Potterton Suprima tripping out

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Some of the "resistors" on a suprima board are fusible types, eg the ones to the gas valve. If you get it wrong you impact the safety of the boiler. Which is why you should stick to manufacturer's bits. There are loads of different Suprima board versions, which doesn't help. I did bsc and many years electronic design, so I know enough not to go foolin about with someone else's design!
 
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Yes you are of course right, but have desoldered them to test.

Red 2
Purple 7
Orange 3
White 0.01
Silver 10%
Gold looks like
BUT Orange? 15

here
and here
seem useful sites

Have a Maplin Catalogue and they don't do 6 band types.

Having said that have r-soldered PCB and 3 hours later all seems to be working - BUT obviously the acid test will be after a day, then week or So!

Also found a place in Watford that does exchange Boards for £36 + VAT

:D
 
"but have desoldered them to test. "
So how did you test the temperature stability, the tolerance if it wasn't marked, whether or not it was a fusible resistor...

And you got your colours wrong.

Pr*t!
 
RobD said:
My boiler keeps tripping out. About once every day or two it goes into standby mode (red light flashing) and refuses to do anything untill the reset button is pressed.
What might cause this????? :rolleyes:


In my case, when the cover open the boiler burn nicely, when the cover close, the flume stop and red led flashing. I turn the gas jet quaterly clock wise. the boiler burn perfect. (I bought 2 termometer spring clip to the out put pipe and return pipe to watch the result. out 60c the boiler red led on;no flashing and when it read 55c the boiler burn again. perfect.
 
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hi all , i've had the same problem.suprima 30 boiler . eventually looked at the pcb found charring in the centre of board around two diodes. resoldered and cleaned the charing as well as possible. worked well for 4 months problem has reapeared.

resoldering tracks sounds good.
 
SAME PROBLEM WITH MY BOILER (locking out) ONLY 13 MONTHS OLD
FOUND MANY BAD SOLDER JOINTS AROUND DIODES WHICH COULD BE FIXED, BUT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX BAD JOINTS ON THE SURFACE MOUNTED COMPONENTS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOARD...
ANSWER ??? BOUGHT NEW BOARD FROM KEEPTHEHEATON.COM FOR
£150. PROBLEM SOLVED. MORAL OF THE STORY...DON'T BUY A POTTERTON..

STEADYGO :(
 
Having had a recurring problem with our Suprima60 bolier it has taken me less than 45 minutes to find over 102 separate postings on the net through google all having similar or identical boiler problems.

This story began with a chance meeting with a neighbour who had the same resetting problem, he showed me a letter from Potterton denying and knowledge of a problem with their pcb.

The next listing I found was from Roger Hume who had listed a reply from Potterton as follows:

Dear Mr Hume,
I was concerned to learn of the difficulties you are experiencing with your boiler and am sorry for any inconvenience caused to you as a result.
After speaking with our Technical Department I can confirm that there are no known faults with the PCB or indeed with any of the components on the Suprima 50 boiler. If you would like to speak to them about any concerns you have with your boiler you can contact them on 08706 049049.
Regards,
Jess Nunn
Baxi Heateam.
[email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr Hume,
I have to reiterate that there is no known fault with the PCBs. The problem maybe due to another component either on the system or the boiler. (eg. The gas valve may take out the PCB).
It is easy for people to put faults down to the PCB on any boiler. But a replacement board may not ultimately cure the problem. First the engineer must carry out basic checks for shorts on component directly linked to the PCB.
Regards,
Jess Nunn
Baxi Heateam

I think Potterton's customer liasion need to consider very carefully how they reply to people asking specific questions about their Suprima range as the information I gleaned from the net in a very short time is common knowledge and to my present knowledge their is nothing on the net listed by Potterton refutting this. Why is this? I am not an electrical engineer or heating engineer but surely a reputable company, as I thought Potterton was when I purchased the boiler, is not allowed to supply an item that seems to be faulty or at least has parts which are not up to the job.

Saying all that the Potteron Suprima 60 does its job well. But as their customer services say its eay to put the blame on the pcb. Why's that, I fear the problem could be is POTTERTON's POOR QUALITY CONTROL and is this what any buyer wants from any bolier supplier?
[/quote]
 
I have also been told by Potty that they don't have a reliability problem on their Suprima PCB. BO LOCKS! One obvious thing is that the holes on the pcb are too big, where the component leads go through. Same on the puma boards. Clear as day to anyone who's ever been involved in pcb design . Then there's poorly supported components on longer leads than they might be, and too much current taken through too little conductor...
Keep meaning to look at the latest boars to see if the holes are smaller.
 
My Potterton Suprima 30 cut out on the odd occasion. Then I woke up one morning to find the external fuse had blown. I replaced this and it blew again.

