Baxi Barcelona - Replace or Improve?
 

Our house has a Baxi Barcelona which heats an underfloor heating system
and a mains pressure hot water system. When installed about 4 years ago
(when we had the house built), it seemed reasonably state-of-the-art.

Sadly, it has been less than reliable. The main current complaint is
that about once a month or so, at random intervals, we wake up to a
shut down boiler, a flashing (or steady) red light, and no hot water.
This drives the wife bonkers as she can not then wash her hair before
going to work (why does she need to wash her hair EVERY day? - don't go
there...). The boiler will usually restart by turning off then on (but
sometimes an electrican is required to shuffle the circuit boards. We
never seem to find an actual FAULT).

My questions:
1. Do we have a lemon or are they "all like that"?
2. Should we replace the boiler with something more reliable and of
newer design? or
3. Should we consider replacing the two circuit boards, in hope of
curing this mysterious problem?

Any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations would be gratefully received.
I'm under orders to "fix" this before the next winter.

Steve

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 07:54:36 -0700, steve2 wrote:

Our house has a Baxi Barcelona which heats an underfloor heating system
and a mains pressure hot water system. When installed about 4 years ago
(when we had the house built), it seemed reasonably state-of-the-art.

Sadly, it has been less than reliable. The main current complaint is
that about once a month or so, at random intervals, we wake up to a
shut down boiler, a flashing (or steady) red light, and no hot water.
This drives the wife bonkers as she can not then wash her hair before
going to work (why does she need to wash her hair EVERY day? - don't go
there...). The boiler will usually restart by turning off then on (but
sometimes an electrican is required to shuffle the circuit boards. We
never seem to find an actual FAULT).

My questions:
1. Do we have a lemon or are they "all like that"?
2. Should we replace the boiler with something more reliable and of
newer design? or
3. Should we consider replacing the two circuit boards, in hope of
curing this mysterious problem?

Any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations would be gratefully received.
I'm under orders to "fix" this before the next winter.

Steve

I know of at least two other units with undiagnosable problems.
Replacement of the PCBs (done by BG unit contract) doesn't seem to fix
them. It really pays to have a service contract with one of these units
around. Less than £200 year will regularly bring you many hundreds £ of
PCBs and fitting!

My guess would be to try changing one or two of the temperature sensors to
see if they have any effect after you have changed the upgraded PCBs.

It comes down to:

New boiler £750
Fitting say £750 (maybe £500 on the 'grey' market).

Known result. Maybe £5 year guarantee.

OR
£300-£500 on replacement parts.
These or other problems likely to be still with you.

If you can get BG to take it on. Then it's a pretty good deal as they will
be at your house a lot. Otherwise fork out and get a working boiler.




--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

"Ed Sirett" wrote in message
n.co.uk...
On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 07:54:36 -0700, steve2 wrote:

Our house has a Baxi Barcelona which heats an underfloor heating system
and a mains pressure hot water system. When installed about 4 years ago
(when we had the house built), it seemed reasonably state-of-the-art.

Sadly, it has been less than reliable. The main current complaint is
that about once a month or so, at random intervals, we wake up to a
shut down boiler, a flashing (or steady) red light, and no hot water.
This drives the wife bonkers as she can not then wash her hair before
going to work (why does she need to wash her hair EVERY day? - don't go
there...). The boiler will usually restart by turning off then on (but
sometimes an electrican is required to shuffle the circuit boards. We
never seem to find an actual FAULT).

My questions:
1. Do we have a lemon or are they "all like that"?
2. Should we replace the boiler with something more reliable and of
newer design? or
3. Should we consider replacing the two circuit boards, in hope of
curing this mysterious problem?

Any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations would be gratefully received.
I'm under orders to "fix" this before the next winter.

Steve

I know of at least two other units with undiagnosable problems.
Replacement of the PCBs (done by BG unit contract) doesn't seem to fix
them. It really pays to have a service contract with one of these units
around. Less than £200 year will regularly bring you many hundreds £ of
PCBs and fitting!

My guess would be to try changing one or two of the temperature sensors to
see if they have any effect after you have changed the upgraded PCBs.

It comes down to:

New boiler £750
Fitting say £750 (maybe £500 on the 'grey' market).

Known result. Maybe £5 year guarantee.

OR
£300-£500 on replacement parts.
These or other problems likely to be still with you.

If you can get BG to take it on. Then it's a pretty good deal as they will
be at your house a lot. Otherwise fork out and get a working boiler.

Maxie said a few of the Barcelona boards are beginning to filter through for
recon. He may have an idea of the prime problems are.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Our house has a Baxi Barcelona which heats an underfloor heating system
and a mains pressure hot water system. When installed about 4 years ago
(when we had the house built), it seemed reasonably state-of-the-art.

Sadly, it has been less than reliable. The main current complaint is
that about once a month or so, at random intervals, we wake up to a
shut down boiler, a flashing (or steady) red light, and no hot water.
This drives the wife bonkers as she can not then wash her hair before
going to work (why does she need to wash her hair EVERY day? - don't go
there...). The boiler will usually restart by turning off then on (but
sometimes an electrican is required to shuffle the circuit boards. We
never seem to find an actual FAULT).

My questions:
1. Do we have a lemon or are they "all like that"?
2. Should we replace the boiler with something more reliable and of
newer design? or
3. Should we consider replacing the two circuit boards, in hope of
curing this mysterious problem?

Any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations would be gratefully received.
I'm under orders to "fix" this before the next winter.

