Potterton boilers

[Spinny]

Is there anyone out there who can shed light on a problem? I have a Potterton Suprema 40 gas boiler which keeps on turning itself off (red LED flashes to indicate an error) so I have to constantly reset it. Its not as if its a constant thing...sometimes it doesn't happen for a couple of days, sometimes 5 or 6 times a day. I'm not going to do any works myself but dont want to possible get ripped off if I call an engineer. Want to get my head round what the possible problems are. Anyone help?

 

[Gasman1015]

I think it's only tight people are afraid of being ripped off.

Try searching, you could use the term suprima for instance, should keep you busy reading that lot.

Probably the pcb though.

 

[chrishutt]

I think it's only tight people are afraid of being ripped off.

I don't think that's fair. I should think just about anyone would be afraid of being ripped off, given programmes like Rogue Traders.

 

[Gasman1015]

Yes, I agree with you, but then they give them an open cheque, normal people in the real world agree the price beforehand.

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROGUETRADERZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[ollski]

yes it will be the pcb, retail price around 210.00 plus an hour or two to fit....sorry.

 

[gstens baxi]

Before spending your £210.00 get your boiler engineer to look at the electrode lead at the electrode end , as breaking down of this lead can cause intermittent lock out.

 

[gazthepottertonengineer]

yes it will be the pcb, retail price around 210.00 plus an hour or two to fit....sorry.

you take your time dont you 40 mins max

call potterton out and they will supply and fit new pcb for £170-00 including labour + vat if its under 5 years old if its over 5 then its £275.00
this includes all parts that are needed except heat exchanger

 

[ollski]

yes it will be the pcb, retail price around 210.00 plus an hour or two to fit....sorry.

you take your time dont you 40 mins max

call potterton out and they will supply and fit new pcb for £170-00 including labour + vat if its under 5 years old if its over 5 then its £275.00
this includes all parts that are needed except heat exchanger

lol gaz....I do em in 20 mins if its all accessible, but i don't work for myself so i don't need to factor in for unforeseens or parts / quotes. There is a BiG national company who will sort the problem for 132.00 outside the m25.

 

[Paul Barker]

Talking about being frightened of getting ripped off, and this is in no way a dig at BaxiPotterton because it applies to all boiler manufacturers.

When are they going to use correctly rated diodes and resistors in pcb's make relays renewable house pcb's so that when the pump is bled it doesn't land on the pcb and so that heat from boiler doesn't affect it.

I know they sub out pcb manufacture to honeywell and the like but they aren't getting it right, sack them and find a better way. It is you manufacturers who are making boilers that fail before 20 years that are ripping people off, not us gas fitters.

THEY SHOULD DO A PROGRAM ABOUT THAT!

 

[gazthepottertonengineer]

Talking about being frightened of getting ripped off, and this is in no way a dig at BaxiPotterton because it applies to all boiler manufacturers.

When are they going to use correctly rated diodes and resistors in pcb's make relays renewable house pcb's so that when the pump is bled it doesn't land on the pcb and so that heat from boiler doesn't affect it.

I know they sub out pcb manufacture to honeywell and the like but they aren't getting it right, sack them and find a better way. It is you manufacturers who are making boilers that fail before 20 years that are ripping people off, not us gas fitters.

THEY SHOULD DO A PROGRAM ABOUT THAT!

i disagree as we as boiler manafacturers are now putting pcb's in sealed plastic cases and placing them at the bottom of the boiler as this is the coolest

 

[Paul Barker]

Well that's good news, you've changed with the times then. That's why I fit boilers which attend to these details, they only cost a couple of hundred more but will save that and more in their lifetime.

I respect the fact that since you have to design around using diddly squat gas you've been forced into complexity, sadly the complexity has brought with it short boiler life (relative to the cast iron natural draft pilot controlled heavyweights) which costs the consumer more (maybe more than than the extra gas we heavyweight owners use), and probably cost the environment more (due to the energy consumed extracting processing and assembling the metals used in production).

Now after what you say can we look forward to a natural lifespan of 20 years from a boiler?

 

[bripl]

in a word no,most manufacturers pile them high sell them cheap and make profit on the spares or the extended service contract,how many main stream manufacturers offer five years parts and labour on their products?

 

[Paul Barker]

Please don't get me wrong I'm not saying these things to be deliberately argumentative, just trying to air the true facts not the statistics selectively published in glossy brochures to demonstrate alignment with the intent of Kyoto.

When I do the sums for myself the saving in gas compared to cost of new boiler even if it were to last 20 years and I didn't charge myself to install it doesn't have a satisfactory payback period or net present value to be chosen by a board of directors in a firm as a capital project. If I invested the money in shares or property over the 20 year period I would do much better with it.

Added to which since I still have an e6 meter I don't pay for the pilot usage. Stupid suppliers haven't got around to changing my meter. Idiots they sub the work to did come and take it one day and gave me a g4, but came back on Monday after the face of my e6 had slid around in their van all weekend claiming they had meant to change next doors, so I have my e6 back. Noone seems to be keeping records 'cause it's over 7 years I've been in the house, batteries surely are on last legs.

 

[Diyisfun]

Manufactures want reliability, You dont buy anything that has a bad name.
Items sell on price/quality, not price alone.