Share

Feedback

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

From : Kay 15th December 2011
Comment : Hi. I am so pleased I have found this site as i could really do with some advice. I have had problems with my Suprima 60L for a few months. 1st problem is when I switch my hotwater my radiators get hot as well which was rather frustrating in the summer. 2nd problem is my pump oftern does not switch off even when nothing is on so I have to reset it. now I have been having a bigger problem. my green light wont go on unless i press the reset and it will not stay on, it keeps going to reset after a few mins I press reset but it keeps happening over and over again. I have just got a reconditioned PCB board and fitted it tonight. well not sure about the hot water issue but once again it goes back to reset after a few mins.
can anyone please advise me what to do as i am totally at a loss what to do. a friend of mine who is used to work as a heating engineer also says he does not know what is wrong.
would really appreciate any advice.
thankyou

From : Craig 12th December 2011
Comment : THANK YOU so much for this website. My Suprima 70 refused to ignite on Saturday night, a call out would have used a huge chunk of our Christmas budget. Previously I have changed the PCB (via Ebay) and so was experienced with the inner workings of the electrical circuitry. The detailed/straightward explanation of common fixes pointed me in the direction of my RED electrode lead. This morning went to PARTS CENTER and bought 'POTT 80407753 Electrode Lead' - £4.93(inc VAT). 5 Mins later, boiler working! 'Nice and Toasty' once again THANK YOU

From : Chris 3rd December 2011
Comment : Fixed mine in a day with change from £3.50 for parts, yes, really, three pounds fifty! Potterton Suprima 50, nine years old, now working fine again with its original PCB. It starting locking out with the flashing red LED on rare occasions, then increasing in frequency to every couple of weeks then daily. Then it reached the point where pressing the reset button caused strange things happening like both lights flashing, relays clattering and then powering off completely until resetting at the power switch. The fix? There are two parts to it. First, all the comments about dry joints and poor solder flow are absolutely correct. If you're an electronics person or you know one, it's absolutely worth soldering everything in sight. Dry joints particularly appear on components which are large like the ignition coil, on components which have moving parts like the relays, components which run hot like large resistors and voltage suppressors and anything with fat pins which flow soldering can't heat up adequately like the sockets for the wiring harness plugs. For clues where the hot components are, inspect the reverse (copper) side of the board for browned areas. The second part of the fix, rectifying what temporarily killed my boiler, involves replacing the electrolytic capacitors on the PCB. The biggest one on the board, C22, is the reservoir capacitor for storing charge for pulsing current through the ignition coil. On my board this had 'burst its base' and torn a leg off. Electrolytic capacitors have a limited lifespan, especially when they work in warm environments, so I replaced all seven of them on the board as a precaution. For reference, they are: C12, 1uF (one microfarad), 100V (one hundred volts). C22, 47uF, 100V. C24, 1uF, 50V. C25, 1uF, 50V. C29, 47uF, 63V. C37, 4.7uF, 63V. C51, Axial, 10uF, 25V. Its worth noting that these capacitors don't have to show any visible signs if they failed, so change them anyway. C51 being axial is mounted flat on the board alongside an IC (chip). All others are radial mounted upright. If you can't obtain identical values for both capacity in microfarads and voltage then increase the voltage but keep the capacity in microfarads the same. Hope this helps a few people!

From : Mike 23rd October 2011
Comment : I have a Suprima 40L fitted into a new build and you guessed it a total waste of Oxygen, time and effort. The thing is only fit for the skip. As for the comment from A on 2 August 2010 all I can say is that the general public do not expect boilers to last a lifetime but do expect them to be of merchantable quality and fit for purpose which these units obviously appear not to be. My last boiler in my previous home gave faultless service for 22 years without any hint of a blip so please save the reverse psychology; are you by any chance a potterton engineer or earn a living applying temporary repairs to these things?