It did not blow when I disconnected the overheat thermostat, but the boiler does not work with this disconnected. I took out the PCB and saw discolouration on the traces and around some diodes. The soldering quality on the board was poor. It looked like nearly every joint had been overheated. I suspect that some of the components had been damaged by this.

I bought an new board. The new board is of identical design but the soldering is of a higher standard. The boiler now works.

I think that Potterton should replace the badly soldered boards for free. They can not possibly that there has not been not a problem with the PCB's.

I am not a heating engineer, but I was a bit reluctant to pay for an expensive repair on a product that should not have failed in this way after 3 years. The PCB cost me £145. So I saved on the engineers mark up plus the labour.

I should not have had to pay anything.

I think I will steer clear of Potterton boilers; very poor quality control.
 
Has anyone else had experience of problems with a Baxi Potterton Suprima 120L wall mounted natural gas boiler?We had a new Suprima 120L fitted in November 2002 since when we have had a catalogue of problems including explosive ignition, and incomplete combution giving high levels of carbon monoxide.
We have have numerous visits from Potterton engineers and as, the appliance is now out of guarantee, from British Gas Homecare engineers, in which most parts have been replaced apart from the heat exchanger itself.
The last part to be replaced was the burner element, after which the problems seemed to be fixed.
Now after only 2 months of OK service, there is a new problem.
The pump continues to operate after the boiler shuts off, for hours unless you swith off at the wall and reset the boiler with the red button.
The Heateam have been less sympathetic to our plight.
So I ask if anyone else has had similar problems with a Suprima 120L.
Generally, Baxi Potterton have a good reputation in the trade so I wondered if we just have a one-off rogue boiler, or whether there is a more widespread experience from which we can learn.
We really are at the end of our tether with this boiler.
 
I just asked the below today and seeing this looks like I should go for something else - another make!



-----------------
I am getting my boiler replaced and have been suggested a Potterton Suprima L

one company quoted for a 60,000 btu
another go for an 80,000 btu

Q Are these any good?

(is that the ones mentioned above prima - or is that different??)

Q and is it better to go for the bigger btu one - or will that cause problems????


Thanks
 
My Potterton suprima is around 5 years old and has been nothing but trouble. The heat exchanger failed within 15 months shortly followed by the gas valve needing replacement. After three years use it started to developed the intermittent tripping as featured on these pages. Various engineer visits failed to sort the problem because of it's intermittent nature. Potterton did not want to know about this or any of the previous problem mentioned despite being just out of warranty. After reading this forum I checked the circuit board for dry joint and found around 20 poorly soldered or dry joints; resoldering the joints has successfully solved the problems for now. My advise is don't buy a Potterton the prouducts are poorly made and the after sale support is diabolical. I shall buy German next time! :cry: :(
 
Whether or not this approach to repairing PCBs works or not, you need to bear in mind the manufacturers' likely position.

Most will allege that their boards contain 'highly complex electronics' (mostly not true, compared for example with a PC mother board but never mind...) and MUST NOT be repaired or modified in any way except by people they approve-of. Any 'approved list' would not include customers! In fact, I doubt it would ever include anyone except the company which made the PCB (which is NEVER the same as the label on the boiler!).

They will also absolve themselves of ANY responsibility for safety or correct working of any 'non-virgin' PCB, leaving the user or owner out on a limb. For example, with your home insurance policy invalidated if the boiler somehow causes damage, by whatever means.

You may ask why PCB designs are such crap. The answer unfortunately is because there's no real pressure for them to be better!

Similarly, manufacturers can get away with not repairing failed PCBs and selling only new ones at astronomic prices. They do because they can!

It'sexactly the same logic as for my crappy dishwasher. The basic mechanics and electrics are fine although the machine is 8 or so years old. The problem is the stupid plastic moulded wheels and rollers supporting the trays in the machine. There are about 20 in total and they are all falling apart. Replacements cost upwards of 2 pounds EACH. The maker knew they were total crap and would wear out quickly. They also knew that they were the only source of replacements and customers would eventually calculate that their machines were beyond economic repair and would buy a new one. Well in this case it will NEVER be made by Electrolux - but that's just one customer's decision.

Go figure!
 
please can some one tell me why baxi-potterton have redesigned the pcb on suprima model and why does the over heat snap off in fingers when trying to remove push on leads.
to fit new pcb is a bit of a job as all leads need to be changed,very trickey if boiler is hot.
pcb is now in kit form,in a big box,lots of instructions and leads.......
good luck all you suprima owners...
 
I assume you're talking about the replacement PCB kit for the Suprima 120L model - yup - when I ordered a new PCB I got the box with the metalweork, the wire, 2 boards, replacement mains filter, etc. I guess someone decided the original had a problem that could not be fixed without recabling... but I've no idea what that was.

AFAIK, the smaller Suprima models are not getting the same treatment.
 

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