Nuances of using the Navien Ace gas boiler: main characteristics and malfunctions + owner reviews

Your own heating system in a private house is much preferable to connecting to a central heating system.

Dependence on suppliers, rising tariffs, worn-out networks and other problems disappears.

Installing your own boiler requires a certain initial investment, which subsequently pays off in significant savings on heating the house.

There are high-quality and relatively inexpensive gas devices that provide heating and hot water for domestic needs.

One of these units is the Navien Ace boiler, which should be taken a closer look.

Navien Ace gas boiler series

Navien boilers of the Ice (Ace) series are a family of gas double-circuit units manufactured by the South Korean company KyungDong NAVIEN.

They provide heating to the home and at the same time supply it with hot water. A special feature of Navien equipment is its specialization in Russian conditions, climatic and technological.

It is possible to work at low pressure of gas and water, resistance to changes and sudden surges in pressure.

In addition, there is a protective system that compensates for voltage drops in the power supply network up to 30%.

In addition, the company’s pricing policy is such that the cost of Navien boilers is approximately 2 times lower than European equipment of the same power. Such advantages are highly appreciated by users; the demand for Navien units is stable and gradually growing .

IMPORTANT!

Incorrect operation or difficult operating conditions can damage the boiler in a short time. This is not a consequence of poor quality assembly, but the result of insufficient attention and failure to take proper measures to create optimal working conditions.

Error codes

Despite the saturation of electronics, Korean heaters are functional, like any equipment, they can break down. Startup and operation do not always go smoothly - problems may occur during the process, and numbers appear on the display - error codes. The decoding of the codes can be read in the instruction manual. Common problems:

• Error "01". May occur due to a clogged system or pump malfunction.

• Error "02". The heating system flow sensor has tripped. There are several reasons:

— air has entered the system;

— the coolant filter at the inlet is clogged;

- there is a leak;

- sensor is broken.

With error “02”, hot water disappears. The water temperature rises sharply and then drops. It is likely that there is an air lock in the hot water system. It appears due to low pressure, poor operation of the circulation pump, or breakdown of the flow controller. In this case, you need to adjust the pressure and bleed air from the system.

• "03". The flame sensor worked - it “did not see” the fire. Causes:

— low gas pressure;

— the ignition electrodes are dirty;

— poor gas quality;

— the sensor is broken or there is a break in the electrical circuit conducting its signal.

• "10". Incorrect combustion products are removed. Causes:

— the turbine is broken;

— the pressure sensor is incorrectly connected;

— the chimney is clogged;

— excessive length of the pipe.

It happens that there are no problems with the chimney - perhaps the signal is caused by gusts of wind. Then the reason is in the chimney - it needs to be redone. To temporarily correct the situation, you can remove the air supply hose. But this is done only as a temporary measure.

Important! It is recommended that when installing boilers, the chimney should be located on the leeward side.

All Navien modifications are reliable, but the duration of their operation largely depends on how the installation was carried out, how the maintenance is carried out and whether the settings are set correctly.

What models and what power exist?

The Ace series included the following models:

• Ace Atmo
• Ace Turbo
• Ace Turbo Coaxial

Atmo models had an open (atmospheric) combustion chamber and required an effective smoke removal system.

Their efficiency was noticeably lower, but this was successfully compensated for by installing a copper heat exchanger, which has greater productivity compared to stainless steel units.

The Turbo model range was distinguished by a closed combustion chamber design and turbocharging - a special fan supplied fresh air, increasing combustion efficiency and increasing draft in the smoke removal system.

A Korean or European (coaxial) chimney model was used to remove gases.

The first option consists of two separate pipes - one for air supply, the other is a chimney.

A coaxial chimney is a “pipe-in-pipe” system, where a chimney is installed inside and an air supply pipeline is installed outside.

The power of all models was 10, 13, 16, 20, 24, 30 kW, etc. The most popular models are 16k and 24k, optimally suited for servicing a private home. .

Kinds

There are two types of Navien boilers:

• Floor-standing.
• Wall-mounted.

