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First of all, thanks for visiting Netaheat Repairs.
I'm Mike Bryant, also known as Mike the
Boilerman. For those who haven't already encountered me on the net,
I specialise in mending boilers. In particular I like repairing the
awkward, the older and the unusual boilers that many technicians are
inclined to announce
cannot be repaired and therefore must be replaced. This is sometimes true but
certainly not always. The Potterton Netaheat is a great example of this.
Many Netaheat breakdowns are fully repairable, especially on the latest of
the Netaheat versions, the 'Netaheat Electronic'.
I've written this site specifically to help owners of Potterton
Netaheat boilers understand them better and and their technicians who repair them. I list the common
faults and problems and the fixes. There are several incarnations of the
Netaheat which differ considerably in detail so I have a written a page
for each. See the links on the left.
More about the Potterton Netaheat...
I'm a great fan of this boiler. I think
it is an excellent example of good British engineering. The Netaheat was the first example
of a new generation of boilers developed back in the late 1970s which
achieved a major advance in fuel efficiency by using a fan to push the
flue gasses through the combustion chamber thereby avoiding heat wastage via the flue when the
boiler was OFF. The Netaheat was also the first boiler to abandon a
permanently burning pilot light and instead use electronics to light the burner.
(A permanent pilot light running 24/7 like all previous boilers wastes a
considerable amount of gas over extended periods of time.) This design leads to fuel efficiency exceeding 80% on some versions, so, despite the government's advice that major
improvements in fuel efficiency can be achieved by replacing older
boilers, this is clearly NOT the case if you currently own a Potterton
Netaheat (which may be up to 30 years old!) It is a terrible
shame that so many Netaheats are now being removed in the mistaken belief that a
new boiler will be far more efficient.
Many Netaheats are also being replaced in the belief that spare parts cannot be
obtained. This is a half-truth. Many of the most commonly failing parts
on all versions of the Netaheat are still available through normal
spares merchant channels, but not all. Most of the gas control valve
components are no longer available new but most other parts can still be
purchased and fitted. If a part fails which happens to be obsolete, the
is still a chance of keeping the boiler running. There is however a
thriving market in second-hand Netaheat components on eBay, the online
auction site. Many gas technicians removing Netaheats are fully aware of
this and will often dismantle a Netaheat they have replaced and sell the
components on eBay for spares. See here for a current listing - Netaheat
spares on eBay
The Netaheat came in four versions. The original (or MkI) came in two
sizes, the 10/16 and the 16/22. The output was adjustable and the
numbers indicate the minimum and maximum output in kW of each size. The
MkI was complex and totally alien in the way it worked to virtually all
heating engineers. It was a mystery and difficult to diagnose and fix
when it broke down so the MkII was rapidly developed. The MkII and the
MkIIF are very similar (so similar that I have yet to spot the
difference) and are very much easier to understand and diagnose. The
next version was the Electronic, and this had a third smaller size added
to the range, the 6/10, to suit the lower heating demand of new houses
being built to the new, higher standards of insulation demanded by the
Building Regulations. The final version was the Netaheat Profile,
a completely different design of boiler which was only available for a
short while before the name was shortened by Potterton to just
"Profile".
I'll finish by saying I live in Reading, Berkshire. Most of my work is in Berkshire,
Hampshire, south Oxfordshire, Surrey and
west London but if you are outside this area and having problems getting
your Netaheat fixed, then I'm perfectly happy to
visit. I'll go anywhere if necessary! The only trouble with this is, from
your point of view, is that I charge for all the time I spend repairing
a boiler, and this includes the time spent travelling to and from site.
This means the
further you live from Reading the less economically viable it is to get me to
visit.
Alternatively I'm happy to give email advice to anyone wanting it,
but not telephone advice. I had to stop that years ago when the weight
of calls grew too great.
For my main site, check out www.miketheboilerman.com
Once again, thanks for visiting.
Mike Bryant, AKA Mike the Boilerman.
First published 7th May 2011
Last updated 12th May 2011
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