Potterton boiler repair £230 saving !

Sallen_2

hi i just wanted to share this saving as potterton suprima boilers are renound for this fault. Every now and then the boiler keeps locking out meaning you have to keep resetting it. If you phone potterton they say its probably the PCB that needs changing and will be £270 as a fixed charge, however if you think its the pcb then you can buy a refurbished one on ebay for £30 if you send them back your faulty one. I am not a plumber nor an electrician, and i manged to change it easily following the instructions provided. Fully recommended !
http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZcompumervQQhtZ-1

bwilding

Hi there, i too thought i had problems with the PCB on my Suprima 50 with the usual lockouts getting more and more frequent, until it eventually wouldnt allow me to press the reset button (basically as i pressed the reset button it would go green but as soon as i released it it goes back to red). I bought a refurbished board from Ebay and replaced but still have the same problem.

I am happy i have done this because now if i get someone out they cant try and sell me a new one for £300 as i know this isn't the problem.

Can anyone offer me some advise as to what else the problem could be? I am thinking it might be the overheat thermostat as the boiler will ignite every so often if i just leave it on all the time, but only stays on for a few minutes and then shuts down again....

Any help would be gratefully received.

dunstonh

This is such a widespread problem with Suprima 50 boilers. We were always seeing the Potterton/Baxi vans on our estate fixing the boiler and it was always the PCB. The internet also showed that this boiler was known for that exact fault.

I am on my 4th PCB in 8 years. They used to last about a year then the red light/reset started to occur gradually getting worse until it wouldnt come on again.

The PCBs installed each year have been revised versions and I am on the latest PCB now (identified easily by a much larger knob and different colour lights to previous versions) and so far this one has gone further than the previous versions.

The problem is caused by the solder points on the PCB cracking as the boiler heats up and cools down. The cracks gradually get worse causing a break in the solder point too big to allow the current to pass through.

A boiler electrician could improve the solder points or, as they did in my case, put in the newest version of the PCB which fixes that problem by having fewer solder points and where they are needed, much better quality soldering. I also recall the boiler engineer saying that the new ones are also protected more from the heat than the earlier versions.

the_gasman_2

These pcb's are now on the 3rd version. All new suprima pcb's come with complete wirning harness which must be changed ensuring the correct length HT lead and earth lead is also replaced. The pcb has a built in diagnostic board (although these are rarely correct). Faults are shown in the new short manual which comes in pcb box.

I am not one for repairing pcb's but then again i am not a pcb technician. In my opinion i would replace the pcb for a new one and although many of you would disagree with what i say, my advice to you would be to "insure your boiler" against parts and labour.
Potterton do know how to charge for parts.
Many of my customers have a breakdown cover with a private company and they claim back the parts etc when they get their bill.

As soon as you can afford to replace this boiler get it ripped out and replace it with something more reliable...

the_gasman_2

bwilding wrote:

Hi there, i too thought i had problems with the PCB on my Suprima 50 with the usual lockouts getting more and more frequent, until it eventually wouldnt allow me to press the reset button (basically as i pressed the reset button it would go green but as soon as i released it it goes back to red). I bought a refurbished board from Ebay and replaced but still have the same problem.

I am happy i have done this because now if i get someone out they cant try and sell me a new one for £300 as i know this isn't the problem.

Can anyone offer me some advise as to what else the problem could be? I am thinking it might be the overheat thermostat as the boiler will ignite every so often if i just leave it on all the time, but only stays on for a few minutes and then shuts down again....

Any help would be gratefully received.

Hold reset for between 1 and 10 seconds to reset. I would suspect a broken circuit/faulty component somewhere in the boiler casing.
How sure are you that this 2nd hand repaired pcb is 100% working correctly and is not faulty. (It does happen even on new ones...)

Have all block connectors been replaced in correct place and pushed home fully and you havent acidentally pulled a wire off by mistake.

Is your pump moving the water quick enough. check the pump speed via the switch on the side. If needed turn to no:3
Remove the silver end plug and check that the pump is not stuck. spin off with a screwdriver.
If thge pump is running when you call for heat/water it shows that the motorised valve etc is operating ok and bringing pump on.

Sequence is
1. select heat/ water on clock
2. ensure room stat/cylinder stat(hot water) is calling
3. If pump runs everything before boiler is operating and fault is likely to be with boiler. (rough guide)

Once boiler ignites time how long it runs before it drops out. If you suspect o/h stat something must be triggering it. Hence check the pump.

Could it be flame rectification for spark electrode.

Another good fault i have had on suprima's is that the boiler runs fine then flame drops out after 5 mins or so. After freezing the coil on gas valve (with co2) it fires up again and repeats same fault. The windings in the coil are breaking and require replacement. There again i usually replace the complete gas valve...