Boulter Buderus 500-24c boiler problems

[Chrisb2010]

Hello,
I'm looking for an engineer experience in Boulter Buderous boilers. Our boiler installed in July 2006 has developed a problem where it keeps failing with error 3Y. According to Worcester this means fan too slow or too fast.
I've had a local Gas safe engineer take a look - he cleaned checked the fan which was apparenetly OK - also hoovered out some oxide from the top of the heat exchanger - but the problem still persists.
Main issue is that it does run sometimes, and wont fail to order, so diagnotics are dificult.
What I need is a number for my engineer to call for advice, or an engineer local to Tunbridge Wells who can sort it without charging a fortune!
Any ideas please?

 

[nickso]

why not get worcester round to it?

cleaning and "checking" the fan is likely to make zero difference as there is invariably nothing to check or clean on these fans.

IMO if it thinks its running slow its likely to be the fan actually running slow or the fan pcb thinking its running slow, or the main pcb interpreting this info wrongly.

chances are the worcester bloke will wander in and say "oh another 3y fault" and go straight to the van for a fan or whatever he has changed a thousand times before.

 

[Chrisb2010]

Thanks for the tip - I'll see what Worcester say - just hoping its not going to cost a fortune! I was reluctant to replace the fan in case it didnt solve the problem so maybe the Worcester boys could try one and see.

Got hold of Worcester and they will send an Engineer to sort it out - a fixed price of £210 inclusive of any parts needed. Now thats a good deal since my local chap said the fan assembly alone was £235 excluding labour! I'll update the post once he's been next tuesday.

 

[Paul Barker]

I have had a fan failure like that. I have had one pcb failure but it wasn't with that fault. The pcb tends not to fail intermittently but totally.

So if you were my customer I would try the fan first. I have one in stock anyway, but I don't have a pcb in stock.

I haven't had many problems with that boiler except the gas smell which worcester fixed in their massive recall program I presume yours was done? and the hydraulic block leak. Whatever you do make sure that your hot water is not on the preheat seting.

 

[Biggles..]

that fault could be board or fan and both do fail regularily.

personally its normally the fan,sometimes caused by the tacho cable coming slightky out of the fan connection or the flapper between fan and burner becoming slightly stuck and not opening fully.

if its been stripped then id replace the fan.

worcester fixed price is about 200ish,only worthwhile if youve got to change the hydrobloc.(preheat splits it)

fans are easy and the board comes as a complete front control unit,both easy peasy but certainly one is a job for a RGI