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Below is some of the feedback received from this site, please scroll down to submit your own feedback.

From : Rob C. 7th May 2010
Comment : Ten years ago I bought my existing house with a new Suprima 50. I have since changed the old style PCB board twice and this was done again by British Gas who installed one of the new control sets that comes with PCB cased unit (Potterton Suprima printed circuit board (pcb) kit 5111603). I have had no problems now for two years. I recently purchased a second house and my Tenants reported a boiler lockout problem. During my diagnosis I noticed the thermister was very loose and the end insulation had melted. I did not have a replacement thermister so did a temporary fix. Based on experience I changed the old pcb with new control set (£140 to 180 depending where you get it from) which fixed the problem. I have now changed the thermister (£12) and hopefully all will be well for a while. A thermsiter fault can cause a lockout problem so its a good easy and cheap first check before you fork out for a new control set.

From : Elizabeth 14th May 2010
Comment : My Potterton Suprima 40 is 6-7 years old (maybe manufactured 7 years ago, newly installed in my new flat and first used 6 years ago). I am having the same lock-out problems and have contacted Potterton who offer inclusive parts + labour repair at £289 with 1-year guarantee. I hesitated because I wanted to do more research and have subsequently found the large volume of consumers with similar problems such as are described on this site. Does anyone know if there is a way to find out via serial numbers which boilers were fitted with the alleged faulty PCBs? I'd like to put pressure on Potterton to reduce their quoted price. Also, it's not clear to me whether a replacement PCB from them actually gives the boiler much more life. I wonder whether to put that money towards a new and more reliable boiler? Has anyone had a good run out of a Potterton-supplied and fitted new PCB?

From : Rod W. 13th May 2010
Comment : Really helpful site - had all the problems mentioned re the Red Flashing light and constant lockout problems that needed Resets 3 or 4 times a day. Did try resoldering diodes as clear signs of tracks lifting and overheating on PCB but no joy. Order new PCB module from KeepThe HeatON - what a joy! Complete new controller panel came next day by FedEx, I fitted within 20 mins and so far no probs. £170 after 12 years service not too bad.

From : Gilly 19th March 2010
Comment : What a fantastic resource your site is. Regretfully my capabilities in the soldering department are non existent so I am having to rely on the wonders of Potterton themselves. Unfortunately I have 2 suprimas ( what a ridiculous name for something that is anything BUT suprima) and I am assured by the plumber who looked at it that the PCB has gone, and yes - he too said the suprimas are rubbish and told me it had all been on watchdog.The charming young man at Potterton knew all about it - of course he did - and so it seems does the whole world... except poor me! No wonder Potterton give you an instant appointment underwritten by an insurance policy which I am forced to pay monthly if I want one of their engineers and if I want a year's guarantee. How appalling that these products are totally useless - everyone knows they are - but the company won't admit it or do anything about it. They must be making a fortune out of servicing the **ap they make.

From : Tracy 15th March 2010
Comment : Have Suprima 50 Light showing lockout problem, so fitted another PCB, boiler still not igniting. Valve working and APS not at fault. Points back to PCB anyone else got ideas ??

From : Mike 10th March 2010
Comment : I've had a problem with my Suprima for the past few months. To make it work, you had to give it a firm thump. At first this was only at ignition but more recently the fan was failing to start. At last I removed the PCB this morning and, hey presto, a quick examination revealed some dry joints. Careful use of a soldering iron sorted those out. I refitted the board and, fingers crossed, all seems okay now. I only discovered this site while half way through the fix, but feel its a great site to have. I wish I'd found you earlier. It's nice to know we're not alone with this problem.

From : John H 10th March 2010
Comment : I have had a potterton suprima 60L for 8 years, problems from year 4 with red flashing light and lock out. Bought a refurbished pcb from ebay, for about £40, easily fitted, and it worked for around 9 months before the problem re-occured. I replaced it once again worked fine for about a year then same old problem. Eventually bought an upgrade kit from ebay, cost about £90. Came with good instructions, easy to follow just took a long time ( 2/3 hours ). Worked fine ever since; that was two years ago. Recommend anyone with lock out problem on the old type control panel to get this upgrade kit.

