ,I assume the air coming in wasn't restricted..so I remembered when it was fitted there was an option of removing a restrictor ring in the intake on top of the boiler where the flu meets up..i removed this collar or ring opening the intake & hey presto put the inspection plate back on as it must be room sealed & its worked perfect since ..hope this may help..b.taylor

Brian.Taylor
January 2016

Why is the UN educated always going on about the plumber , the show offs , the pretend engineers , who have no idea , what a good plumber is all about, you snobs, why?
There are many plumbers , who are far more intelligent and worthy of theses so called engineers.
A plumber is a mechanical engineer, a sanitary engineer, a electrical , engineer, water, hydraulics , solar , environmental , etc etc, shall I go on.
Yes I am one and I know many others.
A plumbing engineer, has more mechanical knowledge ,and knowledge , than you would care to know or even understand, just sanitation, would have any maths wiz scratching his head.
I do not need to say I am a heating engineer , I am and highly qualified , HNC, HND, etc, I could learn and get a degree in plumbing, but I choose not to, can you do that in heating , maybe, maybe not, I don't care.
I do all my heat loss long handed, and accurate as a computer, I am a plumber, and heating engineer, , but do not needs harp on about it.
So you boring technician person, stop being a snob, you obviously , no very little, why are you fishing for answers , if you know it all ready.
I can work my way round a boiler with my knowledge and multimeter
But wpquite happy np being a plumber.
Amongst many other things , which I do not or will not boast about .
Fro the PLUMBER & heating engineer.
Who gives a dam
I will not leave answers her,it's not my thing, just found it I'mn passing.

Plumber
September 2015

My sabre he25 isn't working it won't fire up can anybody help the fan and pump are working but it won't fire up

Chris
March 2014

Hi my Sabre HE25 boiler is goin RED 2 munite after seting it to central heating and hot water will take up to 7 munite, I've call an engineer he has change the DPS, NTC PROBE, SONDA NTC and clean the two tubes connected to the DPS. when he tested it, it works for like an hour and the red light comes up again. I've spent over £350.00 now the problem continue. When i called the Company they said their worker said the rods need flushing if so can it stop me from geting hot water. Please Please I need help who so ever that know the problem please let me no. I don't want to spend an other £280 an it end up the same again

IKAY
December 2011

venturi on the fan needs cleaned out any self respecting heating engineer willcharge you £50 max! Will take half an hour to fix

I know these boilers inside out cheap boiler but no worse than a lot of the expensive ones

Gareth
January 2011

dear friend

have you solved the problem. if so will you tell me what was the culprit.

technical engeneer
January 2011

Sabre boilers are as good as velliant boilers, the problem is we don't have plumbers with good knowlage to repair boilers. You need a technician who knows about electrics.electronics and mechanical and knows all about boilers. Plumbers are only good at plumbing,

Technical engineer.
January 2011

have a look at flue outlet, or at the fan. you will see two silicone pipes connected to the preassure switch, I think they are blocked or damaged from heat. if so replace them.

ps: if you have the installation manual have a look at fault finding chart.

good luck

Technical engineer.
January 2011

no hot water or heating .red light came on 240 v going to fan but fan want work .pump .air p.s.ok only 30 hmps going to fan should it be 50

dave
November 2010

hi

Its obviously an air related issue if firing up with front case off as it is drawing in more air.
get it serviced by a gas safe reg engineer air pressure switch tubes and connections need cleaning and your fan will most likley be dirty.
the fan speed modulates the zero govener hence high and low flame
warning do not run the appliance with the case off it is a room sealed
boiler u will have high co levels entering your living space which can be fatal also boiler should have a saftey cut out to stop firing with case off.

anonymous
October 2010

Hi
I had this problem, mine was due to a standard fault.
on the air box at the top where the two tubes go to from the pressure switch.
the issue is dirt in the inside the top tube inside the air box. you have to remove the unit with the fan and then open it up the offending item is the one which is a t shaped tube. clean this out an bobs your uncle.
hope you understand where it is from my description.

steve
January 2010

hello i no how you feel i to have the light of death ,no money ,2 plumers scratching heads ,1 air pressure valve replased,and sabre wanting lots of money just to look .any one reading this do not buy sabre .sorry cant help you and your light of death got ours lit and left it on ok for winter.did you have any luck with yours ?

jool
January 2010

I have an identical one, only 4 rads on it - cuts out after a few mins - im in Kent would like some one to look at it!

nick.morgan at pureblue.it

Nick Morgan
January 2010

Hi
thanks so much for your reply. O sorry i must have misled-the front is back on, has been since the DPS was changed. I had it slightly lifted off at the corner for the week prior to that as that was the only way i could get any hot water for a few days. Not good i know and the covers are all back on now. I live in essex.

onethingafteranother!
October 2009

Get a vokera boiler engineer to fix it. Take about 15 mins and cost not much more than the APDS you needlessly purchased. Possibly down to the installer not reading the manual & leaving bits in the flu that should not be there and just hanging the boiler on the wall, firing it up & taking your cash. Sabres need to be range rated to your system or they fire up on central heating at the full output. on a small system that has problems of its own causing the boiler constantly to switch on and switch off.. Non Gas safe registered people are NOT allowed (by Law)to remove the front case of the fire box. Sabres are an entry level boiler. If you want one that tells u wats wrong you need a Unica or Linea but we are now moving into Open therm modulating territory and most plumber installers dont understand enough about it to even supply the correct thermostat. That's like buying a Ferrari & running it on diesel!
Ask Vokera for your nearest agent and he will b with u in no time to sort it. Would you mess around with the brakes on your car & leave the pads out because it went faster? no I thought not. The fact it wont fire up is telling you something is wrong & keeping the front not sealed will cause flame bounce causing excessive amounts of CO. put the lid back on & phone a HEATING ENGINEER not a plumber. They fix leaking taps.
Where are you? I'll fix it & educate u for £80 if your close. PUT THE FRONT BACK ON!!!

The Sweat
October 2009