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Thread: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

  1. #1
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    Default potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    Hi there hope you can help,

    I have browsed this site a couple of times and the advice seems to be pretty darn good and by the sounds of things acurate, so here goes with my boiler problem.

    I have a potterton puma 80 combi boiler running 8 radiators contolled by a single stand alone thermostat in the hallway. I can get hot water but, and I am sure you have heard this plenty before, no CH. I called out some CH engineers to look at the problem a couple of weeks ago. They thought at first it was just some air in the system as I had just the day before bled one of the radiators which had been stone cold, loads of air in it. It turned out not to be an air blockage, but they thought it might be the gas valve so suggested a change. Next day, new gas valve - same problem- head scratching. They checked the boiler throughly and then phoned a potterton helpline. Potterton suggested it may be the pipework - sounds plausible enough- ripped up the floorboards gave them acces to the manifold etc, some gunk in the pipework but all in all quite not blocked. Stumped !

    The boiler will produce hot water, and for a short time the boiler CH would fire up go though the motions then after about 30 secs stop. If I left the boiler on constant it would eventually work hot water all the way round to the radiators, clicking on and off every 30 secs as it went. Inhibitor has been poured into the system to try and clean it out but no joy there either. The CH engineers suugested turning off some of the hotter radiators to see if it pushed heat through to the other colder ones, but this again didn't work.

    At this point the heating is dead, hot water still fine,nothing seems to make it fire for the past three days. The only thing that helped last week was by topping up the boiler past 1 and a half on the pressure dial, then for a while it would clicking on and off supplying some radiators with heat.

    CH engineers said they would be back to look at the radiators, just hoping one of you guys has come across something similair and can help me try to understand what is going on. Any help on whether we are barking up the wrong tree would be gratefully appreciated

  2. #2
    Moderator sunbeam's Avatar
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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    the first thing to do with a puma is make sure all the hot taps are off,

    it will only take a drip from one hot tap to stop the heating working.

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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    Thanks for the reply,

    Before I posted on this site I went around checking all the hot taps and made sure that they were securely turned off, I did kind of hope that it would be something like that but unfortunately none of the taps showed a trip. Just to be double sure I switched off the water supply to the boiler at the houses stop valve not sure if that would have made any difference though? But still the problem persists. If I leave the boiler on constant it just sits happily doing nothing, turn the hot water tap and up it fires although I have noticed that when I run the hot water if I turn the tap on within less than a minute the tap almost runs dry so I have to give it another turn, and then another about a minute later. Not sure if that means anything or just normal for a Puma boiler.

    The only way that I can get any response from the boiler is to switch it off at the wall leave it for a couple of minutes then switch it back on, but again it only runs for about 30 secs before tripping out?

    Will it matter if the cold taps have a drip?

    Thanks for the reply if you can think of anything else let me know as the CH engineers haven't returned my calls as I think they are rushed off their feet, but my house has now been 6 days without any heat.

    Just one more quick point, the radiator which kept getting cold originally, the one which seemed to spark the whole collapse of my CH system, The room which it is situated in has developed (and no funny posts please) a rather strange smell???? It got so bad that I called out Transco who on arrival though that it was gas but upon checking with their equipment found no trance of gas/methane etc whatsoever. Could the two be related, is it possible that maybe that could be a blockage in the CH pipework or am I clutching at straws?

    Thanks again to anyone who tkes time to read this post any help at all is greatly appreciated.

  4. #4
    Moderator sunbeam's Avatar
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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    the water running dry out of the hot tap could be something as simple as the washer on the tap needs replacing,

    it doesn't matter if the cold taps have a drip,

    with your boiler i would almost certainly say that the wax capsule has gone, wich is the way pumas divert the hot water to central heating.

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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    Thanks again for helping me out, it is keeping me sane right now.

    I have seen that explanation on this site before, the wax capsule, what is it? and can you tell me what part it is fitted to. Also I
    is it a straight forward job for the CH engineers and most importantly will it be expensive. I have already shelled out for the gas valve, and inhibitor, but the engineers have been great not charging me a penny yet for their time and labour!

    In other words do you think it would be a cheaper first option before we start ripping out pipes and pulling radiators off walls.

    Again many thanks for your time, it is great just to be able to hear from someone who has a few ideas of what it might be.

  6. #6
    Moderator sunbeam's Avatar
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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    the wax capsule is the diverter valve in a puma,

    it's a straight forward job for a heating engineer,

    as for price, i would ring up a parts center and ask for a wax capsole for a puma 80,ask them if you can just get the capsule or if you have to buy the whole valve,

    if you do manage just to get the capsule make sure whoever fits it gets the small pin in the hole.

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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    Thanks again,

    I will go ahead and ask the engineers to check specifically for that first all and I'll post back the results (good or bad) to let everyone who know has viewed this post whether or not it solves the problem just in case anyone else with a puma 80, and there seem to be a few on here, has the same symptoms.

    Here goes.....

    p.s. day 8 now without heating, boy it's cold.

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    Default Re: potterton puma 80 CH problem????

    Hi

    Did this prove to be the problem? If not, did you ever find out what it was? I have exactly the same symptons on my Puma 80. The engineer is coming around on Friday. If he has difficulty figuring it out, it would help to be able to point him in the right direction. I thought it might be a valve not opening, preventing the water circulating, causing it to overheat in the boiler quickly and then switch off.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Noisy

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