Ideal LC status codewhat it means
You have reset the appliance five times in fifteen minutes. This is not a fault in itself — it is the boiler asking you to stop.
Before you start
What LC means
LC is unusual among fault codes in that nothing has broken. Ideal appliances count resets, and five within a fifteen-minute window triggers a lockout that can only be cleared by switching the appliance off and on at the fused spur. On the Vogue Max this presents as a "Too Many Restarts" message rather than a code. It exists for a good reason.
Repeatedly resetting a boiler that keeps locking out does not fix anything, and depending on the underlying fault it can make things actively worse — cycling unburnt gas into a combustion chamber on an ignition fault, or firing a heat exchanger without circulation on an overheat. The counter is the appliance interrupting that loop. So the useful question is not how to clear LC, which is straightforward, but what code you were resetting before it appeared. That earlier code is the actual fault and it is what needs attention.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated manual resets on an unresolved fault | Somebody has pressed reset five times inside a quarter of an hour. Whatever was on the display before that is the real problem, and LC is the appliance declining to keep participating. | Common |
| An intermittent fault cycling on its own | Less obvious and easily missed. A fault that clears and re-latches by itself can fill the counter without anybody touching the boiler, in which case LC is the first code the household actually sees. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Switch the appliance off at the fused spur or its isolating switch, wait a full minute, then switch it back on. That clears LC.
Before you touch anything else, write down the code that was showing before you started resetting. That is the fault that matters and it is easy to forget once the display has been cleared.
Look that code up and deal with it properly. If it is an L2 or F2, check the gas supply and the condensate pipe. If it is an L1, treat it as a circulation fault.
Do not simply resume resetting. If the original fault returns after one further attempt, book an engineer, or Ideal directly if the appliance is under warranty.
Repeatedly resetting an ignition lockout puts unburnt gas into the combustion chamber, and repeatedly resetting an overheat fires the heat exchanger without cooling. Neither is harmless.
Get a Gas Safe registered engineer to look at your Ideal LC
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. Find a Gas Safe registered engineer through the Gas Safe Register, and ask to see their registration card when they arrive — it is the register, not the van, that tells you they are qualified.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0
Time on site
5 minutes
Nothing to clear LC itself. The cost depends entirely on the underlying fault you were resetting.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Ideal fault codes
- L2Stop — call an engineerThe boiler failed to detect a flame during ignition and has locked out on the gas valve. Do not keep resetting it.Related: ignition and gas supply
- F2Get it checkedThe flame was lost during operation. Ideal direct you to check the gas supply first, and that is genuinely the right order.Related: ignition and gas supply
- L FStop — call an engineerAn Isar, Icos, Mexico HE or Esprit has made three attempts to light and locked out; the LED window flashes L then F. Ideal permit one reset and a gas supply check, then an engineer.Related: ignition and gas supply
- L6Stop — call an engineerA flame is being detected when there should not be one. Turn the appliance off and call a Gas Safe engineer rather than resetting it.Related: ignition and gas supply
- F16Stop — call an engineerThe board has detected a fault in the gas valve or its wiring. Nothing here is for a householder to try; Ideal's checks cover the valve's supply and coil and end with replacing it.Related: ignition and gas supply
- F10Get it checkedThe spark generator on a Logic Combi2 — the unit that makes the ignition spark — has failed a self-check. Ideal's instruction is to check its wiring and, if that is sound, replace it.Related: ignition and gas supply
Own an Ideal boiler? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Ideal LC
Have I damaged the boiler by resetting it too many times?
Almost certainly not by itself — the counter exists precisely to prevent that. The risk comes from what you were resetting, not from the resets being counted. Find the original code.
How long do I have to wait before it will work again?
There is no waiting period as such. Switching off at the fused spur for a minute and back on clears it immediately. But if the underlying fault is still there, it will simply lock out again.
My Vogue Max says "Too Many Restarts" rather than LC. Same thing?
Yes. The Vogue Max has a text display and shows the message rather than the two-character code. The cause and the fix are identical: power off, wait, power on, and then deal with the actual fault.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
- Manufacturer support portal
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.