OP, instead of speculating the PCB (printed circuit board) to be defective, why not carry out a systematic check to conclude where the fault lies.
Fact. Pilot lights followed by delayed (mercury vapour switch operating) burner lighting. Then burner goes out.
Get hold of a wiring diagram and check backwards from the gas valve to reach a point where power for the gas valve is interupted. Then check, verify and replace that component. It could well be the PCB. It could be any other component in the chain
I hope this will help someone in the future, The problem is solved but I'm not sure why.
It was the pump.
I was sure it was working because the spindle was spinning (through the vent cap) and sounded good with the screwdriver to my ear. So sure was I, that changing it hurt, but change it I did and it and the whole thing works a treat, back to normal.
So I now tested / stripped the old pump. It spins, the impeller is still attached to the motor and no sludge / scale so who ********* knows.
I do appreciate the safety concerns so my 'neighbour' corgi man has come round and done a CO leak test for a nifty
Thanks for all the help Gents (and Ladies perhaps)
Can anyone offer any theory to explain why the pump could cause this? All I can come up with is a U/S pump causing an overtemp trip in the boiler, but the description from the OP seems to indicate that the old pump 'should have been' pumping OK (no signs of blockage, and spinning under its own power).
(This is particularly interesting for me because I have a relative with the same boiler with very similar symptoms. I've reluctant to recommend replacing a pump that shows no signs of a fault, without a better understanding of how this caused the problem.)
By the way, what's the going rate for the mercury vapour switch?
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