Potterton Puma replacement

[jonnyw]

Can anyone recommend a cheap combi boiler to replace a Potterton Puma 80?

I'm on a tight budget, so looking for the cheapest I can really.

The house is an 1890s semi (i.e. 100+ years old), solid brick construction, with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom (sink, bath, standalone shower run off the combi), living room, dining room and kitchen (all high ish ceilings). There are 6 radiators in total.

Any suggestions?

 

[Agile]

The problem is not the boiler but the installer!

If you have ANY boiler fitted by a crap installer who does not power flush or properly clean the system then its going to give problems.

Install cheap and you will spend the next five spending on repairs until you replace it after only five years.

Heatline are basically good cheap boilers but are always only fitted by rubbish installers because thats the mindset of mean property owners.

I charge £840 to fit a Vaillant boiler and I charge £840 to fit a Heatline!

Thats because there is the same amount of work regardless of the name on the boiler!

Tony Glazier

 

[coytech]

ABSOLUTELY AND SPOT ON TG.

 

[lukewarmbath]

The problem is not the boiler but the installer!

If you have ANY boiler fitted by a crap installer who does not power flush or properly clean the system then its going to give problems.

Install cheap and you will spend the next five spending on repairs until you replace it after only five years.

Heatline are basically good cheap boilers but are always only fitted by rubbish installers because thats the mindset of mean property owners.

I charge £840 to fit a Vaillant boiler and I charge £840 to fit a Heatline!

Thats because there is the same amount of work regardless of the name on the boiler!

Usually a power flush is not necessary - you can get 2-3 bar routinely at a mains tap. Just flush through with that in the ususal way (isolating rads one by one etc.)

lukewarmbath

Tony Glazier

 

[DP]

Why not service the Puma and fit sensible controls to make it more fuel efficient? By all means fit a cheap boiler and then regret at leisure as you will find out how inefficient a new efficient boiler is.

 

[Agile]

The Puma is totally repairable and relatively reliable ( apart from some less than reliable PCBs. )

As far as I am aware all parts are available apart from one, less common, pilot light assembly.

Tony

 

[jonnyw]

So is the Puma Potterton an OK boiler make then?

It came with the house, and looks old-ish (I have no idea of it's - though age at least 7 years probably more). The last engineer who came to look at it suggested it would need replacing soon (though it has gone on another 15 months since then!)

The issue is with hot water coming out very slowly upstairs (3 mins to fill the sink, an eternity to fill the bath both at little more than a trickle) and slowly (with some erratic bursts) in the kitchen also. It's usable, but frustrating. Cold water pressure is fine throughout.

Central Heating works fine (albeit it takes a while to heat the cold house - probably not helped by the age of the house and the solid brick walls).

 

[Dan Robinson]

They were "alright" but had plenty of issues. By know yours would have had the electrical gremlins hopefully resolved, so now it is general plumbing wear and tear.

Certainly worth getting someone in who knows what they are doing before blowing good money on a new boiler.

Yes they are repairable, but they weren't worth spending hundreds on at this time of life.

 

[steve32]

The part to repair yours is approximatly £55.00 + labour + vat

 

[Agile]

Or if you are thinking what I am thinking then you could just take the inside out and save £55 plus VAT !

Or the silly filter at the back may be blocked.

Tony

 

[jonnyw]

I'm getting 2.1 litres a minute from the hot taps. I've repeated the tests a few times with the same results.

The water did get hot, though now I think of it, I don't think the rate increased much (if at all) from the initial cold water coming out of the hot tap, to the point where it heated up.

I'd take it from that (and the £55 part) it's likely it's the wax restrictor (is this the part name???) that needs replacing/removing?

Any ideas on approximate cost for parts/labour that I'd be looking at for this?

I'll be paying for a pro to do this. Would they be happy "taking the inside out", or is this something I'd need to do myself?

 

[Agile]

It could be the inlet filter blocked ( my best guess ) or the part you are guessing at.

It is meant to give about 3.5 li/min if I remember though.

Now do I remember how easy it is to take the inside out. I have never encountered a failed one ( yet ).

Ton y

 

[Dan Robinson]

Only come across a couple myself.

 

[jonnyw]

Or if you are thinking what I am thinking then you could just take the inside out and save £55 plus VAT !

Or the silly filter at the back may be blocked.

Tony

Can I just check, are you saying it's possible to remove the wax capsule from the diverter, and just run the boiler normally from there?

Are there any disadvantages to doing this (other than the waste of water when heating up)?

Is it just a case of following the service guide to replace the wax capsule, but not actually replace it (i.e. just remove it)?

Also which silly filter are you referring to checking?

We did some further testing today, and the hot water flow is reduced even with the boiler switched off (would this be expected)?

(I have someone much more competent than me helping me take a look at this)

 

[Agile]

I have just opened one to see exactly whats inside!

At the base there is a hex plug which when removed exposes the wax element.

That pushes a spring loaded hex bolt at the top to open the flow.

Its the spring loaded hex bolt which would need to be unscrewed from the spring pusher with a 5 mm hex key recess.

The problem is the hex bolt needs a VERY thin box spanner tool to undo it. I would expect to have to grind a box spanner to mkake it thin enough to fit.

As they virtually never fail and are only £55 if tey do then its not something that I need to do.

It would be easier to replace the wax stat with a bolt to push the hex nut up.

Try the filter!

Tony