Baxi 24 HE - replacement PCB faulty / boiler wont fire??

[BintyandtheBeast]

Hi,

I have a Baxi 24 HE combi boiler installed in 2009 which developed an intermittent fan/flu flashing light problem. I had the APS replaced by an engineer and this was not the problem, so he said the PCB needed to be replaced. I decided the price he quoted was too much and had a look on eBay and bought one myself. It has arrived and today I installed it.

With the new PCB the green power light comes on, but the boiler doesn't fire up. I had a look around this site and tried resetting it for 20 seconds, but still no difference. No relay clicks, no flashing lights, nothing except the power light.

I reinstalled the original PCB and the boiler fired up fine.

Is there any way an amateur like me can check whether the replacement PCB is dead?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[stardanny]

Yes, send it back to seller and get a refund. Is it a second hand or a refurbish one?

Daniel.

 

[BintyandtheBeast]

Hi stardanny,

It's brand new, in an interpart box.

Is it possible to check whether the PCB is DOA or do I just make the assumption?

 

[gas112]

Thats why the guy was more expensive he will be buying genuinely new parts instead of what you bought.

APS original was metal did he replace it with the new design plastic one , These need to orientated properly and there is 3or 4 different ones for the baxi range of HE boilers and it needs to be the right one

 

[BintyandtheBeast]

Hi, the replacement aps was plastic. Still the same light came up. I had a look on the forums and this seems to be a regular fault with my boiler type - the pcb solder dries up and gives up.

 

[gas112]

Genuine board for one of these to me is around £110 quid so there is a guide price for you . But as public you will usually pay 20 to 25 % more than trade price

 

[ALCPlumbing]

My advice would be to get a professional. I can understand people fitting taps themselves to save money but boiler repairs should be left to a pro. Unless you live alone what you've done is very irresponsible and you could endanger the lives of your family and possibly your neighbours. It'll probably cost you more than the original quote now anyway as it's unlikely the ebay seller will take back the pcb you bought.
How were you planning on re-commissioning the boiler after replacing the pcb or had you not thought that far ahead.
Stop playing games with things you don't understand and get a professional.

 

[BintyandtheBeast]

OK, thanks for your help everyone. Can I switch the subject as I seem to have ruffled some feathers. I can switch off the boiler now and rely on my immersion and Apollo GEM solar hot water system and go without heating until the end of summer. I was after a cheap repair as I am looking to replace the boiler due to getting an attic conversion in summer.

Current system:
Potterton Performa System 24 HE LPG boiler
Baxi Megaflow CL250HB unvented indirect 250 litre hot water cylinder
Apollo GEM hot water controller (diverts electricity which would otherwise be exported back to the national grid to the immersion element in the hot water cylinder to help heat water)
Hot water is heated by our LPG boiler and topped up by the Apollo Gem device.

Our house, as existing:
Heating: 17 radiators / towel rails
Baths: 1
Showers: 3
Kitchen/utility room

Our house is pretty large, detached, uses LPG and 4 years old, although working to 2004 building standards for energy efficiency.

Additions:
2 further bedrooms with a radiator in each
2 further bathrooms with a shower and heated towel rail in each

My family:
2 adults, 4 kids (17, 15, 14, 10), who all like a shower at the same time every morning and generally the water is little used other than that.

Can you please recommend changes I need to the system so I can price them locally? I assume that I will need a larger water store and I would really like a reliable boiler. I have always installed Worcester boilers in our last 2 houses. First time was a 3 bed flat and we had a junior 24 combi, and second time was a 4 bed house and we had a 37kw greenstar. The second one developed a cracked heat exchanger after around 3 years which cost lots and lots and lots to replace. I think that I will finally accept that I should get BG insurance cover or similar going forward, but reliability is something I really am keen on with a very busy large family, but I guess everybody is.

Again, thank you for your input.

 

[Agile]

With nice sized house and a family who need heating and hot water I am very surprised that you were playing about with DIY repairs to your boiler rather than getting it professionally repaired!

I don't see that you need much changing to your system apart from perhaps getting the boiler properly repaired and some timing changes to the system.

There are some pretty nasty people on Ebay who will sell a "new but faulty" part as new and try to set the selling parameters so they escape Ebay's refund policy!

Tony

 

[BintyandtheBeast]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the reply and confirmation.

I did have a plumber round to inspect the system and he said that the boiler would cope, but he gave me no confidence at all in what he said with his general attitude. I guess I just need to call around and find someone I feel I can trust.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Aye....Like you trusted the guy who came round to repair your boiler.

 

[BintyandtheBeast]

I didn't trust him at all, no.

He diagnosed a faulty air pressure switch and replaced that for a cost of £85 and when it turned out not to be that he asked for £230 for a replacement pcb inc labour.

Having a quick look could see that he was charging £100 for swapping over the PCB, and around £60 for the aps.

I have another plumber out on Tuesday next week with a replacement pcb from the next town (we live in a smallish town in Scotland), who was recommended by a friend, and he has quoted £155 for the replacement, but said that if the pcb wasn't faulty then he would put the original back in and diagnose himself.

I think that I will just sign up for a BG Homecare policy after this, but it's amazing how quickly one can be be put off a whole trade by a single tradesman.

 

[Dean744PiN5]

It's also amazing how 1 can be put off all customers by a single customer

 

[Agile]

He diagnosed a faulty air pressure switch and replaced that for a cost of £85 and when it turned out not to be that he asked for £230 for a replacement pcb inc labour.

He is what we call a "parts changer" who has no diagnostic skills and just changes parts until he chances on what is wrong!

An APS can be completely tested for all its functions and the applied pressure from the fan can be measured too.

No one should ever have to pay for parts not required to repair a boiler.

Tony



If anyone thinks this is bad for boilers then its many times worse with cars when they think the engine management module is faulty and you have to agree to pay the £900 or so with no guarantee that it is going to fix the fault.

 

[JBPHS]

As said an APS fault can be diagnosed quite easily. However on the very rare occasion, one component can take out the PCB. I've had a spark generator fail at the same time as the PCB. When I get called onto jobs in situations like these following other engineers, if possible, I refit the original parts then diagnose. Some merchants do not refund PCB's if the seal on the box has been broken.

By the way, actions like this where the customer have a go at replacing parts is why I charge for a diagnosis. I've had customers ring me up asking if I could repair their boiler after their attempts have failed, to which I tell them that I'm not interested. Anyone can swap parts once they've been told what's faulty. It's the diagnosis beforehand and the correct testing afterwards that's the main difference. Not to mention, an appliance that has not been worked on correctly could potentially be dangerous. I for one am not willing to put my life at risk for someone to try and save a few quid on a repair.

James.