From : Willard 6th March 2010
Comment : Thanks for the info, have fixed my boiler after two years + of getting different advices and fixes( waste of money shame they call themselves engineers). My boiler PCB had dry joins that I soldered and re-installed and its been all goood!!! Many thanks for the posting!

From : Clare C. 4th Feb 2010
Comment : I really don't understand why there hasn't been a group legal claim again Potterton for knowingly supplying a part not fit for purpose. We know that an email was sent to heating technicians advising them of the known fault before these boilers were even marketed. Is anyone up for a joint claim against Potterton?

From : Bob D 4th Feb 2010
Comment : Have now had a second PCB fail (the "new" design that should last forever....fitted about 3 years ago"). Tried to call and speak to the technical people at Potterton, but got fobbed off by "Lee" in their help-line department, who simply got hung up on trying to sell me a service visit, and refusing to connect me to the people I was asking for. As a supplier company, their customer service I would say is extremely poor, and I will be taking it up with their board of directors.

From : Mark 25th Jan 2010
Comment : I have a suprima 60 its around 14 years old now and it had a PCB about 8 years ago, 2002. It started messing about again in the summer 2009 - lock out etc. I have managed with it up til this week and it's got worse.....3 times yesterday it locked out! I'm going to try the HT lead first as it looks pretty shot at. No doubt I'll end up replacing the PCB next week. It's a good job we're handy chaps on here.

From : Clive R 9th January 2010
Comment : Have just removed the circuit board as described on this site and Diode numbers D6 and D10 have overheated (discolouration of board shows this)and the solder joints have duly failed.I re-soldered the diode joints and boiler is working again!
This is a major problem on these boilers and Potterton should be ashamed of their denials and poor treatment of purchasers. Every boiler service engineer I have ever contacted know about this fault only too well. I'm saving up for a new boiler because I've lost faith in Potterton boilers and my new one will not be a Potterton piece of c**p! Having followed the instructions on this site I now know how simple the circuit board would be to replace as a unit.
Thanks for this fantastic site, it has been of great help in this extreme cold weather we are having and saved us from certain freezing this weekend as my boiler is now running well.(Until the diodes overheat again of course I suppose) Shame on you Potterton! I will never buy another Potterton boiler as a result of their rubbish customer service.

From : Dan 19th December 2009
Comment : THIS IS 2009 - BEGINNING OF DECEMBER -HAD THE SAME PROBLEM - NO HEAT FOR 3 DAYS - CALLED BRITISH GAZ ENGINEERS 3 TIMES - KEEP HAVING RED LOCK OUT LIGHT - A NEW BOARD WAS FITTED - THEN I HAD WATER COMING OUT - A REAL NIGHTMARE - SO FAR SINCE YESTERDAY THE 18TH DEC EVERYTHING IS OK - THANK GOD I TOOK A INSURANCE - NOW I AM CONSTANTLY LISTENING TO THE BOILER

From : Steve R. 3rd November 2009
Comment : Good advice. Had the board out in five minutes and found a dry joint immediately - on one of the power pins. Soldered up and away it went. Thank you!!

From : PSM 1st November 2009
Comment : The instructions on how to replace the PCB omit the four statutory safety checks that are required by law whenever a gas appliance is worked on. The PCB is the brain of the boiler. Quite apart from what the law says, common sense requires that the boiler\'s safety devices should be checked for correct operation after a brain transplant. Major omission.

From : Tom S. 21st October 2009
Comment : Since fitting a Potterton Suprima 120L five years ago I have not had one trouble free year. This year the problems escalated and I have spent almost a thousand pounds on repairs. Finally the Potterton engineer (who has just left my house having failed to repair the boiler) admitted that the Suprima is 's**t' (his words not mine). The PCBs are inherently unreliable. I think Potterton need to consider how they can compensate their Suprima customers if they are to maintain any credibility in a competitive market place.

From : David H. 21/10/09
Comment : PCB gone again second one in 5 years, both show slight burning in the same place.I wrote to Potterton's for compensation,and got a very negative reply from them, no help what so ever.In fact a waste of time. I will never have another Pottertons Boiler.

