Yet another Potterton Suprima question!

[Migs73]

I have read possibly all the threads and blogs about the Suprima issues but can't find any that help with my current problem. It is a Suprima 70l with the new Siemens type PCB, and locks out with a solid red LED sometimes every few minutes, sometimes every few days. When the red LED comes on and you hold down the reset button for 10s I get the fault code of one flash orange, them 10 red flashes. I cannot find this fault code anywhere on the web. The boiler resets fine but the time it runs for without failing again seems competely random.Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Gas2Air]

Who fitted the PCB?

 

[Migs73]

I replaced the PCB in desperation a few weeks ago but the fault has remained. So same fault on two PCBs, the previous PCB was the original factory one.

Thanks

Edit: having said that it is the original wiring loom etc. I just swapped the PCB, although I did receive a full wiring loom etc with the new board.

 

[Migs73]

What do you want from us then?

I would like to know if anyone can tell me what the fault code on the PCB means? If I wasted (looks like I did) £200 on a PCB then so be it, but if I can get to the bottom of the boiler issue and repair it myself, then I may have saved that amount by not getting a heating engineer out. Of course I may a still need a heating engineer to fix it, depending on whether I need to open the boiler or not.

 

[Agile]

The Suprima was made about 15-18 years ago.

The new PCB was made about 7 years ago.

You cannot replace the old PCB with the new one without changing the wiring harness.

Something is wrong with what you are telling us.

Makes me think that you need a competent boiler engineer to diagnose and repair your boiler!

Tony

 

[bernardgreen]

Something is wrong with what you are telling us.

Definately,

with the new Siemens type PCB,

I wonder from where it was purchased, did it have the new wiring loom separate with plugs and sockets to the board or was the loom soldered directly to the board with cables attached to the PCB with strain relief clamps ?.

The new PCB was made about 7 years ago.

Didn't they change to a captive harness about 10 years ago,

If you don't know what the fault code is then you do not know enough to work safely on the boiler. Get a GasSafe registered person who is experienced on that type of boiler to repair it and get a Carbon Monoxide alarm if you are still using the boiler.

 

[Migs73]

I think I need to rewind and explain a bit. The boiler has always had a new style siemens PCB with the plugs to the wiring loom.
The old system pump failed around Christmas and we had lots of boiler lock outs. A heating engineer replaced our pump and we were charged an arm and a leg for the pleasure of him ignoring phonecalls texts etc before coming round and replacing the pump after 6 weeks. We were told the system would continue to trip out for a while but would settle down. Well it hasn't, it is still faulting (as described previously) although now it is a different fault than before when the pump was on its last legs (flashing red- boiler lockout). Having read most of what I could find on faults with this boiler type, a continuous red LED was either a wiring fault (unlikely as my fault is intermittent) or a PCB fault. I then discovered if you hold the reset button for 10s it gives a fault code. I could not find this fault listed anywhere on the net so...... As a maintenance technician for many years who had worked on many control systems including industrial boilers, I thought I would give it a whirl and replace the PCB. The PCB comes complete with a new wiring harness, which I left in the box and just replaced the PCB assembly. The fault remained the same with the new PCB.
I now just want to know what the fault code means, if it is a boiler issue I will get I repaired by a heating engineer, I know not to mess with those as I have no test equipment to check its safety. BUT if it is an ancillary part to the system causing the issue, I would like to try and repair it myself and save my self the grief of finding a decent heating engineer who won't let me down and charge me handsomely for the 'privilege'.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Scarum]

My Suprima broke down recently (it too has the newer Seimens PCB). At first I thought the PCB had gone but it wasn't.

Turned out the gas valve was broken.

Have you checked the actuator(s)? I had a bad one causing the system to foul up.

Otherwise the only way to find out is to call a GS engineer. My faulty gas valve was replaced for a little under £280 which was very reasonable IMHO.

 

[Agile]

I thought I would give it a whirl and replace the PCB. The PCB comes complete with a new wiring harness, which I left in the box and just replaced the PCB assembly. The fault remained the same with the new PCB.

Thanks

You can only fit the new PCB to the new wiring harness.

So at some time after manufacture your boiler must have had the harness changed for the new type.

I recently replaced two Suprima gas valves and my charge was somewhat less than the figure above.

 

[Migs73]

You can only fit the new PCB to the new wiring harness.

So at some time after manufacture your boiler must have had the harness changed for the new type.

NB. The boiler was fitted brand new, in it was ALWAYS a new style PCB. I could only ever find people on the web saying that there was a fault in the PCB that was close to what I was experiencing. In know most of these related to the old style boards, but some people were mentioning the new boards were starting to fail as well, and mine is nine years old. I wanted to replace it with a NEW board not a refurbished one as I would always prefer new components to ones whose history I don't know. Anyway you can only buy a new boards as part of the kit for replacing the old style ones and it therefore comes with the full wiring harness. To replace my full wiring harness was a lot more work than replacing the PCB unit so I did that first (three or four screws, remove the knob, unplug, then do the reverse). Now it is done he fault remains, now I know it is not the PCB, it could be the harness(which I would replace myself) or it could be a fault with the gas/combustion/bits I won't touch part of the boiler. I don't want to get "a man in" until I know what is wrong with it so that I can repair it myself (only if safe to do so) or so that I know they are not trying to BS me as I've already forked out several hundred quid and been mucked about for weeks by the last "professional" gas safe engineer to touch it. (Also this Muppet had put the boiler back together incorrectly, the side section with the PCB has machine screws and self tappers, which he had in all the wrong holes).
So could someone please tell me what the fault code represents so that I know what to do next.

Many thanks.

 

[Dan Robinson]

A new Suprima fitted with the new style PCB?


I think not.

 

[Migs73]

• A new Suprima fitted with the new style PCB?

I think not.

This is a photo of the PCB I removed from my boiler, fitted into the spare assembly that came with the kit I bought. Unless someone has fitted that PCB before the boiler was installed, I've no idea how it got there.

1492074302891-873478042

• Migs73
• 13 Apr 2017
• 1

Original boiler PCB

Oh, and the boiler is nine years old, not new.

 

[Agile]

Nine years old would make it 2008 !

But since 2005 only condensing boilers can normally be fitted.

In anticipation most manufacturers stopped making their non condensing boilers in 2004.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The Siemens board didn't come out whilst the Suprima L was in production either.

 

[Migs73]

OK my mistake, the boiler was installed in 2006. As far as I can remember the board has not been changed, but the gas valve was replaced at one point, so it could have been done as part of that repair, I was not here when it was done, my wife dealt with it. The only other work done on the system is,
A replacement 3 position valve (5 or 6 years ago)
A gas valve at some point
Recently a new flue and pump
And lastly I changed the PCB, as a direct replacement for the one that was in it.

Bearing that in mind could somebody please tell me what the ten red flashes fault code means so that I know what to do next.
Is it a problem with the new pump? In which case I'll have to get the guy who installed the pump to come back.
Is it another boiler problem? In which case I'll need to find another heating engineer, preferably one who comes when he says he will.
Or is it a problem with the controls or other part of the system that I can deal with my self.
Any help with this is appreciated, being made to feel stupid because I got the wrong date for when my boiler was installed or that a board has been replaced in the past that I don't remember, is not.