Help needed with boiler...probably dead?

[Spammy]

Hi

I would really appreciate any honest responses. Our boiler, a Potterton Lynx 2 (I am told by Potterton these were discontinued in 1994) was working ok up until today. Heating running absolutely perfectly, hot water ok, but sometimes a bit inefficient. This morning, I turned the thermostat up, the heating kicked in and then a horrible, burning metallic kind of smell starting coming from the boiler. Obviously, I turned it off.

I've spoken to a couple of people about this. British Gas say they can replace it all for around £3k. Potterton say you can't get replacement parts for them anymore, so it's probably best to replace it.

Problem is, I don't have much money. I certainly can't afford anywhere near the £3k BG are quoting.

I have a couple of questions if anyone would be interested in responding: 1. Should I try to get it repaired? I've already checked the fuse (fine), reset the boiler (didn't work) and I can't see anything obvious. 2. If I do get it replaced, how much should a new boiler/ installation cost? I am utterly paranoid about being ripped off and bad experiences in the past make me very wary about contacting plumbers. 3. If I don't go through British Gas, is there any way I can still get some sort of insurance/ warranty on the boiler/ work? 4. What would be the best boiler to go for for maximum longevity?

Many thanks in advance for any responses!

Spam.

 

[Spammy]

The boiler was tried once more (after I turned it off because of the smell) and it didn't fire up at all. Nothing. No lights on the front, nothing.

 

[Aquaheat]

Stand a very good chance of being the PCB.

Isolate the power and have a look at the PCB, If you chech the top left corner you will probably find that there are scorch marks there.

Let me know what you find.

 

[bengasman]

seems simple, if you got no dosh, get it repaired; should be less than 10% of the price of a new boiler.
an independent installer will probably give you a better price for a replacement as well as a better job than ****ish gas, but still a lot more than a repair

 

[Spammy]

Thank you very much for responding. A PCB board for this boiler will cost about £250 + the cost of installing it.

 

[bengasman]

sounds like a lot for a pcb, but could be as they might be getting rare.
for that amount, i would make a few more calls

 

[gavinda]

Isolate the power and have a look at the PCB, If you chech the top left corner you will probably find that there are scorch marks there.

thinking of the puma mate.


op- ask freinds family and neighbors, they may be able to recommend a reliable private guy, otherwise at least you can chase up bg pretty easily if we do make a hash of it.

you should hopefully get this repaired, but as potterton have said, a lot of the spares are now unavailable. to be honest ive not seen a lynx for about 5 years, and the ones i were seeing were on thier last legs. take it as a warning shot and start saving to change it this year.

 

[snes]

Or you could try Raden at CET for a reconditioned pcb at about £70 exchange. A lot of the trouble with these older boards is simply the solder joints cracking - a soldering iron may be all you need to repair.
Be aware,many highly experienced and qualified regulars on this forum advise against recon boards.
I am not recommending, simply making you aware. Good luck!

 

[Spammy]

jonjb was right. We had someone look at it today and on inspecting the PCB board, there were clear scorch marks there.

Thank you all for your help. We have decided to replace the boiler.

Spammy

 

[Aquaheat]

Glad to be of help spammy