Baxi Luna 24fi motherboard issues?

Sceptre

Hey there - I recently bought a stacked townhome in an urban area.  The heat and hot water is controlled by a Baxi Luna 24fi system which is a rental unit from a local company (Direct Energy and Enbridge) in Toronto, ON, Canada.  One of the draws of rental is that you don't have to worry about service issues.

.... Or so I thought.

Our heat went out the other morning and I called in the tech's.  Before even looking at the unit, they told me "this could be bad".  Apparently, there is an issue with a circuit board on the Baxi Luna 24fi which causes the pressure to drop off and the system stops working.  The tech's indicated that this part is no longer available, and thus I would likely need a new unit.  He said they don't offer "rental" on a unit that would fit (without significant infrastructure changes) so I would have to buy a new Baxi Luna 310 (unit and installation) at a cost of $7,000!

Does this pass the sniff test?  Is there any credibility to the claim that the circuit boards can't be replaced and I am on the hook to buy a new $7K unit?  Would I be better to try and have someone look at the unit and repair it who ISN'T the rental company (knowing full well that I don't own the unit, and really shouldn't be meddling with it).

I appreciate your help.  I just want to know if there is any truth to this claim that it is an unfixable problem!

Thanks.

Mark Eatherton

Something smells funny...

I've never heard of a solid state electronic control board causing a loss of pressure. I have heard of a low pressure condition causing the heat source to lock out, but all it takes is to re-pressurize the system to overcome this problem.



I have also completely replaced the on board control logic/wiring harness on numerous different brand of high efficiency boilers. Provided that the heat exchanger and other components are in good shape, you SHOULD be able to replace the logic without replacing the appliance, IF it is necessary.



On the outside, it would appear that someone is trying to take advantage of you, but I do not have ALL of the facts...



ME

Jack

If I was in your spot

I'd go back to the " rental/ owner " company and start again. I'd request the dept manager. Make sure you have model/ser # available. I'd contact Baxi directly to see if parts are in fact available for that unit prior to calling them again. Make sure you know who you are talking to for follow-up calls, if necessary. Good luck!

jp_2

maybe the other way around?

sounds like its the sensor that 'sees' the pressure that's bad.  so you could say the system losses pressure in a backward way, when really the board stops seeing pressure.

Tdot

Motherboard problems

I also have a Baxi unit (not sure which). We've had service technicans come frequently. They told us the exact same thing regarding the motherboard. I've lived in two townhomes here and ahd the same problems in both.

Other people in my complex (near King and Strachan) have also had hot water issues related to the motherboard or insignificant line pressure drop to cause the burner to kick in.



One trick we've found useful is to turn the furnace on, which turns on the burner, before starting the shower? (Pretty stupid, but it works for the short term)

JanetG

Help! Need to order a new control board for Baxi Luna 24Fi

Hi,

I have the exact same problem with my Baxi Luna 24Fi boiler.  It stopped working on the weekend and now we only have intermitent hot water but we have to turn off and on the unit many times in a row before the pilot light will come on. The heating no longer works.  The technician who came yesterday said that everything in the unit is working fine except for the control panel.  I need to locate a new control panel but have no idea where to purchase one from.  Does anyone know where I can order one? I live in Ottawa, Ontario.  Thanks!

RetiredBaxiTech

24 Fi pcb

Hello JanetG, I sure hope that you have got your boiler fixed by now! Yes it is correct that the pcb for this first model of Baxi combi boiler is no longer available due to the age of it (they will soon be introducing version 4 of this boiler), but from you saying that if you turn the boiler on and off a few times it will then start, I don't think it is a control pcb issue................ because it starts!

Those older model boilers sometimes had an issue with the air pressure switch or the fan venturi that made the air switch operate. Have your service tech check this for you. He can check the operation of the switch with the room-sealed cover off of the boiler while it is started. When the fan starts, a second or so after the air switch should click (top right inside the boiler), then the burner will light. if this does not happen, suspect the venturi or the switch needs replacing, these should still be available from the local parts supplier or Marathon International (905-602-5360).

With some regular service from a Baxi trained tech this boiler should keep running for some time. Good luck

RetiredBaxiTech

24 Fi pcb

Hello JanetG, I sure hope that you have got your boiler fixed by now! Yes it is correct that the pcb for this first model of Baxi combi boiler is no longer available due to the age of it (they will soon be introducing version 4 of this boiler), but from you saying that if you turn the boiler on and off a few times it will then start, I don't think it is a control pcb issue................ because it starts!

Those older model boilers sometimes had an issue with the air pressure switch or the fan venturi that made the air switch operate. Have your service tech check this for you. He can check the operation of the switch with the room-sealed cover off of the boiler while it is started. When the fan starts, a second or so after the air switch should click (top right inside the boiler), then the burner will light. if this does not happen, suspect the venturi or the switch needs replacing, these should still be available from the local parts supplier or Marathon International (905-602-5360).

With some regular service from a Baxi trained tech this boiler should keep running for some time. Good luck