Vokèra [A01] fault codewhat it means and how to fix it

A01 is the Vokèra ignition lockout. The appliance ran its ignition sequence, waited for the flame sensor to confirm a burning flame, and never got that confirmation. After the permitted number of attempts it stops trying and locks out. This is a deliberately conservative safety response — the alternative would be an appliance that keeps releasing gas into a combustion chamber that is not lighting it. Two of the four common causes are things a householder can check in ten minutes: whether there is gas reaching the property at all, and whether the condensate drain has frozen. The other two, a worn ignition electrode and a gas valve fault, need an engineer. Because Vokèra appliances are so heavily represented in rented property, it is worth saying plainly that a tenant can safely do the first two checks; anything requiring the case to come off is the landlord's responsibility and a Gas Safe engineer's job.

1. 1

   Try another gas appliance — a hob ring is ideal. If nothing gas-powered works, the supply is the problem and the boiler is behaving correctly.

2. 2

   If you have a prepayment meter, check the credit. An emergency credit that ran out overnight is a very common and completely undramatic cause.

3. 3

   Go outside and follow the white plastic condensate pipe down from the appliance. Feel for a rigid, ice-cold section, particularly at bends and at the open end.

4. 4

   Thaw any frozen section by pouring hand-hot water along it. A kettle boiled and left to stand for ten minutes is about right.

   Never pour boiling water on the pipe and never use a blowtorch, heat gun or hot air gun. Cracked plastic in January is a much worse problem than the one you started with.
5. 5

   Press and hold reset for two to three seconds. If it fires and stays running, the condensate was the cause and the pipe should be lagged before next winter.