From : Len W. 9th August 2009
Comment : Suprima 120 L lock out problem. try turning off and removing ignition and spark probe in front of boiler after removing main cover. Gentle clean with wire wool. Check spark gap and re-assemble. i have to do this every 6 months to keep the boiler working fine. If you want it to last over a year then fit a new one about £13.

From : Geoff 29th May 2009
Comment : Hi - Geoff from CET here, a telephone call from a customer has prompted me to ask you to change your "change the red HT lead" fix to exclude the suprima 120. This has an orange HT lead and is completely different. "This does not apply to the Suprima 120" sounds about right. Also, with the new module having come out, I think that maybe you should point out that this can be identified by the reset button also - it is a 3mm square reset button (but a worn membrane switch looks the same, so you should point out that the 407750 and the 5102160 have 2 LEDs wheras the new module (5107117) only has one. BTW, the part number for the HT lead is 8407753

From : Josie H. 17th April 2009
Comment : Same problem as above although boiler is 10 years old , red lock out evrey day now , insurers called out engineer 3 times who replaced PCB pump etc it is still locking ouot. tomorrow I will show the engineer your website - thankyou

From : Mick S. 21st January 2009
Comment : Moved into a Redrow refurbished house in 1997 (don't even think about it!!). New heating system fitted with Suprima 100. Trouble from day 1 so after 12 months took out British Gas contract. Since then:- 5 new PCBs, everything replaced bar the cover at sometime or other. ALWAYS breaks down after Summer. Problems have been No hot water, No heating, heating too hot, system failing to shut off and temperature goes through the roof, failing to start when programmed. Lost count of the number of times it locks out. Programmer replaced as well as Room Thermostat just in case. The list is endless. 3 new parts fitted a couple of weeks ago due to no hot water - again. If I wasn't trying to sell up the **** thing would be on the tip. Rest assured I won't ever be fitting a Potterton again in any house I own and nor would I ever recommend one.

From : Martin W. 6th January 2009
Comment : have been re setting my potterton suprema all winter long. Am about to purchase a new pcb board, does anyone have any faith in it,as i know its 180 quid plus fitting

From : Val 29th December 2008
Comment : I too have had problems with the PCB board in my Potterton Suprima boiler. I had it inspected independantly the last time the board was replaced, ( for the third time), and it was found to be crystalized, and was told it was due to steam. Since removing the kettle from underneath the boiler the PCB board has lasted longer and is just about to go once again. But at least this time it has lasted about two years. Potterton have denied any problem to myself too.

From : Paul S. 17th October 2008
Comment : I used to work for a company that look after Bryant Homes properties and found that the majority of the properties that were less than 2 yrs old experience the same PCB faults. I would say I would visit around 20 a week.
The fault is not just with this model but the Megaflow system as well.
Be prepared..... the boiler will fail at some point (usually within 2 yrs of commissioning) but Potterton are fully aware that there is a fault, they used to send us new PCB's by the van load !!!!!!!

From : Chris 30th September 2008
Comment : Just for info with a Suprima 60 - came home to a house full of smoke and I mean full - traced it to the PCB in a state of total melt down. Adjacent pressure switch destroyed by fire.
Not clever - approx 3-4 year old boiler, British Gas installed.
Ok you can replace the parts but leaves me wondering how long before a repeat????

From : Paul M. 8th September 2008
Comment : We had a Suprema 170 fitted in 2001. We have not had a single year where this bolier has not failed. All the components and wireing loom have been replaced (at least once). Each time this stops working (usually in the winter months) we are left without heating and hot water for between 2-6 weeks while we wait for engineers to get the correct parts to fix it. I have the extended warranty and renew this each year as it is cheaper than having an some other plumber fix the boiler - however I am tied to the 'heat team' now and have to wait for the engineers each time. This sucks

From : Val 12/08/08
Comment : I have a Potterton Suprima 60 and I am on my 3rd circuit board. The boiler in question is only 6 years old. They do tell me that they have at last got it right with the new circuit boards but we will wait and see. I would never buy another Potterton boiler again.

