My potterton profile 80 E is not firing; the fan seems to be humming continuously. How can I check if the fan is working properly (should it be louder then just a humming noise?) I know the air pressure switch may be faulty; is there any way of testing the switch?

Thanks for any help.

Paras Shah, August 2006

Answered my own question - got an exchange recon fan from Control Eng Tech of Watford and fitted it. Job done. Fan repair would not be a diy job. My plumber told me that when the gas valve fails the boiler is scrap but it's not true -you can get brand new valves but I'd leave it to a GasSafe person to fit it.
26 years and still plodding on!

LesF, December 2018

Thanks Rob, my Profile 50E has failed only a month after changing the pcb. The fan hums but doesn't spin. It's stiff when I try to turn it manually with the power on, but spins freely with the power off. It seems the power is holding it in one position rather turning it. It sometimes turns slightly after moving it manually. The windings were hot when I removed the fan. Does anyone know if the fan can be repaired or does it need a new one?

LesF, December 2018

Thanks for all the tips, I had the same problem on Potterton Profile 80e and replaced the fan unit. I managed to get a refurbished one on Ebay for £50 with Next Day Delivery and one year grantee. Happy Boiler!

Rob, March 2018

Si
You say you took your fan apart. I had a problem with a Potterton 80E. Sometimes it took ages to fire up. Everything OK except - I removed the fan and ran it on the bench, looked Ok but I tapped the "outer bearing" and it had a noticeable speed increase! I refitted it and it seems to now work OK. In the summer I was thinking of going back to the fan and either replacing it or refurbishing it. Have you any helpful information, stripdown instructions, or other info that may help?
regards Trevor

Trevor, January 2012

fan working fine but boiler fails to fire

jay, March 2010

I have exactly the same problem. I switched off the hot water at the Honeywell controller. Coming back after 2 weeks the thing will not spark or light, although I can hear the fan. It was working perfectly before.

i've tried switching the whole system off and restarting. I've tried holding the reset button up, whilst turning on the main thermostat. Nothing works This is clearly a common fault, as there are reports of this all over the net. Is it just a reset fault? I know we've had some very strong winds while we've been away. Could this have affected the aitr pressure sensor?

david andrews, August 2007

Hi Si / Paras,

I have a Potterton Profile 80 e and have recently come back from holiday to find the pilot light not igniting. THe house is freezing. I have checked the fan and found to be humming and not turning. I have today ordered a new fan from onlineboilerspares.com and hope this sorts out the problem. Many thanks for writing in and making it easier for me to diagnose quickly. - Muks.

Mukesh, November 2006

Ok thanks Si! I just figured out that the fan was not working this morning and I'm not too comfortable about taking the fan apart and repairing it (the fan motor seems to have gone).

For other peoples information, if you get just a humming noce and no air from the flue then your fan is probably faulty like mine was.. it just wasn't turning!

Its cost me £100 from keeptheheaton.com to replace the fan, (although the local shops quoted me £150) and I've just finished the job and the boiler is happy now :-)

Thanks for your help Si; much appreciated!

Paras Shah, August 2006

A similar thing has just happened to my Potterton profile 40e.

You can check the fan either by feeling the outlet of the flue for air flow or removing the boiler cover and actually looking at the fan. Obviously only remove the cover if you are competent with exposed mains wiring. If the fan is stuck or going very slow there will be insufficient air flow in the flue to activate the air pressure switch and this will stop the pilot light being lit by the spark igniter.

I took my fan apart, cleaned the bearings and its all ok now, however I expect the bearings are worn and it may go faulty again. Ebay seems to be a good place to get parts as the parts seemed to be very expensive from service retailers.

Si, August 2006