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What does L2 mean?
L2 means the boiler tried to light its burner and couldn't, so it locked out. Ideal calls this an ignition lockout. An Ideal makes up to five tries to light. If none of them works, the boiler stops and shows L2. The L stands for a lockout, which the Restart button can clear.
Some causes of an L2 are simple. The gas may be off, a prepayment meter may be out of credit, or the condensate pipe may have frozen in a frost. Others lie in a part that lights the burner. The simple causes are safe for you to check, and the parts are an engineer's.
Which boilers show L2?
L2 is a code of the Ideal boilers that show a letter and a number, and the newer Ideals show the same fault in words. The way it shows depends on the range. Every boiler fault code, make by make.
L2 on an Ideal Logic boiler
Ideal's Logic Combi ESP1 and Logic Code Combi ESP1 show L2. The Logic Combi2, System2 and Heat2, and the i-mini, show L 02, with two figures, meaning the same. On a Logic Combi2, Heat2 or i-mini, L 0d is the same lockout when the flue or the condensate pipe is blocked. The older Logic+ Heat, from before the Heat2, shows L2 too, and so does the Exclusive2 combi. Ideal boiler repair, and every other Ideal code. F1 on an Ideal: the water pressure is too low.
Ignition Lockout on a Logic+, Logic Max or Vogue
The Logic+ Combi2, the Logic Max Combi2 and the Vogue Max show no code. On their screens the same fault reads Ignition Lockout, with the steps to take and a Restart key. On a Logic+, a blocked condensate pipe shows first as Blocked Flue/Condensate, then as Ignition Lockout if the boiler is restarted. Keston boilers come from Ideal Heating too. Keston boiler repair, and how a Keston shows a fault. F2 on an Ideal: the flame went out while the boiler was running.
Sources: Ideal's user guides and installation manuals for each range named, and its Logic+ Heat troubleshooting page.
What causes L2?
The causes of L2 fall into five groups, which Ideal's fault-finding chart for an ignition lockout works through in this order:
- The gas. Too little gas reaching the boiler. The cause may be the supply to the home, a meter out of credit, or the gas tap under the boiler turned off.
- The gas valve. The power reaching it from the main board, the wiring between them, the board, or the valve itself.
- The spark. The spark generator and its lead.
- The electrode. The electrode and its lead, their condition and their position.
- The condensate. The trap and the pipe that carries water from the boiler to a drain, blocked or frozen, so the water backs up.
If the boiler lights for a moment and then goes out, the chart goes straight to the electrode and the condensate pipe. Ideal's chart gives the causes no ranking, so the list keeps the chart's order.
Sources: Ideal's Logic Combi2 installation and servicing manual (its L 02 chart), and its user guides for the Logic+ Combi2, the Logic Combi ESP1 and the Exclusive2.
Worth knowing
An Ideal can stop with L2 when a frost freezes its condensate pipe. You can thaw the pipe yourself where it runs at ground level.
What can you safely check?
Ideal's own guides give a householder these steps for L2. Never remove the boiler's casing, and never handle anything that carries gas.
1. Is the gas on?
Turn on the hob or another gas appliance. If nothing gas works, or there's nothing else to try, see that the gas is on at the meter. On a prepayment meter, see that some credit is left. Ideal's code list also asks you to see that the yellow gas tap under the boiler hasn't been turned off. The tap is on when its handle points along the pipe.
2. Is it freezing, or a gurgle as it lights?
A gurgle as the boiler tries to light is a sign of a blocked condensate pipe, Ideal says. In a frost, the pipe may have frozen. Where it has frozen at ground level and you feel able, thaw it with warm water, never boiling, then restart. When a boiler won't fire up, and frozen condensate pipes.
3. Restart it once
Press the Restart button once. On a Logic+, Logic Max or Vogue, the Restart key sits under the display. The boiler then runs through its lighting again. If L2 comes back, stop there. Five restarts in 15 minutes lock the boiler out again as LC, or Too Many Restarts, and the cause is still there.
Sources: Ideal's boiler fault codes page, its Logic Combi2 manual, and its user guides for the Logic Combi ESP1, the Logic+ Combi2 and the Vogue Max.
When should you stop and ring an engineer?
L2 needs an engineer once one restart hasn't cleared it, or straight away if you see any of these:
- L2 keeps returning, though your other gas appliances work and the condensate pipe is clear of ice.
- The boiler gurgles as it tries to light, but the pipe isn't frozen. Ideal says there may be a blockage.
- Your other gas appliances don't work either. Ideal says to call a gas engineer then.
- The display shows LC, or Too Many Restarts.
- Anything more would mean opening up the boiler.
If you smell gas, leave the Restart button alone. The gold "Smell gas?" bar on this page gives the free emergency number. For anything else, ring us, as finding what causes an L2 is work for our Gas Safe registered engineers.
The question we'll ask when you ring about L2
When you ring about L2, we'll first ask whether your hob and other gas appliances are working. If none of them works, the supply is the likely cause. If they all work, the fault lies in the boiler or its condensate pipe. We'll also ask for the model, and the exact code or words on the display.
What changes the price of the fix?
The price of putting L2 right depends on what caused it. Clearing a blocked condensate pipe may need no part at all. An electrode, a spark generator or a gas valve is a part to fit. The rate is agreed on the phone before an engineer sets out, and no work starts without your yes.
Do you cover my part of London?
Yes: we fix L2 faults all over Greater London, day and night, in every borough north and south of the Thames. Pick your side of the river to see the areas.
North of the river
Every borough north of the Thames: Barnet and Enfield at the top, Hillingdon in the west, Havering in the east, and central London in between.
South of the river
Every borough south of the Thames: Richmond and Kingston in the west, Bexley in the east, and down through Croydon to Sutton and Bromley.
Questions about L2
Can I keep resetting the boiler?
An Ideal showing L2 should be restarted once, after the checks above, and no more. Five restarts in 15 minutes bring up LC, or Too Many Restarts, and the cause is still there. If L2 comes back after one restart, ring us.
Is L2 dangerous?
L2 itself is a safety lockout. After five tries to light, the boiler stops rather than keep trying. A gas smell is different and needs treating as an emergency. Don't restart the boiler, and ring the free number shown in the gold "Smell gas?" bar on this page.
Why has L2 come back?
An L2 that returns after a restart usually means its cause is still there. Any one of these can be the cause:
- ice forming again in the condensate pipe overnight
- a gas supply that drops
- an ignition part that works one time and not the next
An engineer checks each one in turn. In a cold spell, Ideal's guide suggests leaving the heating on all the time, with the room thermostat turned down to 15 degrees overnight.
How much does it cost to fix L2?
An L2 repair costs more or less depending on its cause and whether it needs a part. The rate is agreed with you by phone before anyone comes out. How our rates work.
Don't know what has failed? You don't have to.Ring and say what you can see or hear. Finding the fault is our job.
Calls answered 24 hours a day
A real person answers and gives you the rate on the call. No work starts until you say yes, and repairs are guaranteed for 12 months: parts, labour and any return visit.