Floor structures are more massive and easier to install. Wall samples are compact, do not fill the room, and fit harmoniously into the interior.

In terms of functionality and design, they differ little from each other, representing only different placement options.

Based on the principle of operation, the following designs are distinguished::

• Atmospheric . These are open burner boilers. They need active ventilation of the room in which they are located. Cheaper compared to other models, they have a relatively low efficiency, which is partially compensated by the use of a copper heat exchanger.
• Turbocharged . These are designs with a closed combustion chamber. The process is supported by the supply of fresh air (turbocharging), as a result of which the efficiency of the installations significantly increases and reaches 91.7%. This design is somewhat more expensive, but more convenient for use in a residential building, which is why turbocharged boilers are most popular.
• Condensation . This category of installations has an additional heat exchanger that uses steam energy from the exhaust smoke. The addition allows you to obtain about 30% more thermal energy, which significantly increases the efficiency of the boilers. At the same time, the cost of condensing units is much higher, which limits demand.

In addition, boilers differ in the type of chimney.

Exist:

• Coaxial type . The “pipe-in-pipe” principle, popular in Europe, is used, where the outer circuit provides air supply for turbocharging, and the inner circuit serves as a chimney. The technology is convenient in that the pipe is brought out through the wall, without requiring complex passages through the floors or roof.
• Korean (separate) chimney . The air supply and the chimney are two separate pipes. Often the chimney is connected to the common chimney of the house, and air is taken in by leading the pipeline through the outer wall.

Despite the presence of various design options, any unit from Korean manufacturers demonstrates high performance and quality.

Specifications

The technical characteristics of almost all models (with the exception of the Atmo series) are similar and differ only in the power of the unit.

It corresponds to the heated area - 13 kW boilers are capable of serving 130 m2, 24 kW - 240 m2, etc.

For ease of consideration, the main parameters of Ace series boilers should be summarized in a table:

The difference in performance is due only to the type of combustion chamber and all related design features.

It should be noted that the 16 kW models are a complete analogue of the 24 kW models with reduced software capabilities, which provides a large margin of safety for the units.

How to choose and what to pay attention to?

Basic parameters for choosing a gas boiler for residential, administrative and industrial premises:

• power - the efficiency of heating the room depends on it;
• type of installation - the brand’s line includes floor and wall models;
• burner type - devices with natural smoke removal of combustion products and are equipped with a closed combustion chamber;
• functionality - there is equipment with the ability to connect a boiler to provide hot water supply;
• additional elements - models are equipped with overheating sensors, screens displaying information about pressure and temperature, remote controls and a display displaying information about the operation of the device.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of Navien Ace boilers include::

• The optimal combination of price and quality.
• Environmentally friendly process.
• Simplicity and convenience of adjustment and configuration of operating modes.
• Adaptation to Russian conditions, ability to work on unstable gas pressure, water pressure, and power supply voltage.
• Simultaneous provision of heating and domestic hot water.
• Long service life without service checks.

The disadvantages of Navien Ace boilers are::

• Dependence on the availability of electricity, gas and water.
• High noise level.
• Only original spare parts are suitable for repairs.
• The structure is not resistant to hard water.

Most of the shortcomings are not the result of errors or defects during assembly, but rather relate to design features.

They are inherent in almost all gas boilers, regardless of the manufacturer . To prevent the formation of lime deposits caused by excessive water hardness, use electromagnetic softeners or other types of appropriate equipment.

About the manufacturer

KD Navien Co., Ltd. has been producing heating equipment for more than 30 years and has established itself as a manufacturer of optimal technical characteristics and multifunctional equipment. It is present on the Russian market in the form of the official representative office of NAVIEN RUS LLC. The service structure is extremely developed and covers all regions of the country, not only the Moscow region.