From : Richard I. 23/06/08
Comment : Suprima 50L installed July 2002. Lockout was occurring at every cycle - more or less. Potterton were unhelpful as no service contract had been entered into with them (Heateam). They also claimed that it could be caused by other factors. Fairly breathtaking assertion in the face of the evidence of a gradually accruing phenomenon. I very recently followed advice on removal of the PCB and then reflowed solder over the main suspect joints I could see - specifically the relays and diodes adjacent (discoloured/scorched area evident) in the middle of the board. I.e where the most deflection would take place assuming the pcb is affected by heat. All seems to work at present - no lockouts in the following 48 hours. However, I expect it to fail again in time as the conditions that may have caused the board to fail will not have changed. I note that the top of the enclosure to the pcb is not vented - in order to exclude dust I assume. I was tempted to modify this (drilling/punching some holes) in order to improve matters, but I thought I'd ask if anyone else has considered this or done it?

From : Jim G. 28/03/08
Comment : I have Potterton Suprima and have had a new circuit board fitted, however, the problem I have is a build up of foreign bodies (possibly calcium) behind the fan which limits the airflow to the circuit board and trips. Can anyone help as this happens monthly.

From : Colin B. 28th February 2008
Comment : I have had the red light flashing for months, now it has failed completely. Potterton are coming to fix it for £299. A work colleague has the same problem but is going the eBay route. I will ask to keep the old pcb & will resolder it in case I need it in the future ! I had a Potterton Netaheat for 20 years with no problems so thought they were a good make.

From : Jim S. 19th February 2008
Comment : I had the classic Suprima boiler lockout problem (flashing red light, reset required) on a 4-year old model. Replaced the PCB myself, using a reconditioned board provided by CET Ltd, based in Herts somewhere (NB this is a board replacement service, you have to send your old clapped-out PCB back to them). Cost about £50, the boiler has now been working well for over 18 months.

From : Simon W. 11th February 2008
Comment : I've just bought a reconditioned/upgraded PCB for my Suprima 40 from an Ebay vendor and it was very straightforward to replace. My lockout problem was not as frequent as some seem to be, so I was trying to plan ahead and get it sorted before it becomes more regular. I have taken some digital pics of the 6-year old PCB that was replaced. I'm no expert, but there definitely appears to be some scorching around some components.

From : Chris 11th January 2008
Comment : I am having the common problems with my Potterton Suprima, red blinking light requiring a reset etc. Contacted Potterton today having written to them and had no reply. They deny that it is a common fault due to a faulty PCB. They said they have had their own experts look into the reported faults and it isn't due to faulty parts. I amazed when a search of the internet reveals so many other people with the same problems! They quoted £299 to come and repair it including parts and labour. (How can they know what the parts will cost without inspecting it - I think because they already know the exact problem, one of their faulty PCB boards) I'm not at all impressed with their attitude and would never buy a Potterton boiler in the future.

From : Keith M. 19th December 2007
Comment : Yyes I did the same thing 5 years ago and resoldered the pcb as it had dry joints on it this gets you a extra 6 months normally then I had to buy a new board, which after nearly five years of faultless work has decided to pack up oh how convienent, Potterton you suck.

From : Matt 23rd November 2007
Comment : I had my circuit board fixed by a potterton engineer in April, its now November and the boiler was hardly used over the summer but is now playing up and the same problem is occuring again, I rang Potterton to ask them to come back out and sort out the problem again but they will now charge for a part that has broke again after they have fixed it 7 months ago. I feel like I am being robbed as they will only replace it with the same part and it will no doubt break in another 5 months.

From : Chowdhury 24th September 2007
Comment :We bought the potterton suprima in 1998. Since then it has been giving problem of locking itself out frequently. My wife initially thought it was because we set the temperature low. We constantly had to reset it. Now it has really broken down. Circuit board is 180 pounds. I can't believe it!! On the top of it labour 50 pounds an hour!

From : Ernie B. 27th August 2007
Comment : Well potterton done as they promised sent an engineer replaced PCB with new one practically rewired the boiler, guess what 6 months to the day the new one has started to play up. Will call them tomorrow and see what excuse they use.

