Potterton boiler not firing up first time....faulty or not??

[racheholly]

Just had my Potterton boiler serviced and was told I need a new PCB control unit.

He said the fan comes on and then it fails to ignite until about the 5th attempt and then it all lights up. It all works just fine and only takes about 10-20 seconds to ignite......do I really need to pay him to replace the control unit as it seems to be fine (it costs nearly £200 without the labour)?

Any comments very gratefully received as I really dont know whether i need to sepend th money when it works just fine......just takes a few goes at firing up. Its about 12 years old.

 

[seco services]

is it a potterton profile by any chance ?

 

[racheholly]

no, its a Prima F.

 

[gas4you]

I assumed it was a suprima

I would be looking to check more things first before opting for a pcb, unless he is prepared to state in writing that if that didn't cure the fault he would refit the old pcb and not charge you anything.

EDIT; posted before OP responded.

Still the same answer though.

 

[racheholly]

But, in the great scheme of things, does it really matter....does it really need fixing do you think? It doesnt bother me if it start on the first of the 6th attempt really.....unless its something that will soon make it stop workign completely. As far as i recall its been like that for years...

 

[spacethegas]

this seems to be a recurring problem with some potterton boilers.

which model ?

the electrodes may just require cleaning & positioned correctly. burner pressure must be correctly set. if the burner gas opens when it begins to spark the pcb is fine. but these should have been set during the service.

often when this occurs there is a complaint of a smell of gas at the flue termination.

 

[seco services]

found this a few times with the profile,prima the ignition side of the pcb plays up
mine done it yrs ago and tapping the relay it would kick in fist time.

 

[racheholly]

Yes, it is a bit smelly out the back door!!!! Lol, what does this indicate then?

 

[spacethegas]

if gas is getting to the burner & it is sparking but not lighting it is not the pcb.

 

[racheholly]

thanks, I had a suspicion it might not need so much money being thrown at his pocket!!

 

[tryitandsee]

My prima f 50 kept on doing the same as yours by not starting first time. It just gets worse over time and will cause more problems with the electrodes sparking all the time (ware them out quicker) Bite the bullett and get a new one.

Also, just today I noticed the internal flue pipe had corroded with the acid flue gases, common problem on these boilers. As yours is getting on a bit, worth looking down the external flue with a torch to see if yours is visually ok. Althogh if you have just had a service, should have been looked at.

The part you require is the PC.BOARD FLAME MONITOR/IGN.CONT.PROFILE for £126.

This link may or may not work.
http://www.hccfspares.co.uk/Appliance_Type3.aspx?Manufacture_ID=6&Appliance_Type=GAS+BOILERS

 

[racheholly]

yes, the internal pipe is slightly corroded, is this as a result of the PCB being faulty then??

 

[seco services]

no

 

[mickyg]

He said the fan comes on and then it fails to ignite until about the 5th attempt and then it all lights up. It all works just fine and only takes about 10-20 seconds to ignite......do I really need to pay him to replace the control unit as it seems to be fine (it costs nearly £200 without the labour)?

Pcb faulty, common fault on prima and profile models. It might work now, but eventually it will pack up completely. part no 407677. should cost around £100plus vat. takes about 2mins to fit.

 

[mickyg]

yes, the internal pipe is slightly corroded, is this as a result of the PCB being faulty then??

nothing to do with pcb, another common potty fault. So common in fact you can actually buy a remedial kit for the flue, which slides over the old one once the terminal is removed, another nice easy fix