Gas boilers of this brand have a fairly standard, simple but effective device with an average efficiency of 90-92%, depending on the model. First of all, the emphasis is on lower cost; in comparison with analogues, Navien boilers are always at least 5-10% cheaper. Therefore, even in the middle price segment, the manufacturer saves significantly on materials. The heat exchangers are steel, not copper, the pipes are also usually steel, the circulation pumps are quite noisy, like all switches, there is no thermal insulation. However, at an affordable price, this is more of a post than significant disadvantages.

Device using Navien DELUXE ONE as an example. Standard efficient layout, steel pipes, plastic hydraulic group. There is no thermal or noise insulation layer.

What else the manufacturer’s gas boilers are known for is their wide automation functionality. Even the most budget models costing 30-35 thousand rubles have a programmer that allows you to set the boiler operation settings for the next day or week. More expensive models already have a remote control (room thermostat) and external temperature sensors as standard. The controls and menus themselves are quite clear and convenient.

However, despite all the advantages, the reliability of heating boilers, especially mounted ones, raises questions. According to the statistics of service requests, products are not the leader in the number of breakdowns, but the opinion that Korean equipment is unreliable is not prejudice. Most often, the boiler displays errors 02 and 03, associated with circulation or ignition problems, respectively. Almost all existing components fail, most often these are: a three-way valve, a circulation pump, a turbine.

In recent years, models 8-10 years old often have problems with heat exchangers, which in general is practically the norm for steel structures when using hard, contaminated coolant.

There are many cases of problem-free operation over many years; it would be more correct to say that they are the majority. However, statistics of service calls show that the manufacturer’s wall-mounted gas boilers are among the least reliable in the price segment, along with Italian Ferroli and others. It is worth noting that floor-standing models are almost completely problem-free.

Where is it used?

Gas double-circuit boilers Navien Ace series are designed for organizing heating and hot water supply of residential premises or offices of the appropriate area.

This limits the scope of use of these units, although they can be installed in any premises. The main task is to ensure that the serviced area matches the capabilities of the equipment and the availability of all the necessary resources - gas, electricity and water (coolant).

NOTE!

In addition to the area, it is necessary to take into account the volume of the room, which may be too large for this Navien boiler model. The product passport indicates the maximum volume possible for the normal functioning of the system.

What's included

The unit components include the following elements:

• Heat exchangers (primary and secondary, the primary can be made of copper or stainless steel, the secondary can only be made of stainless steel).
• Remote control panel.
• Circulation pump.
• Expansion tank.
• Three way valve.
• Safety valve.
• Traction sensor.
• Automatic air vent.
• Connecting pipelines, other structural elements.

In addition to the main elements, the boilers are equipped with mounting brackets and other additional parts.

Device

The main design element of Navien Ace boilers is a primary tubular heat exchanger connected to the combustion chamber.

At the top there is a chimney connected or combined with an air supply pipeline. On the left side of the body there is an 8-liter expansion tank, under which a three-way valve and circulation pump are installed.

It ensures the movement of coolant and hot water through the system . Passing through the heat exchanger, the coolant receives a high temperature.

Then, using a three-way valve, a cold stream is added to achieve the desired system temperature. , the flow is removed from the boiler and sent to heating devices - radiators, convectors, etc.

Owner reviews

Before you buy a good gas boiler from Navien, it wouldn’t hurt to study reviews from existing users. They will point out weak points and help give a preliminary assessment of certain models.

Gas boiler Navien DELUXE 24K

Alexey, 29 years old
It took a long time to choose the boiler - before we settled on Navien, we read a bunch of reviews and testimonials. After numerous consultations with sellers and heating specialists, we settled on this model. The installation was carried out by the same specialists; I did not dare to do anything myself. The first winter was successful, there were no breakdowns during operation. Very convenient controls - the remote control was placed next to the sofa in the living room. You set the temperature, and the unit in the kitchen independently maintains the required mode.

Advantages:

• Compactness – compared with some other devices, in particular from Proterm. As a result, the Navien Deluxe boiler turned out to be slimmer;
• Low noise level - a couple of times in the winter we went to visit our neighbors and heard their Baksi boiler working, the fan rumbling and howling;
• Quickly achieving the set temperature is important after our long business trips, when you enter the house and want to quickly feel comfort.

