The Powermax Boiler: The Silent Killer
What is a Powermax boiler?
The Powermax boiler was sold under several brand names including Baxi, Potterton & Range.
This boiler was fitted to a lot of new-build estates during the 1990’s.
The Powermax was a new concept in energy solutions that combined a boiler and thermal store to provide both heating and hot water, so high pressure showers could be fitted in properties such as flats without the use of pumps.
This was designed for use when mains pressure hot water cylinders were not permitted under Building Regulations and noisy and expensive pumps were the only way to get high performance showers in these properties.
The Powermax has built up a reputation for unreliability and is plagued with safety issues that have been implicated in several human fatalities.
The Powermax Boiler - Safety Issues
- The gas valve settings on this boiler are known to drift over time. These need checking and recalibrating (if required) on every annual service. If the settings are not correct, carbon monoxide can be produced in vast quantities.
- Flue gas readings can only be taken from the flue on this boiler where it exits the building. One engineer cannot monitor the flue gas readings outside at the same time as adjusting the gas valve inside. Poor or non-existent servicing of these boilers has turned them into carbon monoxide-producing death traps.
- The burner gasket is of a poor design and prone to leakage. A new gasket MUST be fitted every time the burner is removed for servicing according to Potterton-Baxi technical support. These gaskets are hard to source. I suspect few actually get replaced on servicing. Leaking fumes from the burner gasket has apparently led to the deaths of a number of users of Range Powermax boilers.
- This boiler produces condensate in the flue. It was never designed to condense and has no means of discharging the condensate produced in the flue. The acidic condensate eats in to the aluminium flue wall. After several years of operation the flue becomes porous and allows flue gases to discharge in to your property.
- The aluminium twin-tube flue system used on this boiler is very compact and was designed to be installed in ceiling voids, behind walls and in boxings. Instances of the failure of flue joints are not uncommon and often allow flue gases to discharge directly into living spaces. When a flue is concealed within the fabric of the building it is often impossible to inspect the flue or the joints for integrity. Several people are known to have lost their lives due to leaking concealed flues. There are now compulsory Gas Safe procedures for concealed flues due to the dangers they can hide.
These boilers can be silent killers; they have killed before and will kill again. For this reason we will not service or repair these boilers. In our opinion these boilers should be replaced at the earliest opportunity, before they kill yet another person.
The Powermax Boiler - The Solution
We have gained great experience in replacing a large number of Powermax boilers. We find that the most practical and cost-effective boiler replacement solution is to remove the old boiler and replace it with a new, modern and highly efficient 35kW combination boiler. Our huge experience enables us to convert your Powermax boiler to a new combi boiler in a working day.
Converting a Powermax boiler to a combi boiler requires additional work and materials, compared to a regular combi boiler swap. The vast majority of Powermax boilers have non-standard flue arrangements and as such, the only way we can give you an accurate fixed price is to visit your property and conduct a thorough survey.
Any of the boilers below would make a good replacement for your Powermax boiler. Converting a Powermax boiler to a combi boiler typically adds around £500 to our displayed prices.