From : Andy 121th April 2007
Comment : First house I bought in 1999 had a Potterton Surprima - packed up and whole boiler was replaced after 8 months. Bought a new house in 2002 with a new Suprima 50 - PCB board failed and replaced via cover plan after 36 months. A few days ago got a reverse problem - the boiler won\'t turn off except at the main switch on the wall ( not the timer ). Currently the house is hotter than Egypt in August as we need hot water but have to have whole system on even with thermo on zero, blinding ! No wonder our manufacturing base in this country is declining. Potterton turn out tosh boilers with a UK wide fault and customer support kicks in when a TV program picks up on it - otherwise they'd have denied all knowledge - buck your ideas up Potterton..

From : John 11th April 2007
Comment : I have a Suprima 100L that was fitted in April/May '99. I have had at least 3 years of problems with the dreaded lockout. I have also had the usual fob off from potterton. I originally relied on the reset button, which would eventually fire it up again, but randomly - sometimes first press, sometimes 50th press and half an hour switched off. I eventually cracked and tried one of the exchange Mk 1 PCBs. That lasted about two months. Then had the new PCB with the full wiring loom fitted. That again started playing up a few months later requiring many callouts and many mystified engineers who seemed to get it to restart by doing nothing other than disconnecting the jacks into the ECU and then re-connecting them and re setting. So I've been doing that for the last 6 months with increasing numbers of lockouts, until it finally died last week - even the timer stopped working. I've now had enough and am going to fit a new make of boiler as well as letting as many people as possible know of the shocking performance of this boiler and of the manufacturer.

From : Keith Dalby 29th March 2007
Comment : I didn't know anything about the Potterton problem until today. I have had boiler problems since I moved into my house (it wasn't a new boiler and I don't know how long the problems existed before I moved in). The boiler refused to light and, when it did, only remained active for a few minutes before locking out again. I actually had a few problems: 1) The pump would stop working. One day I decided to take a look inside the boiler (the circuit board, not the sealed bit) and was astonished when I switched the power on. Sparks, smoke and even flames licked over the circuit board from a dodgy solder joint at the rear. I repaired it, and the pump worked fine. If no other damage was done to the pcb from this event I was very lucky! 2) The boiler started locking out again. I disconneded the thermostat (believing it to be faulty, as implied in the manual) and it worked for a bit BUT I had to set the thermostat on my water tank much lower to make sure there was no damage done by scalding water. A few days later, we played the lockout largo again. 3) I decided (out of despiration) to drain the system. The manual implied that air in the system would prevent the boiler from operating. The boiler behaved itself for a few days, then started locking out again. 4) After basically hotwiring the valve, spark and pump to get the house warm I decided that this was a bigger problem than I could fix. I went on the internet and found hundreds (really, hundreds) of potterton-boiler owners who play the lockout largo regularly. I read that dodgy soldering joints are the prime problem (I can believe that, remember my pump?). I resoldered the pcb and it made no difference, so I guess my problem is a component problem. So.... 5) ... I have just bought a reconditioned pcb on ebay. I'll let you know how it goes. Here are a few suggestions to anyone in the potterton R&D department. IF the constant vibrations of the boiler is damaging the components, fix the PCB to the housing with soft rubber washers so that the board doesn't rattle so much. IF the problem is the heat, how about a heat sink or a cooling fan? Solder joints don't crack on their own, so those two simple things would protect the pcb! When I install my reconditioned pcb (this weekend if it arrives in time) I will be using rubber washers to cussion the board. I will, of course, make sure the washers can take the heat without melting. I recommend all potterton users employ similar methods. BUT, don't sue me if the rubber catches fire and burns your house down - I'm not Corgi registered. In fact, this is a get out clause - don't follow anything I have just said. I am innocent.

From : L 23rd Mar 2007
Comment : I attended my estate's Resident Association AGM and was amazed to hear about the Potterton Boiler issue affecting the estate - I thought it was just my boiler! I've viewed the BBC’s Watchdog website, but it only seems to concern retrospective claims and downloadable letter templates. I have today (23/03/07) contacted Potterton to ask how to proceed with the resolution of the lockout problem. They have informed me that if a call is registered before the end of March 2007 they will send an engineer during April to replace parts (if the problem is the lockout) completely free of charge! Their telephone number is 08706 060780. There is a dedicated team working on this problem and you will need to quote your boiler reference number.