Flaws:

• The absence of controls on the gas boiler itself, as is implemented in other heating units, is where the specialists from Navien made a mistake;
• Sometimes the DHW performance is not enough - two open taps lead to a drop in temperature.

An excellent device with minor imperfections (like everyone else, probably).

Gas boiler Navien DELUXE COAXIAL 24K,

Stepan , 37 years old
I have never trusted modern double-circuit gas boilers, and my instinct was completely justified. Friends persuaded me to take a model from Navien, they say it works great and is inexpensive. I had just finished building a house and urgently needed heating. I took a double-circuit unit, and after a year and a half I began to count the number of breakdowns. It’s not the most reliable device, so I can’t recommend anyone to buy it. If you are going to do heating, then you need to install a regular floor-mounted single-circuit unit with an indirectly heated water heater - it will be inexpensive and quite reliable.

Advantages:

• It maintains the temperature of hot water well - perhaps this is the only truly positive feature of this gas boiler from Navien;
• There is no need to buy a harness - everything is already provided inside;
• Self-diagnosis can show errors and failures.

Flaws:

• The heat exchanger was probably made of foil, since it was the first to fail. They called the master, he shook his head and said that stainless steel was nonsense, that it was necessary to take a boiler with a copper heat exchanger;
• One of the buttons on the remote control quickly malfunctioned;
• A gas boiler from Navien often shows errors that actually do not exist - the electronics are probably faulty.

My recommendation is that you don’t buy these flimsy double circuits.

Gas boiler Navien GST 35KN

Olet , 57 years old
For my country house, I purchased a powerful 35 kW floor-mounted double-circuit boiler. This choice was quite obvious - I trust full-fledged floor-standing units more than tightly packed wall-mounted modifications. I was not mistaken in my choice - the gas boiler pleased me with its trouble-free operation, the Koreans did a good job. And the hot water supply performance here is impressive, up to 22.1 l/min - not a single wall-mounted model can boast of such a characteristic. The unit is located in the basement, from which a control panel with a room thermostat rises to the first floor.

Advantages:

• It is convenient to program operating modes for a week in advance. Since I’m in the city on weekdays, the device operates in antifreeze mode, saving money in my wallet. By Friday evening, it begins to fill the house with warmth, so my family and friends arrive to an already warm home;
• There is nothing stopping you from simultaneously opening the hot water taps in the shower stall and above the kitchen sink - there is enough capacity for all water taps;
• It can run on liquefied gas, which was a big help in the first year, then a gas main appeared in the village.

Flaws:

• For the first year, the Navien gas boiler stood in a small boiler room on the ground floor, but then we had to move it to the basement - it was noticeably noisy;
• Frequent switching on and off of the burner - reacts literally to the smallest temperature changes;
• It took almost a week to start the boiler and set it up - the specialists said that the logic of this device is not the most clear.

Despite the flaws at the very beginning, further use proceeds without problems.

Connection instructions

Installing the boiler is not difficult - you just need to install anchor bolts and hang the unit on the wall.

It is recommended to install elastic gaskets between the housing and the wall to dampen noise. Do not install the equipment on fragile or weak structures - plasterboard partitions or other similar surfaces.

You need a solid brick or concrete wall that can support the weight of the boiler (about 30 kg).

Communications should be connected to the appropriate pipes. It is necessary to carefully monitor the compliance and tightness of connections.

The main attention should be paid to connecting gas pipes. Check all connections for leaks using a soapy solution.

If there is a common chimney, separate pipeline connections are used - the air channel is led out into the street through the wall, and the smoke channel is connected to the common chimney of the house.

Coaxial chimneys are led outside through the wall, which is much simpler and more convenient for installation.

Download instructions

You can download the instructions here.