Steve

Is this only heating a thermal store? If so, there is a jumper that can be
removed and the burner is then on full with no modulation. The reliability
of these boilers on "direct" thermal stores is good as the controls are not
used as much as when heating direct as modulation is not operational and the
boiler does not cycle.
Its successor is the Baxi condensing boiler, which is not cheap at all.

Ed,

I'm not convinced that having BG at my house "a lot" is the answer my
wife is looking for...

If,then, it is to be a new boiler - which to choose?
Do you (or anyone else) have a view on a reliable replacement
condensing boiler?

Steve

wrote in message
oups.com...
Ed,

I'm not convinced that having BG at my house "a lot" is the answer my
wife is looking for...

If,then, it is to be a new boiler - which to choose?
Do you (or anyone else) have a view on a reliable replacement
condensing boiler?


Glow Worm (amongst others)

On 10 Aug 2005 17:08:49 -0700, wrote:

Ed,

I'm not convinced that having BG at my house "a lot" is the answer my
wife is looking for...

If,then, it is to be a new boiler - which to choose?
Do you (or anyone else) have a view on a reliable replacement
condensing boiler?

Steve


Generally products of German design and/or manufacture -

Worcester-Bosch, Vaillant, MAN, Viessmann,.....


--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On 10 Aug 2005 17:08:49 -0700, wrote:

Ed,

I'm not convinced that having BG at my house "a lot" is the answer my
wife is looking for...

If,then, it is to be a new boiler - which to choose?
Do you (or anyone else) have a view on a reliable replacement
condensing boiler?

Steve

Generally products of German design and/or manufacture -

Worcester-Bosch, Vaillant, MAN, Viessmann,.....

......and Glow Worm Dutch/German parts

In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Generally products of German design and/or manufacture -

Worcester-Bosch, Vaillant, MAN, Viessmann,.....

.....and Glow Worm Dutch/German parts

Surely Drivel can't recommend anything made by Bosch?

--
*Why do psychics have to ask you for your name? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Generally products of German design and/or manufacture -

Worcester-Bosch, Vaillant, MAN, Viessmann,.....

.....and Glow Worm Dutch/German parts

Surely

snip senile silliness

In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Generally products of German design and/or manufacture -

Worcester-Bosch, Vaillant, MAN, Viessmann,.....

.....and Glow Worm Dutch/German parts

Surely Drivel can't recommend anything made by Bosch?

snip senile silliness

[snipping by a madman restored]

Without any personal knowledge of such things, you condemn all Bosch power
tools.

So any reasonable person would think you condemn all their products too.

But then that assumes you are a reasonable person.

--
*I don't suffer from insanity -- I'm a carrier

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

So, the cost effective boiler (with two votes) seems to be Glow Worm?

Is it better to buy the smaller boiler, and run it hard, or the larger
boiler and let it cruise?

Steve

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Generally products of German design and/or manufacture -

Worcester-Bosch, Vaillant, MAN, Viessmann,.....

.....and Glow Worm Dutch/German parts

Surely Drivel can't recommend anything made by Bosch?

snip senile silliness

It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.

wrote in message
oups.com...
So, the cost effective boiler (with two votes) seems to be Glow Worm?

Is it better to buy the smaller boiler, and run it hard, or the larger
boiler and let it cruise?

As it modulates you get the model over your requirements and let it modulate
down.

wrote:
Our house has a Baxi Barcelona

Sadly, it has been less than reliable. The main current complaint is
that about once a month or so, at random intervals, we wake up to a
shut down boiler, a flashing (or steady) red light, and no hot water.

You are not alone. In fact, you are quite lucky to have four year's
trouble-free running:
http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=17611
I have a Baxi 130 that got the similar problem during Christmas - only
weeks after guarantee ran out. Insurance sent in a few local plumbers
who had no clue after changing a few parts. In the end, after my strong
protests of no heating for two months in the coldest weather, they
finally decided it's worth getting an (apparently more expensive) Baxi
engineer. The guy knew the problem straightaway and sorted it out in
minutes. I am under the impression that Baxi knows this problem but has
yet to find a solution. FWIW, the problem was with the seal of the
burner (He showed me the "rubber" powders), which subsequently caused
overheating lockout.

Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.

Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.

Owain

"Owain" wrote in message
...
Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.

Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.

Where did you get your wit lessons?

Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.
Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.
Where did you get your wit lessons?

University of Life, School of Hard Knocks.

Owain

"Owain" wrote in message
. ..
Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.
Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.
Where did you get your wit lessons?

University of Life, School of Hard Knocks.

You should ask for your money back.

Doctor Drivel wrote:
Where did you get your wit lessons?
University of Life, School of Hard Knocks.
You should ask for your money back.

Why, is that what your customers do when they find they've been mis-sold
two combi boilers?

Owain

"Owain" wrote in message
t...
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Where did you get your wit lessons?

University of Life, School of Hard Knocks.

You should ask for your money back.

Why,

You were robbed.

In article ,
Owain wrote:
Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.
Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.


Where did you get your wit lessons?

University of Life

[snip]

Would that be the same one IMM got his oft claimed degree from?

--
*Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Owain wrote:
Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.
Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.


Where did you get your wit lessons?

University of Life

[snip]

Would that be the same one IMM got his oft claimed degree from?

No.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Owain wrote:
Doctor Drivel wrote:
It must be time for his coca. I hope he doesn't dribble.
Whereas nursey won't even let you have cocoa in case you spill it down
your paper nightie.


Where did you get your wit lessons?

University of Life

[snip]

Would that be the same one IMM got his oft claimed degree from?

The domestic science one ?

--
geoff