Why does our "board" keep blowing up when it's fre

[sharonbetty]

We have a Potterton Envoy 80. We have lived here 3 years [boiler is about 7 years old]. Since then the board has blown and had to be replaced at least once a year. It happened last Christmas, then again 8 weeks ago and now today when it's -5 outside! It seems to happen when it's really really cold weather. Is it coincidence or could it be a reason why it's going? I suspect we are going to have to have a new boiler and are very very unhappy as well as damn cold!!!!

 

[DP]

Wrong fuse? Incorrect diagnostics? something else causing PCB to fail?

 

[Agile]

Hopefully you will have a Potterton or British Gas insurance cover.

The correct procedure would be for a boiler engineer to examine the PCB to determine why its blown.

Unfortunately, most people you see will be parts changers who change something and then if it works they leave! They would not have the skills to work out why it had blown.

There is probably another part which is causing the problem.

If it helps, your boiler is not seen as very reliable but repeat blowing of the PCB is not one of its well known attributes.

As your boiler is not very reliable a new boiler would be a good solution although its still cheaper to repair it every year.

Tony

 

[simond]

This boiler is going to cost you money in repairs indefinitely.

Most Envoys were scrapped by disillusioned owners years ago.

The Potterton brand will probably never recover from the bad goodwill this boiler (and it's cousin, the Baxi Barcelona) created in a once loyal customer base (and if it does, the Suprima fiasco will see to it).

Stop repairing it and get a new boiler, repairing an Envoy will only ever be a short term solution.

And as you say, it will leave you high and dry (or cold) when you least want it to.

 

[Baxmax]

Unfortunately, most people you see will be parts changers who change something and then if it works they leave! They would not have the skills to work out why it had blown.

This is true......but if you are on a restricted time maybe 15 or 20 minutes per job, and one has 8 or 9 other faults,customers parts to change etc,the usuall line of thought is change anything you can to get the ****er to work.
But i do agree with you Tony in an ideal world it would be geat to allocate unlimited time to give "customer service" to "fault find" ,but we live and work in a world where companies are run by venture capatilists and ******s
Happy new year

 

[ScottishGasMan]

How exactly do you examin a board to tell whats caused it to blow? Being an SG engineer, you can imagine we never got into detail like that, as been said, find broken bit, change it!

but id be very interested in knowing more about identifing deeper faults causing such a problem.

 

[bengasman]

Though I agree that more often then not, so called heating engineers do little more than changing parts until the boiler works, I would not know to start looking for the reason why a boiler blows the pcb once a year.
The only things I can think of are: hopeless boiler and surge protection/ electrical check
And let's face it, potties and baxi do not exactly have a reputation for top quality boards

 

[gas4you]

I wouldn't have a clue as to what exact component blew on a board, or why. I doubt very much that there are many heating engineers who would.

That is not our job. Our job is to diagnose the part that has failed and replace it as cost effectively as possible for the customer.

A parts changer, in my book, is someone who has not got a clue what part has failed, so replaces everything until the boiler works.

NOT someone who doesn't know which capacitor or transistor has blown on the pcb

Yet again Tony I feel that you are just trying to prove you think you know better than most!

 

[Baxmax]

Thats what i thought..........

 

[Agile]

If there is a visibly blown component on the PCB then its not usually that difficult to trace the wiring and see what its connected to.

Many of the Potty circuits have fusible resistors of about 100 ohms in series with parts like the fan, pump and gas valve. If too much current is drawn by one of the parts then that resistor blows.

A few minutes spent tracing the circuit will often identify what is involved.

If 20 minutes was set aside for me at the next ARGI meeting then I would be happy to explain it to you.

Tony

 

[gas4you]

If 20 minutes was set aside for me at the next ARGI meeting then I would be happy to explain it to you.Tony

You never turn up at them