Potterton Puma 80 trips socket ring

[gregchivs]

Hello folks

We returned from a weekend away to a fused socket ring the other week. Managed to get the ring back on but it continued to trip until, eventually we tracked it down to the above. By the time we'd traced it to the puma the fault had developed to the point where it immediately tripped the ring whenever we powered it up.

Had a Corgi bloke round and he traced it to the PCB which he replaced. Initially he had some problems getting things working because of a short "round the back". Anyways - all seemed fine until two days later when it tripped the socket ring again. Once again we've now got to the point where we can't power the thing up without tripping the ring.

Has anyone a guess on what might be causing this? Have we now got a second kn**kered PCB? Was it even a PCB problem in the first place?

Cheers

 

[ChrisR]

It's often water getting somewhere it shouldn't - have a look inside the boiler and sniff around. (Two screws underneath then the front lifts up and off). Most likely otherwise is the pump.

The pcb's are short-lived but not as short as that - and I've never known one blow a trip.

 

[JohnD]

Just to check - you say "fused".

Is the thing that trip/blows:

A fuse
An MCB
An RCD

Or, what is written/engraved on the thing that trips?

 

[gregchivs]

Thanks Chris.

John,
Forgive me - I'm not too great with electrical TLAs but the thing that trips/fuses is the group on my circuit board that relates to "sockets" as opposed to lights. I have a "throw" lever for the cooker and one for the rest of the sockets. When the Puma is switched of it throws the lever that covers the whole socket group to "off" at the main board next to my meter. I believe this throw-switch is the successor to the old pull-out fuse-with-wire arrangement.

Greg

 

[JohnD]

what is written/engraved on the thing that trips?

 

[Addi]

Take off front cover and drop down front panel. Look to the left and you will see a brass valve with two pipes going to it which houses a diaphragm. It has spindle coming off to the right with a microswitch screwed into end. This is most probably leaking and water dripping onto main terminal block which is directly below it. To be replaced only the cold water inlet requires isolating on entry to boiler and HW system drained.

 

[gregchivs]

Thanks Addi - bloke returned last night and, sure enough, we spotted the leak you were talking about. He's returning with the part so hopefully that will be an end to it. Wish I'd discovered you blokes earlier but I will now stick around and try and help out with the IT forums - that's more my line of work!

 

[ChrisR]

Gawd, forgot about those!