From : Peter 19th October 2011
Comment : Hi, Great website! A quick question rather than feedback if that's ok? When my Suprima (50L) is off, i.e. I'm not heating water or putting heating on, what should the LEDs display in this state? Mine currently just has red ON, is that correct? Kind regards and thanks for any help you might be able to give me. Peter H

From : Tim 19th October 2011
Comment : Thanks for a very useful site. I bought a reconditioned circuit board from Ignite (they are most helpful)and fitted it, as per instructions here, about 6 weeks back. No lockouts since, so far.

From : Glen 16th October 2011
Comment : My Suprima 40 has been bugging me for a couple of years with the red light lockout. It's a 407750 pcb 50/99. It also will randomly turn the pump on in the middle of the day or night, summer or winter, when both the heating and hot water are turned off. It's not the 12/24 hour turn over, in fact I've noted it misses that when this happens, it just keeps the pump running until the reset button is pressed. Strangely enough it behaves fine when it's working flat out in the middle of winter. If I lightly touch or knock on the boiler case will cause it to seems to cause it to switch on or off. Based on what I've read the past few days I might as well replace the whole thing as I'll spend just as much in replacement parts.

From : Tom 29th September 2011
Comment : Father-in-law's boiler (suprima 100) was tripping due to pump not running. Pump wasn't getting power so boiler was overheating. Read this site and immediately traced to dry joints on the PCB where the leads from the front panel are connected via a soldered connector. 20 mins (had to go get an iron) and 2 resolder joints later and it was all back working. £300 saved for the inlaws and major brownie points for me from the wife.

From : Neil 12th September 2011
Comment : Moved into our BOVIS 1999 build 5 bedroom house in 2009. Immediate problems with heating and hot water system. Bovis had installed a Potterton Suprema 50 together with a Boilermate 3. Both these are RUBBISH! The boiler had a new PCB fitted in 2001 and another by us in 2009. As for the Boilermate, I hope it lasts longer than the boiler because the makers have now gone out of business and it's hard to source parts. We have considered replacing the whole system but we don't want to replace a standard bolier with a condensing boiler. Thanks to that idiot John Prescott MP It's now unlawful to fit a conventional boiler into a house. I intend to do so regardless of what the law says, I don't want one of these newer boilers. It's just all a con designed to take more money off people who can't afford it. As for the law - well it can go to hell. I await a visit from the government's thought police - put the handcuffs on.lol

From : 'stuckinstandby' 9th September 2011
Comment : Just a suggestion for your links page: The old Watchdog page is accessible via archive.org's wayback machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20080209045624/http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/homes/homes_20070220.shtml and you can still download the sample letters. Thanks for the site

From : Christine 7th September 2011
Comment : I have a Potterton Suprima that will not turn off. PCB was replaced last year after constant lock outs. Any ideas?

From : Chris 4th July 2011
Comment : Suprima 60L went into lockout last week. Removed the PCB and gave it a visual inspection - the reset button solder joints had cracked and were open circuit. Re-flowed and hey Presto, just saved myself £200! System up and running again.

From : Paul 24th June 2011
Comment : I have an Isar he24 boiler and my insurance company have replaced the thermostat but even though they say need new pcb board they will not replace it...been with them three months..is this fair?Put in an iflo thermostat that can only start by timer but we will have to keep turning off!Please help!

From : Colin 26th May 2011
Comment : I also had the classic flashing red LED lock-out problem with my 12 year old Potterton Suprima 50 a couple of months ago. Following the information I found on this fantastic site, I re-flowed the PCB solder joints and the boiler has been perfect ever since. Great advice, thank you.

From : Peter 19th April 2011
Comment : Hi, may I add my sincere thanks for the site. My 2002 Suprima 100L packed up this morning, and I quickly found you with a web search. The instructions were excellent, in my case (board has discrete reset button) there were brown burn marks around a couple of diodes near the centre of the board signalling an intermittent connection. Cleaned up, re-soldered (plus a number of other clearly skimped joints!) and all working fine. Whilst I note the professional view of "amateur tampering" could cause a fire, I clearly have prevented one today. I just don’t understand how Potterton could have got their quality control so wrong!

