Potterton 24 Differential pressure valve replacement, how?

[Stereomic]

Fixed it, yeah !!!!

After moving the press diff valve in and out and getting either CH or DHW I figured that must be where the problem lay. I decided to take the pressure diff valve back off and when I did everything became clear. It seems when I first put the unit on I bent the actuater pin that comes out of the back !! I straightened this out with a pair of pliers and now its free to move.

Put it back together and voila, we have heating and hot water.

During this past week I've learnt two important lessons :

1 Don't take your heating for granted. When it doesn't work and it's cold outside it's a real pain in the ass !!! On that note I'm looking for a real pro who can service my system without simply ripping me off, any one fancy the job? I want to see this baby running smoothly for the next 5 years!

2 Take car when replacing parts not to damage any important moving parts. Treat you boiler like it was the engine in your Porsche and you are giving it a little weekend TLC !!

Thanks everyone, I'd like to say it's been fun but I've had a cold week, if anyone who gave out advice is passing by near Halifax, West Yorks give me a shout and I'll get you one in !!!

Bye.

 

[Agile]

Its not clear to me exactly what you have done.

If you only changed the flattish front part the the rear manifold part may be jammed in the DHW position.

Or you left a CH valve underneath closed.

Or the CH return filter is clogged.

I was the first to reply as above to your initial posting.

For whatever reason you chose to ignore what I had said.

I even later asked if my post was invisible.

Some problems with boilers are quite simple to identify!


It also concerns me that you have this expectation that every boiler engineer is going to rip you off.

I give some free advice on this forum and I have never ripped anyone off!

Tony

 

[Stereomic]

I never ignored what was said, I read all the posts. Did you read the other posts??

I found the one about confusing condensing and condescending to be particularly relevant !

It's not a competition out there. I appreciate what you are all doing but you could do well to learn from rojaca's posts which are both detailed, helpful and friendly.

As for your concerns about me thinking that boiler engineers rip people off, that's not my fault as your industry is full of "cowboys" which is one of the reasons why this forum exists in the first place! People coming on here to get advice before calling in an engineer.

Now that I know what's involved with replacing the pressure differential valve on a Potterton Performa 24 you tell me how much you would charge and I'll tell you whether it's a rip off or not.

 

[Agile]

We, in London, charge £106 inclusive for repairing them with a new diaphragm, an extra £9 if we replace the gland.

Any parking costs extra.

Its not what we do on site that you are mostly paying for, its being set up to know how to repair boilers and to get to you, find a parking space and to get you to answer the door!

If we only need to spend five minutes inside I suppose you think we should just charge £6 ? Thats totally unrealistic as it takes us an average of an hour to get to a customer and 45 minutes to get back.

Tony

 

[namsag]

Everyone has different idea of what being ripped off is, some might say loading price of parts by over 100% is and then others might not .

 

[kevplumb]

if you agree the price before the job is done

how can you get ripped off

you watch to much tv

 

[namsag]

Just because people agree a price kev doesn`t mean they are not being ripped off.
Not everyone checks on the net etc they take people at there word because they dont know any better. A bit like the guy on here a few weeks ago who thought just under £400 for a pump change was ok it was the 800 powerflush that got his bells ringing.
naive yes but its still people praying on that

 

[kevplumb]

yeah you have a point

i never think of that side of things

to bleedin honest i suppose

most of the jobs i used to do it was

can you sort it

yes

why are you still drinking tea then get on with it we will sort the bill afterwards

 

[namsag]

Exactly the same Kev thats where your name goes before you and the work comes to you and not having to chase it on internet forums etc

 

[kevplumb]

always remember one years ago

thorn apollo in the kitchen oh had gone

cust says can you sort it today

yes i say

16 yo comes in dressed!! in a bikini and asks who is that man

her grandmother said

that man is kev and he held you when you where 2 days old madam

you must have had the same getting passed around the family

 

[Stereomic]

namsag, that last post made me smile. Glad to see there's a sense of humour out there.

Agile, I'm glad I don't live in London! Out here in the country you can park outside my house all day for free if you like. The drive here for a local engineer might take the same 45mins but at least it's pretty! As for your comment about me supposing it should cost £6, that's ridiculous!!! We all have work to do and bills to pay. I also understand that your paying for the whole package including your smart new van and parking charges !!

Even though I cocked it up, I'm glad I didn't have to pair £100 for a repair. I also got a whole new housing, not just a diaphragm. God damn the house is warm now !!!

 

[Agile]

I also forgot to say that if we mess up the parking or congestion charging then we have a fine of about £100 discounted to £50 if we pay it promptly.

If we mess it up badly or are just unlucky then the vehicle is towed away and we have to pay about £150 to get it back. If there is a problem with the paperwork then the vehicle can be crushed BEFORE we get the papers from the DVLA. Even if we get the papers in time there is a £200 storage charge for 10 days.

I had a letter from a police vehicle yard saying that if it was not collected within five days it would be crushed. But it was wrongly sent to my address instead of the registered owner.

Tony