NEW BOILER PROBLEMS All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[arseneknows]

hi guys,i had a new boiler fitted a few months back(potterton suprema he) and in the last few weeks the boiler has failed to fire up in the morning.so the house is freezing when we wake up,i have to reset the boiler to make it work.

the boiler has a light indicator sequence so you can diagnose your own problem and the sequence tells me its 'overheat' but surely thats not right as its stone cold ist thing in the morning and it never fails to work in the afternoon though which is weird.

the boiler was fitted diy style by the father in law so im worried about calling potterton.

any ideas guys??

[htg engineer]

It wouldn't do any good phoning potterton anyway, because your boiler warranty is void as it is a DIY installation. If you tell them it's a DIY installation and they report you - you could be in for a hefty fine.

The only information i'm willing to give to any gas DIYers is - DIY gas work is illegal - don't use it and get it checked out by a CORGI registered installer.

They should be able to check it has been fitted correctly and repair the fault.

[arseneknows]

it has been checked and i also have a corgi certifcate on all gas in house.

[arseneknows]

the instalation has been checked and i have a corgi certificate to prove it.

[peter the plumber]

I don’t know where to start with his.

I hoped the days of diy gas work were over.

Ok first your guarantee is worthless, you need a cert from the installer for the guarantee and insurant.

You don’t have one.

So your home contents and building insurants is now invalid. If the house burns down, I am sure your insurant company will find out about the boiler and refuse to pay out.

I do know what wrong with it, but I am not going to take the risk of telling you.

Get a corgi cert eng out and test the whole system.

[arseneknows]

peter,the corgi man has checked the boiler the cooker and the gas meter with a gas leak tester and has certified all gas work as safe.

since then the boiler has the problems ive mentioned,what is the point of the forum if you cant or wont help me,ok i admit i went the wrong way about getting my boiler fitted ,but in my defence had it checked and certified with no problems by a corgi registered gas fitter.

my problem has nothing to do with gas its more than likely an airlock i imagine,but i just want a bit of help.......please.

[htg engineer]

You're not very convincing:

"boiler was fitted diy style by the father in law so im worried about calling potterton"

"the instalation has been checked and i have a corgi certificate to prove it"

So if you have the certificate then why are you worried about calling potterton ?.........

You may have a service certificate but without the installation one your boiler warranty is VOID.

No CORGI registered installer would issue a installation certificate if the boiler was not installed by themselves.

So trying to save abit money by doing a DIY installation hasn't really saved you much, as it will cost you for repairs that would normally be done under warranty and if you're reported yourself and your father-in-law will receive hefty fines. Him for doing the work and you because you know he's not CORGI registered.

If the house blows up or someone is killed you's both face long jail sentences, again him for doing the work and you because you're the home owner and it's your responsibilty to ensure all gas appliances are safe and kept in a safe working order, and installed and checked by CORGI registered installers.

So - call potterton and let us know what happens. But there's no-one on here that'll give advice to a DIYer that thinks they can work on gas and that's willing to put themselves and their family at risk.

[thedoctor]

To add to the above comments, if you have a boiler that is fitted by someone who cannot prove competance in this area, ie a CORGI fitter, your house insurance is not valid.

We do every single thing possible on this web site to aid DIY'ers but messing with lives is well beyond the call of duty. I do not want to delete all previous posts but we would be grateful if no more air timne was given to this guy please.

[arseneknows]

maybe if you plumbers were more honest,and not so greedy i wouldnt have had yo use this route.

well whoever buys my house as its on the market right now will have the same problems ,so im sure you will be just as helpful if he or she asks you how to get rid of the airlock that it probably is.

[bobplum]

dear sir the reason corgi engineers / plumbers are greedy your words not mine is because the intial training cost a lot of money, the on going training cost money and they have to put their name to a certificate and your familys lives are in there hands when they carry out their work
you cut corners and now its back firing
i hope you get the problem solved but please dont a have a go at proffesional engineers

[marrtin]

Well arseneknows, it's nice to know how much you appreciate those of us who voluntarily give our free time and expertise to help users of this forum save money.

Merry Christmas

[peter the plumber]

The main problem is training costs are too high.

On gas, the courses and tests are about £2000.

You have retest and up date very 3 years and that’s another £1000

And that’s after you have competed the city and guilds training program. (4 years costing £5000)

All plumbers get stuck on training for at least a week a year and they all cost money. If we are not working we do lose money.

Then there the running and operations costs. (Tools, insurants, fuel, tax, vans and advertising)

I don’t think anyone is cheating anyone; gas is a high cost business to run.

I think if a caperers had the same costs has us, a price on a new floor would go up by 30%

[DONFRAMAC]

Is this boiler range not the exact one that was and is continuing to be featured in the BBC Watchdog complaints programme, with repeated PCB ( printed circuit board ) problems, with Potterton still issuing PCB's on extended warranty, as they admitted a fault to British Gas in 2003, without letting the public know until the BBC featured it ???
Apparently the PCB has eventually been redesigned, with a new part number, and customers are advised not to use the old part (a complete control panel/circuit assy., I believe).