From : James 21st March 2011
Comment : Our Potterton Suprima 80 is getting on for 15 years old now and has been generally reliable. Over the last few months it\'s been locking out, and these incidents have been getting more frequent. I've never been able to catch it going into this state until last weekend when it locked out whilst i was walking past and then wouldn't restart after a reset. This time the boiler was running and just stopped with the red light flashing. When i pressed on the panel holding the PCB, a relay clicked and the boiler could then be restarted. Yesterday I took out the PCB, checked it and found several dry, cracked joints, specifically around J6 and the relays. I remade the bad joints, cleaned up the board, checked all the connections and put the board back in. So far no problems after a good number of on / off cycles. Thanks for keeping this site going - very useful info.

From : He 7th February 2011
Comment : My suprima packed up in 2007 just before xmas, BG came out changed CB to new style CB & still did not work, they would have to come out to do other parts, no heating or hot water over xmas & new year, a few men out but BG just kept telling me next day and no one came.....in the new year 2008 finaly the first engineer came back,fitted all the new bits,still not working..so he changed the New CB to another new CB, seemed the first new CB was faulty,so`all ok......3 years on, back to square one,red light and locking out...not long serviced, so looks like it needs a new CB, although Refurbished one is the way to go,then have this one refurbished to be ready for the next one.

From :Paul 4th February 2011
Comment : I have a Suprima 40L boiler which has the encapsulated 'Siemens' PCB. Recently the green / amber / red status lights have gone on the blink with just a dim flickering red showing permanently - the boiler seems to function normally otherwise. I've tried reseating plugs and checked for any cracked soldered joints to no avail. Presumably this is a purely PCB fault? Does anyone know of a fix at individual component level?

From : Purdita 24th January 2011
Comment : Not a PCB problem, but may be of interest. My 4 year old Suprima 60 worked fine until the day water started poring out of it. After switching off the electrics and draining down the system the water flow stopped. I suspected the primary heat exchanger because that was where the water appeared to be coming from, or thereabouts, as there was also water around the fan gasket. With the gaitor to the fan disconnected I commenced removal of the fan. At this point further water flow commenced which could be seen coming out of the gaitor fitting, so probably not the primary heat exchanger! After yet a third 'flood' of the kitchen floor the problem was found to be a partially blocked gutter downpipe on the outside wall. The condensate pipe from the boiler feeds into this downpipe at a point just above a connection to a water butt. This connector had trapped sycamore seeds and during heavy rain (which we had been experiencing) restricted the flow of rain water to such a degree that this water flowed back up the condensate through the secondary heat exchanger and out through the gaitor/fan connector. After clearing the blockage and a thorough drying out of the boiler, especially the electrics, the system has worked fine for the past four weeks.

From : Nigel L 22nd December 2010
Comment : Finally bought the replacement control panel for my suprima 40L. £200 for the complete unit. Not too bad to fit, I made a drawing of where wires came from for re assembly. Only thing I was unsure about was the earth lead needed to be attached to the unit body before attaching to burner housing and ignitor electrode needed to be attached to the spade connector at the back of the unit. Both were the short leads, as there are two options for each lead, the long leads are for "100" models. I did not have to remove the fan, just reach around behind to locate cables. Good luck all

From : Katy 22nd December 2010
Comment : We have had problems with our boiler 'locking out' for a few months, we have replaced the pcb and got a new thermostat. whenever the engineer comes back after we have reported it still doesn't work, it works perfectly for him, therefore making it very difficult to find the actual fault. Continous only means max of 1 hour - with the timer you are lucky to have anything come on at all, resetting for a good hour before I give up. It makes all the right sounds but nothing lights. At the moment, with the cold spell, you can feel the warmth from outside when you open the front door - that is how cold the house is! Understand that we will get problems, but not being able to solve them and being a few hundred pounds out of pocket is very frustrating.

From : Andrew 7th December 2010
Comment : Hannah: Had this problem last year. Turned out to be the valve head positioner. (box type thing on the pipework in the airing cupboard). Twas changed and worked perfectly.