From : Tony Gard 27th Feb 2007
Comment : As a CORGI registered engineer with 26 years experience, I have been aware of the Suprima PCB problem since the boiler first appeared in the late 1990s. I can confirm that the circuit board has been redesigned at least two times that I know of. The latest incarnation is indeed a sealed box with wiring loom that completely rewires the boiler. This work should be carried out by a qualified engineer.
However, I am concerned by reports of cheap reconditioned or 'new' boards purchased from ebay or unrecognised suppliers. Replacements should be NEW genuine Potterton parts.
I would never repair a circuit board for a customer and will only fit new parts.
My public liabilty insurance would be null and void should a reconditioned PCB catch fire in your home. Believe me, this can happen and I have seen it happen.
My advice is to have your boiler regularly serviced or repaired by a CORGI registered engineer.
I am sure CORGI, the boiler manufacturers and anybody linked to the industry would endorse this.

From : Patricia Havelin 23rd Feb 2007
Comment : Hello, We had A Suprima 60 boiler installed in Sept 2001.We started having problems within the first year. We had the pcb board replaced by the original installer. Every year since we have had the same problem, the boiler stopping and starting.In 2005 we paid €212 to try to find the cause. Last Sept we paid €221. Last week we were told we needed a new pcb and were charged €504. Then a friend told me about the BBC programme and now it all falls into place.So it seems replacing these boards does not solve the problem.If I had known I would have had the boiler replaced. I will ask the installer to have a look a this website and try to get him to take the board back.Thank you all Patricia (Dublin)

From : Rob Macleod 20th Feb 2007
Comment : I bought the full kit with wiring loom on E-Bay for 100 quid. I have had no problems since.

From : Mark Keen 20th Feb 2007
Comment : Saw the Watchdog report and thought, "I'm not having any of those problems." It was like telepathy, the following day, the boiler went in to lock out and has been doing in increasing frequency since then - the last two weeks.

I called in an engineer who said they had had four similar cases recently. My new board is on order, I'll keep the site posted.

It's disgusting a company like Potterton should give up it's integrity and deny that there is a common fault on these boilers.

From : Alan Payne 14th Feb 2007
Comment : The PCB on my boiler was replaced p.m. Monday 12.2.07 with a brand new 5111603 PCB complete with wiring. p.m. Tuesday 13.2.07 the boiler failed to ignite even after all the usual rigmerole. Friday will reveal if this PCB has also failed. Watch this space

From : Chris 13th Feb 2007
Comment : Potterton withdrew both of those boards last year. Now you have to buy the full kit comprising the wiring loom. Pottertons excuse was "an integral part of the board had become unavailable" they had to go to another manufacturer and have it re-designed. That was their newsletter to suppliers. I already know of one of the new re-designed boards failing after 5 months.

From : M Duneclift 11th Feb 2007
Comment : Potterton are running a special price on the suprima board at the moment, £180 inc a full years cover on your system(like bg 3star). This is a good price as the board itself retails at around £180.

From : Jeremy 2nd Sep 2006
Comment : good advice,thank you.Have the dreaded lockout syndrome

From : Brian McCarthy 1st Dec 2006
Comment : Hi. Just a quick word of thanks for the detailed information on your site. I've just got my prima 50 back in action after removng the PCB and resoldering dry-joint connections on the Relays and harness connectors. Once the PCB was removed, I inspected it under strong light...applying gentle pressure to the relays on the component side of the board showed fractured solder joints on the solder-side. These were next to impossible to see in normal lighting conditions, but under strong lighting were pretty easy to spot. I resoldered the Relay pins, and for good measure also remade the solder joints on any of the cable harness connectors on the PCB (prior to rework some of these also looked fatigued under inspection). Board was re-fitted to boiler and system fired-up first time. Additional info: Board was date-coded wk22/00...approx 6.5 yrs old. First lock-out occured about 2 yrs ago. Then again about 6 months ago....and has increased in frequency over the last 2 months until it died completely this week. Here's hoping I've seen the end of this problem for another 4-6 yrs !! Thanks again for the info, and especially the hi-res photos.

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