home Fix label Heating label_important Home Heating Systems category Potterton

HELP ! Blonde woman in need of advice... boiler kaput!?

Help really needed. I have a potterton HE Plus Promax 15.... started with a leak on the flow valve... which I think has travelled down to the PCB. The boiler clicks as if it is trying to start up but does not ignite. Is there any way I can see if the PCB is to blame? Don't really want to shell out £130 on a new one if this is not the problem. Yes I should of got insurance etc but I don't. I do however have a degree in hindsight. Please only post useful comments that may help a woman who needs heating for her children. Many thanks!

N.P, January 2011

home Fix label Heating label_important Home Heating Systems category Pottertondone

Brian you are a star!!!! I managed to locate the braided hose at the very back.... it was not visible at first. Opened the pipe and lots of water gushed out into the bucket I had ready....hey presto ...boiler fired up! Just shows, I have saved around £200 with the use of a good citizen and the internet! Thanks so much :) :) :)

N.P, January 2011

Sorry Brian was at work this evening. back home now and it's like a commercial freezer in here ! I've had a look around the airing cupboard and there is no fill loop. I am unsure why as I know this is how most would re-pressurise the system. The two black handled valves leading to the pressure vessel is the only thing I have that sounds remotely like it, although it is a fixed pipe, not flexible, nor braided. Guess I will try again tmw to see what's going on. Going to get an extra duvet. :) Thanks for your help!

N.P, January 2011

the filling loop should come from a tee in the cold water supply and go to a tee in the heating circuit if the pipe only goes to the vessel it isn't the filling loop

brian, January 2011

No hissing noise and no water through. Can't disconnect the pipe as it is a pressure vessel and fixed pipe. The water has not been disconnected so have no clue why this has happened. Think it must be the PCB controlling the flow switch... !? Not that I know what I'm talking about but hey after the day I have had I might as well go to college and train as a plumber! :)

N.P, January 2011

was there a hissing noise when you turned the taps if so the needle won't move immediately wait a while if there was no noise with the taps off disconnect one end of the braided pipe then slowly try each tap in turn if no water comes out then the cold water supply is either blocked (unlikely) or turned off somewhere

brian, January 2011

I turned both black handled taps and waited to see if the needle moved... that's all. Nothing happened. The pressure did not increase. :/

N.P, January 2011

if you could tell me exactly what you did we can go from there

brian, January 2011

right ! I did that and nothing happened at all, the needle did not move. Fed up and seriously cold now. But thanks Brian, for trying to help.

N.P, January 2011

ok somewhere either near the boiler or the cylinder there will be a silver braided flexible pipe at one or both ends there will either be a tap with a little black handle 90 degrees to the pipe turn it or them on until the pressure reads 1-1.5 then turn it or them off now the boiler should work you may have to try it a few times

brian, January 2011

Thanks... how would I get rid of air in the system ? Oh and I've checked the pressure gauge and it says 0 bar. !??! Thanks Brian

N.P, January 2011

it may be the pcb but try switching the boiler on and off a few times at the neon switch near the boiler if there is air in the boiler you have to get shut of it first

brian, January 2011

Used the re-set button on boiler and does nothing... there is no display panel as such so I have no clue if E119 is the error. Just has LED lights with a list of what the faults mean. There is no knob... where would I find this ? Thanks again. Hopefully your help will sort it out! :)

N.P, January 2011

the boiler may simply need resetting go to potterton web site and you can view and download user manual for your boiler if the fault code on the boiler display is E119 this is the low pressure fault and you've fixed it all you need to do is turn knob to reset

brian, January 2011

pressure guage reading ? On the boiler ? Sorry, I'm a bit useless when it comes to these things. I can not see a guage on the boiler but there is one on the pump in the airing cupboard above the tank. If it is that you mean, it is at 0.5 bar. I have pumped it up to 1.5 bar but it did nothing. As you can see I have tried lots of things I have seen on the internet...desperate! :) Thanks for your help Brian.

N.P, January 2011

what is pressure gauge reading?

brian, January 2011

Thanks but there is no water coming into the boiler .... so the fan won't kick in. The LEDs are as follows... on, flashing and flashing... which apparently means no water flow/return reversed. Whatever that means! I'm so lost and have no clue what to do. Two yr old very cold. Oven and hob rings on full belt with oven door open! :)

N.P., January 2011

if the pump and the fan or on and the clicking is the spark ignition (about twice a second) then it's probably the pcb you can go to potterton web site click on installer and view fault finding procedures this may help narrow down the faulty part

brian, January 2011

link Click here to see other fixes for Potterton.