From : Dave 4th December 2010
Comment : Service manual I found on internet: http://www.partsarena.co.uk/baxi/System/DATA/Dx/DS1/installation/2221/I04-2221/I04-2221.htm#z7faultfindingguide

From : Phil 26th November 2010
Comment : My Suprima 60 has worked perfectly for 5 years until today. The light sequence is off,off, flash which means burner off but the fans are still running. No heat is being delivered and then it will suddenly provide heat. Called a different plumber to installer who says it has not been installed properly as there should be 5 wires connecting pump in airing cupboard upstairs with the bolier and we only have 3. He is suggesting PCB fault and run an extra pair of wires. Anyone come across this before?

From : Martin 25th November 2010
Comment : The link to the BBC Watchdog website doesnt give anything about Potterton boilers anymore. Hunting the Watchdog website for Potterton doesn't show anything - has the BBC removed the article and letter?

From : Hannah 19th November 2010
Comment : I have a Potterton Suprima 60L boiler that will not turn off. The timeswitch appears to be completely ineffectual and the heat and water will not switch off! Nice and hot, but dreading the gas bill! Any ideas??

From : Peter J 16th November 2010
Comment : boiler kept going into lockout(red light flashing)i hope i have found the problem(time will tell)the reset button moved sideways to easily so -soldering iron,flux,solder 2minutes job done. hope it works for others it certainly stopped my wife saying get another plumber in

From : Burlesy 10th November 2010
Comment : I had the classic flashing red LED lock-out problem with my 10 year old Potterton Suprima 60 a couple of months ago. Following the information I found on this fantastic site, I re-flowed the PCB solder joints and the boiler has been perfect ever since. Great advice, thank you.

From : Jon S 23rd October 2010
Comment : Well, I wish i'd known about this site 2 years ago! I've just read about fixing the PCB - 20 mins later and a little bit of solder and the disco that was the boiler is now fixed! Hot water & heating when it is supposed to come on! Woo Hoo!!!!!

From : Kerry 21st October 2010
Comment : I have been having same lockout problems last 12 months however boiler only installed on 21.3.07. Complained to builders and plumbing company responsible as am finding more info. They are not interested. I am wondering if they can be sued for not fitting condenser boiler after 2005. They would have been well aware of the problems with these boilers. I feel I have been taken for a fool.

From : Ed L 6th October 2010
Comment : Hi, i'm experiencing the familiar lockout issue with my 11yr old Suprima 40. The PCB has the tell-tale scorch marks in the centre; I suspect that the MOSFET is the cause - anyone tried fitting a heat-sink to it? There are businesses dedicated to repairing these boards, and I expect they know the cause intimately.

From : Kevin W 1st October 2010
Comment : we have a suprima 60 and virtually every two years it goes in to this common fault of needing resetting more and more till failure. So we replace the PCB each time (4 or 5 times now) and it will run fine for another two years - What a great money making scheme Potterton thought of .... think i'll keep and repair if poss the old PCB using the info on this site so i have spare all ready for next time !!

From : Nigel 26th September 2010
Comment : Really helpful site. I have been experiencing the same lockout problems as many others. I have Just taken my pcb out and found a solder hole only partly filled/attached. I have carefully re soldered the pin in position so fingers crossed, the boiler is running again (for now, and hopefully for good). Just to say I couldn't have done it without the explanations and diagrams from your site. Thank you all

From : Lee R 22nd September 2010
Comment : I've seen this problem. Changed to new style PCB board and no more problems

From : Ann Johnston 14th September 2010
Comment : Have a Potterton Suprima 40 in a flat we have recently bought. Probably 10 years old. Usual lock out problems. Want to get a reconditioned PCB to try before going for a new boiler. Where can I get one (reliable source) and what info do I need to provide to get the right one.