Differences between Navien and analogues

The Korean manufacturer is among the few that use their own designs. The brand does not produce modified or slightly improved versions - each new modification is worked out to the finest detail. Among the design advantages it is worth noting:

• Remote control via iOS and Android systems. This is for the SMART TOK series.
• Modulating burners. Quiet operation depends on them; they are responsible for maintaining a comfortable temperature for humans.
• Thanks to voice prompts, the operation and configuration of the devices is simplified. If the user is not well informed about how the device works, voice prompts and error codes will help him.
• Meets our conditions - possible decrease in pressure, voltage surges in electrical networks, pressure drops in gas pipes.
• Self-diagnosis. The device itself determines its “diseases” and notifies the user about them by displaying an error code on the display.

The Korean manufacturer, taking into account possible risks, created safe and easy-to-use equipment. If you take an interest in the statistics of reviews, it becomes clear that consumers have managed to evaluate the quality of heat exchangers and burners, as well as the uninterrupted operation of Korean heaters. Only 2% of buyers contact service centers, and even then, the problems are usually caused by incorrect connection or operating errors. To prevent the boiler from creating problems, you need to connect it correctly and configure it correctly. It is also important to know how to use gas equipment - for this purpose, instructions are attached to each piece of equipment. The kit also includes a passport and connection diagram.

Basic malfunctions and their solutions

Malfunctions of Navien boilers are usually diagnosed independently and displayed on the display with the corresponding code. Based on a signal from one or another sensor, a message about the problem that has arisen is activated.

The most common mistakes are:

• 02. Lack/insufficient amount of water in the system. The issue can be resolved by recharging the system or replacing the flow sensor.
• 03. No flame in the combustion chamber. Indicates problems with the ignition system, or lack of gas.
• 05-06. Open circuit or short circuit of the fresh air sensor.
• 07-08. Open circuit or short circuit of the DHW sensor.
• 09. Fan failure.
• 10. Failure of the smoke removal system.
• 15. Problems with the control board.
• 16. Boiler overheating.

The solution to most problems is to replace the corresponding sensors or components, as well as to clean and remove deposits in the connecting pipelines.

IMPORTANT!

It is not recommended to undertake repairs yourself. This procedure should be entrusted to specialists from the service center or other specialized organization.

Navien, Baxi or Protherm

These two European manufacturers are often compared not only by sellers, but also by buyers themselves. Generally speaking, there are not many differences between the products of Baxi and Protherm, but the difference between them and Navien is noticeable. All similar Navien gas boilers are at least 10-15% cheaper; only some Baxi and Protherm models are equipped with room thermostats and programmable operating modes; in terms of the efficiency of converting gas into thermal energy, the boilers of all three manufacturers are similar. However, models from European manufacturers do not have most of the disadvantages of Korean boilers.

In our opinion, functionality and lower cost do not justify spending time and money on further maintenance and repairs; moreover, problems with the boiler in the middle of the heating season are an extremely unpleasant situation. According to service statistics, there are several times fewer calls for Baxi boilers (in percentage terms), and even less for Protherm boilers.

No matter what gas service workers or store managers claim, you can find out at least some real information by analyzing the number of problems described on forums, in comments to videos, or by talking with owners or service specialists. Therefore, in our opinion, it is worth choosing Navien boilers only if you have a really limited budget, and it is better to choose only the models described above (Ace or GA). Of course, we do not deny the trouble-free operation of the entire model range in most cases.

Price range

Prices for gas double-circuit boilers Navien Ace range from 26 thousand rubles. (Navien Ace 13K Atmo), up to 32 thousand rubles. (Navien Ace-24K Turbo). It is necessary to take into account that these amounts constitute only the cost of the boiler itself, without delivery, installation, warranty agreement and other additional costs.

Stores only carry out sales, and warranty repairs and maintenance are carried out by service centers, an agreement with which is concluded and paid separately. Many buyers believe that the warranty is automatic upon purchase, but this is a misconception .

NOTE!

The Ace series has been discontinued. It is still possible to purchase such units, since a lot of them were brought to the regions of Russia. But the possibility of warranty service must be clarified immediately, otherwise you may find yourself in an unpleasant situation.