Hi all,

I've got a problem with a Potterton combi boiler, where the burner keeps cutting out and re-lighting at irregular intervals. This doesn't cause too many problems with the CH, but obviously showers etc. aren't great, cos the water keeps cycling from hot to cold.

I spoke to a plumber who told me I needed a new heat exchanger because the current one may be blocked (at a cost of £300!). Sounds a stupid amount to me, so I took the exchanger out myself, and checked/descaled it. Seemed a decent amount of flow through it to me...

I put it everything back and repressurised the system. All seemed fine for 24hours, but now the same problem is back. Aaargggh!:cry:

I really don't want to have to pay someone to have a look at it, so any ideas?

Thanks in advance :notworthy

Do a search on here for Suprima - Baxi Potterton boilers or google it. Basically they're crap - what you have is a very common problem, although the manufacturers deny it and you can fiddle around with new PCBs which keep going wronmg in the same way or bite the bullet and buy a new boiler. I've got a 6 year old one that I fitted new and have had loads of problems with it.

Potterton Suprimas are crap. Endless probs with PCDs, but they are heat only, not combis.

Potterton are rubbish. I won't fit them ever again for me or my Clients because they just don't care.

Pedro, first of all why are you taking a boiler apart without being CORGI registered???

Completely mindless mate and just because of that, I hope no-one off here helps you.

Have you not seen what's been going on in the news lately??? People are dying because of rouge installers and DIY'ers...

Put your hand in your wallet and get someone CORGI registered out to fix it.

Better than playing with something a) you know nothing about b) you could be heavily fined or even imprisioned for touching c) you could kill others with by messing about with...

These laws are in place to protect yourself and others around you, so why be an idiot and break them??? :(

Leave it to the professionals...

Pedro, first of all why are you taking a boiler apart without being CORGI registered???

Completely mindless mate and just because of that, I hope no-one off here helps you.

Have you not seen what's been going on in the news lately??? People are dying because of rouge installers and DIY'ers...

Put your hand in your wallet and get someone CORGI registered out to fix it.

Better than playing with something a) you know nothing about b) you could be heavily fined or even imprisioned for touching c) you could kill others with by messing about with...

These laws are in place to protect yourself and others around you, so why be an idiot and break them??? :(

Leave it to the professionals...

I presume you are a qualified engineer yourself? If you are, then you'll know that removing and replacing the primary heat exchanger on a Performa 24 is really rather simple... I'm not a complete muppet, and I know my limits. If I wasn't sure whether something I was doing was dangerous, then I wouldn't do it.

I just want to know what my next avenue of investigation should be.

But thanks for your concern nonetheless ;)

Yep fully qualified (CORGI Number 196746) and come across people who think they are not "muppets" by doing these things themselves every day.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 states (and I quote)...

"by law only a competent person can carry out work on gas appliances or fittings."

Their definition of "competant" does not mean anyone half decent with a spanner can do the job, it strictly means only CORGI registered engineers are allowed to do these jobs.

If you are in any doubt of whether or not you are able to do these so called "easy" jobs yourself, why not contact the HSE or CORGI and ask them if what you are doing is OK.

See this document if you need guidance to your problem - http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg238.pdf

Once you have seen/saved people from CO poisioning because of rouge traders/DIY'ers, it soon changes you perspective on these things.

Hi all,

I've got a problem with a Potterton combi boiler, where the burner keeps cutting out and re-lighting at irregular intervals. This doesn't cause too many problems with the CH, but obviously showers etc. aren't great, cos the water keeps cycling from hot to cold.

I spoke to a plumber who told me I needed a new heat exchanger because the current one may be blocked (at a cost of £300!). Sounds a stupid amount to me, so I took the exchanger out myself, and checked/descaled it. Seemed a decent amount of flow through it to me...

I put it everything back and repressurised the system. All seemed fine for 24hours, but now the same problem is back. Aaargggh!:cry:

I really don't want to have to pay someone to have a look at it, so any ideas?

Thanks in advance :notworthy

I'm sorry but you are a muppet who doesn't want to pay for proffesional advice and is prepared to fiddle around with a gas appliance.

Mog

I'm sorry but you are a muppet who doesn't want to pay for proffesional advice and is prepared to fiddle around with a gas appliance.

Mog

So could you please tell me how I'm putting anyone at risk by removing parts that aren't anywhere near (or anything to do with) the gas supply?

That's like saying I'm putting the passengers of my car at risk by changing the air filter. Speaking of which, no-one thinks anything of people changing their own brake components - why is that?

I'm sorry if you think I've done anything beyond my abilities, but that simply isn't the case. I followed the service manual to the letter, and it's not exactly rocket science... :cuckoo:

Hello??? :wonder:

Have you not been reading the same post that myself and Mog have been adding to??? :cuckoo:

If you haven't understood so far, let me put it another way...

It is against the law for anyone to remove the casing off the boiler!!! The boiler is classed as a "gas appliance" and thus YOU are not allowed to touch it, let alone remove the heat exchanger!!!

The service manual you have followed is for CORGI "registered" engineers, not a DIY'er!!! :nono:

BTW, you are a moron arguing with two registered engineers who know what they are talking about.

Some more info for you (if you have followed that manual to the letter, I assume you can read this)- Don't let DIY be the death of you ! (http://www.trustcorgi.com/news/corgi/DIY.htmx)

Nice post Richy

So could you please tell me how I'm putting anyone at risk by removing parts that aren't anywhere near (or anything to do with) the gas supply?

That's like saying I'm putting the passengers of my car at risk by changing the air filter. Speaking of which, no-one thinks anything of people changing their own brake components - why is that?

I'm sorry if you think I've done anything beyond my abilities, but that simply isn't the case. I followed the service manual to the letter, and it's not exactly rocket science... :cuckoo:

Heres my 2p's worth now. Generally, most fatalities/hospitilisations through faulty gas appliances arent through any problems with the actual gas supplied to it-its through the products of the gas being burnt-ie giving off carbon monoxide-which just happens to pass through the heat exchanger!!!

I have to admit though, with that boiler, you would be pretty unlucky to get any spillage if its put back together properly, but if you are going to work on it yourself(which in this day and age is quite frankly stupid), then make damd sure for the sake of everyone in the property that you get the case sealed on properly so no products of combustion can enter the property.Also get a CO detector.

Several years ago, a Rolls Royce engineer thought he would be ok working on his own boiler(he had a great engineering background)-he didnt get one of the seals back on correctly-which to the untrained eye was easy to miss, and unfortunatly died from CO poisioning.

Just take the advice of Mog and Richy B and get a professional in.

BTW-There is several things that can cause the fault youve got.