HELP REQ'D URGENTLY - Boiler PCB

[Agile]

The reality of the situation the OP described, is that its impossible to tell if its the PCB or the fan unless you have a scope.

The WB service engineer can change parts until the boiler works. Us independents cannot do that economically.

Worse is that changing the PCB could result in blowing the new PCB if the fan is faulty.

For most independents the best action would be to recommend a W-B fixed repair to the customer.

Tony

 

[lagunaglen]

Dont think most sparkies would have a clue about superimposed rails and all that other gubbins,jesus,best get an electrical diploma now.
Personally i phone tech helpline who should (but not always) be able to help me trace the exact fault.
If im unhappy with their results or sceptical i will phone and get someone to double check.

 

[mattylad]

The comments in this thread explain why every electrical fault my combi's have had I have fixed myself because the engineers didn't have a clue.

Come on guys, they are not just gas piping any more, they have complicated electronics inside them & if your going to call yourself heating engineers then you need to get upto speed in current technologies & have the appropriate tools. This is what us customers pay you for.

Or would you still expect a big call out fee while not being able to provide the service?

 

[Gasguru]

We are boiler engineers, not electronics technicians

Well you'd better start learning....if you don't move with the times you have no future in the industry repairing boilers.

Manufacturers can either plug in external diagnostics kit, put the boiler into further diagnostics modes (that you don't have access to) or throw parts at it (that cost them peanuts).

I suggest you read up on oscilloscopes, but a better idea would be to enrol on a part time electronics course.

Oscilloscopes will tell you far more than multimeters will ever do. As Tony said they are getting very cheap for the handheld variety.

Look at the garage trade...most engine diagnostics centers have probably had to spend 10k plus on test gear to work on current vehicles.

 

[Agile]

The dinosaurs eventually became extinct!

 

[ollski]

Come on guys, they are not just gas piping any more, they have complicated electronics inside them & if your going to call yourself heating engineers then you need to get upto speed in current technologies & have the appropriate tools. This is what us customers pay you for.

Complicated electronics we don't need to get involved with, simply diagnose a faulty part and replace it. ffs we don't need to know a wheatstone bridge is relaying the correct current we simply change the board, Tony comes at it from a slight angle of his background and hobbies and has an interest in the electronics operation....I really don't.

The only thing that would have picked up the op's intermittent fault initally is some sort of vulcan mind melt.

 

[nickso]

The only thing that would have picked up the op's intermittent fault initally is some sort of vulcan mind melt.

or tony's 100% repair record.

 

[mattylad]

Or diagnosing that it was actually the fan that had gone faulty & not the pcb perhaps?

You don't have to get right down to complicated component level (although that would be better) just be able to test & diagnose correctly & if there are devices such as the hall effect one on the fan as mentioned then you do need to be able to use a simple scope to diagnose the fault correctly.

What would you do if the board change did not work after charging the customer hundreds? charge them hundreds more for the fan?

 

[shambolic]

This is the samefor Ideal Isars and icos etc as they display an L8 fault which can be PCb or fan or fan harness. putting a new pcb into a faulty fan scenario or vice versa will result in new component "blowing"
Remember a BG engineer doing this 5 times before he replaced both at same time. As new fan kept being blown by old pcb then new pcb blown by fan etc etc.

 

[Deleted member 105431]

"
Remember a BG engineer doing this 5 times before he replaced both at same time. As new fan kept being blown by old pcb then new pcb blown by fan etc etc.

why am I not surprised? Over a grands worth of parts ruined. . . .

 

[Corgigrouch]

It is common for a faulty PWM or Inverter motor to take out the control board but I have never encountered a faulty board that has taken out a motor.

I'm afraid that I'm a bit of an anorak too as I carry a little Velleman single channel scope in the van too

 

[gas4you]

Yes but you don't try to ram down our throats how much better you are than the rest of us

I've no problem if you are clever enough, or interested enough to want to use a scope, I personally wouldn't even know how to use/read one and I certainly haven't the time or inclination to want to get to know how to use one either.

I do however use software on my laptop for diagnosis if avilable.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Yes but you don't try to ram down our throats how much better you are than the rest of us

Ha! You aint met me yet.... I am the heating god!!

Truth is sometimes you know what the fault is, sometimes you find what the fault is and sometimes you are just damned lucky.

I can see a time where manufacturers will provide a diagnostic port to plug your laptop in using their own software to see what the boiler is doing and what it thinks it is doing, rather like cars do but even automotive software does not tell you exactly what is wrong all of the time and can only suggest where to look, most garages will just take their best shot and swap all related parts and hope that it is not the wiring loom

 

[Gasguru]

I can see a time where manufacturers will provide a diagnostic port to plug your laptop in using their own software to see what the boiler is doing and what it thinks it is doing, rather like cars do but even automotive software does not tell you exactly what is wrong all of the time and can only suggest where to look, most garages will just take their best shot and swap all related parts and hope that it is not the wiring loom

Don't bank on it, the independent garage trade is in trouble, couple that with the threat of 4-2-2 MOT testing and they are very worried.

 

[Agile]

I can see a time where manufacturers will provide a diagnostic port to plug your laptop in using their own software to see what the boiler is doing and what it thinks it is doing, rather like cars do but even automotive software does not tell you exactly what is wrong all of the time and can only suggest where to look, most garages will just take their best shot and swap all related parts and hope that it is not the wiring loom

Many current boilers already have a diagnostic port although most limit this to looking at the fault history.

Its not greatly caught on as they charge about £60-£200 for the program and interface cable and if you are only dealing with one Halstead its not worth it. Biasi dont even offer it in the UK.

Tony