Troubleshooting and Fixing a E160 Fault " Fan or fan wiring error"
on Your Main Eco Compact Boiler
What is a Fan and what does it do?
A fan in a boiler is responsible for providing the necessary air supply for combustion. The fan draws in external air and delivers it to the burner or the combustion chamber, ensuring efficient and clean fuel combustion. It regulates the airflow by adjusting its speed, allowing for precise control of the combustion process and maintaining safe and optimal operating conditions. A fan plays a vital role within the boiler to make sure the performance and efficiency is at its top level.
E160 Red Flags!
Here are some red flags down below:
Error code display: If the error code E160 comes up this means you have a problem within your boiler which is more than likely the fan.
Boiler not starting or failing to ignite: So when a Fan isn’t working correctly, it can prevent the boiler from starting or igniting.
Unusual noises: If you have a faulty fan, then you will be able to notice this from it making loud noises within your boiler from rattling or buzzing sounds.
Boiler overheating: A malfunctioning fan can cause the boiler to overheat or cycle on or off frequently.
While the provided information can be attempted by homeowners, fixing the “Fan or fan wiring error” error often requires a qualified gas engineer, specialised knowledge, and tools. Gas-related issues can be potentially dangerous, so it is crucial to prioritise safety. If you are QUALIFIED and confident in your skills and have experience working with heating systems, you can try the troubleshooting steps cautiously. However, if you are unsure or uncomfortable with handling gas-related repairs, it is best to leave it to the professionals to ensure a safe and accurate resolution.
Check out what your allowed to do:
Homeowners – What you can do as a homeowner?
Qualified Gas Engineers – Troubleshooting Tips, And What to Do as a Qualified Gas Engineer?
E160 Troubleshooting Tips:
- Try resetting the boiler.
- Check electrics.
- Check the gas supply.
- Seek professional help
- Check fan connections.
- Inspect the fan
- Clean the fan
- Test the Fan motor
What can you do as a Homeowner?
As a homeowner you can try a couple of things before you call out an engineer:
- Try resetting the boiler: Sometimes this can do the trick, go to the boiler and hold the reset button for 1-3 seconds. If this solves the problem, then happy days, if not you will have to call an engineer.
- Check electrics: Make sure all the electrics to the boiler are on. Make sure none of the switches are down are your mains, if one of them is down, try and flick it back up and see if it works.
- Check gas supply: So make sure the lever underneath the boiler is open, this is normally the yellow lever in the middle under the boiler, make sure it is with the pipe and not across this pipe. Also make sure the handle is open on your mains, If you have a gas appliance such as a hob, try and turn your hob on to see if you have gas supplying the property.
- Call out an engineer.
What to do as a Qualified Gas Engineer?
Before taking the casing off the boiler
As a qualified gas engineer, go over what the homeowner would do, just double-check everything before diving straight into the boiler.
- Try resetting the boiler
- Check the electrics
- Check the gas supply
After taking the casing is off the boiler.
So as an engineer, once we have taken the casing off, this is what we should look at:
- Check fan connections: So we want to ensure all the connections to the fan are all secure and properly seated. Check for any loose or disconnected wires, if there are any, make sure you reconnect them properly.
- Inspect the fan: Make sure that we are checking for any physical damage to the fan such as broken blades, excessive dust, or debris build-up or obstruction.
- Clean the fan: Give the fan a good old clean. Make sure it’s not all clogged with dust as this will affect the fans’ performance.
- Test the fan motor: So with your multimeter, you are going to want to perform a continuity test on the fan to see if the motor is functioning properly.
- Replace: If you have found that it is the fan that is faulty, make sure we take it out and replace it. If you are wondering how to replace a fan, you can check out our video, or check the Main Eco Compact manual.
FAQ's
While some error codes you can attempt to fix yourself, unfortunately on this one you are required to call a local gas engineer to come and save the day on this one.
YES! Try and reset the boiler before you call anyone out. Sometimes this can do the trick and make the error code disappear.
If this has happened to you and you want to prevent this in the future, I would suggest getting your boiler serviced every year. If you are getting your boiler serviced this means a qualified engineer is cleaning your boiler out correctly preventing this from happening.
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