From : Emma H 18th August 2010
Comment : We bought a new Potterton Suprima 120L in Nov 2002 and it worked fine until about the summer of 2008 when it started 'locking out' once in a while so didn't cause undue worry. By summer of 2009 it started happening more frequently so called a plumber out 2/3 times who couldn't identify the problem because it was always working when he came! Since then it's been happening a lot more regularly and when I called a different plumber out to service it this summer he told me about the Watchdog programme and the controversy surrounding Potterton boilers. That's when I went online and found out the true extent of the problem. The boiler has finally locked out completely and won't come back on when I press the reset button so it looks like we'll have to go the route of a new pcb. I would get a new boiler but don't want a combi or condensing one. Does anyone know of a different/superior make of fan assisted flue gas boiler?

From : Lilian 18th August 2010
Comment : A new Suprima 120 came with the house we bought in 2000. We have had 10 years of nothing but trouble. Constant lockouts resulting in no heating or hot water. We have a British Gas contract and engineers have practically rebuilt/replaced every part with no lasting results. Our latest problem saw us resetting the boiler 4/5 times a day. British Gas have now installed a more powerful pump (our 3rd) which is a Grundfos 25-55 180 and......4 weeks of no problems. Now we'll see what happens once we put the heating on.

From : A 2nd August 2010
Comment : glad to see this site is promoting illegal gas work. just hope you dont get any electrical fires like a customer of mine did today after following the advise on here. Why are you all such scrooges, youve all had a good few years without any problems now its cost you a few quid. the issues with the pcb's are no worse than on other makes of boilers, they were just marketed as a contract boiler to the new build sites, and neighbours talk and word spreads. you all have this presumtion that a boiler is supposed to last a life time....anything over 10 years and your on borrowed time. i too have a suprima and love it, its nice and simple, easy to work on and ompared to some boilers 'relativly reliable'. also noone on here had mentioned checking the boiler is wired and plumbed properly. ie is a bypass fitted, is pump wired back to boiler etc..

From : Kevin S 20th July 2010
Comment : Hello, Please note the link to Peter Porter Electronics Ltd is now dead (went into administration). We are a new company operating from the same premises, our company name is Ignite Heating Spares Ltd and our website is www.igniteheatingspares.co.uk We would appreciate it if you could place a link on your webpage ... We can offer 10% discount to people if they mention Suprimafix when ordering.

From : Lilian 15th June 2010
Comment : Bought our existing renovated house almost exactly 10 years ago with new Suprima 120 boiler (mega flow system) already installed. Have had nothing but problems with boiler lock out. Fortunately managed to procure a British Gas HomeCare agreement in 2007 and the boiler has practically been rebuilt. EVERYTHING has been replaced, pump (3 times), pcb (3 times), spark plugs, fan, ignition board & leads, gas pipe from mains to property and still boiler lock out. Until last week boiler needed to be reset several times a day (it seemed to be more frequent when central heating was not needed) then last weekend boiler gave up completely. No lights at all and would only show signs of life if mains was turned off and on. Today the pcb and spark plugs were replaced and a commercial sized pump installed (Grundfos 25-55 180)and we have had no lock outs for the past 8hrs - amazing. Am keeping everything crossed that this could finally be the end of our boiler problems. If not, then the 28mm pipes will be replaced by the (now) recommended 35mm pipes to see if that solves the problem.

From : David S 3rd June 2010
Comment : Hello. Had the same lock out problems as mentioned. Got a recon pcb for my potterton 40L boiler from ebay (sarumlady - nice guy too and very helpful !). Worked fine for about 11 months, then would not ignite the flame. I wrongly thought it was the pcb (sarumlady sent me another !!) but it turned out to be the gas valve which I got replaced by a corgi engineer - £185 for valve and fitting. However, it appears that the boiler keeps turning on by itself (spooky!!) even when both the switches are not on (also, I completely took off the programmer and it still came on !). Anyone have an idea what's happening please ???

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.

Please use this form to let us know your thoughts on this site, your experiences and your suggestions.

© copyright 2006-2011 all rights reserved CozWeb Solutions Ltd