This fault can involve incomplete combustion and carbon monoxide.
If anyone in the property feels sick, dizzy or drowsy, or you can smell gas: open the windows, leave the building, and do not switch anything on or off. Then call the National Gas Emergency Service.
0800 111 999Potterton E130 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
Flue NTC operated — the flue gas got too hot — on every Potterton code display. Reset once as the user guide allows; if it returns the heat exchanger or flue needs an engineer.
Take care
When was the boiler last serviced?
The right answer depends on what you can see. Pick the one that matches.
Choose the option on the left that matches what your appliance is doing, and the answer for that case appears here.
Within the year
More likely circulation or the sensor than fouling.
Engineer; ask for the flue sensor and pump to be checked.
Years ago, or never
Heat exchanger fouling is the first suspect.
Full service with the heat exchanger cleaned, and a combustion check.
What E130 means
The second of Potterton's two overheat codes. Where E110 is the water, E130 is the flue: "E130 overheat of the flue system", table row "Flue NTC Operated". A sensor in the flue outlet watches the temperature of the products leaving the boiler, and if they are hotter than the design allows the burner is stopped. The user guide gives the owner the same permission as for E110 — reset once by holding the selector at Reset for at least five seconds, and "if the boiler does not relight, or the code is displayed regularly contact your installer or service engineer".
On the Assure and Promax Ultra the number is 130 but, unlike 110, it is not on the reset list in either installation manual and the Assure user guide shows it without the R; the boiler clears it itself when the flue sensor cools. Hot flue gas means heat is not being taken out of the combustion products by the heat exchanger. The Promax chart's section M, which E130 shares with the sensor codes, tests the flue sensor (about 20 kΩ at 25 °C, falling as it warms) and then says "If pump is running the heat exchanger could be obstructed. Replace heat exchanger."
In practice the obstruction is usually on the water side — sludge in the primary passages — but a heat exchanger blocked with combustion deposits on the gas side, or a partly blocked flue, produces the same code. E130 on a boiler that has not been serviced for years is telling you why the service mattered.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Heat exchanger fouled | Sludge inside or combustion deposits on the fins outside. Either way the flue gas leaves hotter than it should. A service with the burner door off is how it is found. | Common |
| Poor circulation through the boiler | A tired pump or closed valves; the water in the exchanger cannot carry heat away fast enough and both E110 and E130 become possible. | Common |
| Flue NTC sensor drifted | The sensor (part 7207892 on the Assure) reads high when it fails. The chart's resistance check separates a real overheat from a false one. | Occasional |
| Flue partly blocked or recirculating | A terminal blocked by debris, or a damaged flue seal drawing products back in, raises combustion temperature. A flue fault is a combustion fault; the alarm in the room is your backstop. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Let the boiler cool. Check the pressure is normal and the radiators are open so the boiler has somewhere to send heat.
Rotary knob boilers: turn the selector fully anticlockwise to Reset, hold for at least five seconds, release. Assure and Promax Ultra: wait — 130 clears by itself when the flue sensor cools; pressing Reset does nothing for it.
If E130 returns, stop and book an engineer. Do not keep running a boiler that is overheating its flue.
If the boiler is overdue a service, say so when you book; a flue overheat is the code that a neglected heat exchanger produces.
Get a Gas Safe registered engineer to look at your Potterton E130
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. Find a Gas Safe registered engineer through the Gas Safe Register, and ask to see their registration card when they arrive — it is the register, not the van, that tells you they are qualified.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£600
Time on site
15 minutes
Free if one reset holds. Flue NTC £70–£130 fitted. Service with heat exchanger clean £90–£180. Pump £180–£300. Main heat exchanger £450–£600.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Parts you may need
We may earn a commission if you buy a part through one of these links. It does not change what you pay, and it does not affect which parts we list.
Magnetic system filter, 22mm
MAG-22£65–£120Plumbing merchant
Price checked 28 September 2026
Baxi / Potterton / Main flue NTC sensor
7207892£22–£50Authorised Baxi parts distributor
Price checked 28 September 2026
Baxi / Potterton / Main pump assembly
7684006£120–£240Authorised Baxi parts distributor
Price checked 28 September 2026
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Related Potterton fault codes
- E110Get it checkedSafety thermostat operated — the primary water overheated — on every Potterton code display. One reset is permitted (5 s knob or 1–3 s button); a second E110 is a circulation fault for an engineer.Related: overheat and circulation
- E125Get it checkedCirculation fault (primary circuit) on every Potterton code display — the water did not warm as expected after lighting, or overshot twice. Pump, air or sludge; an engineer job after one reset.Related: overheat and circulation
- E193Get it checkedThe rotary-switch Pottertons' pre-ignition pump check has failed: the pump ran and the flow never proved. Same causes as E125; no owner reset is offered.Related: overheat and circulation
- E109Get it checkedThe digital-display Pottertons' pre-ignition pump check — Assure Combi, Assure System, Promax Ultra. The flow never proved, so the burner was not lit. Bleed and check pressure; then an engineer.Related: overheat and circulation
- E270Get it checkedCirculation fault (dry fire) on the Potterton Assure and Promax Ultra: the burner lit with too little water passing the heat exchanger. Not resettable by the owner; engineer.Related: overheat and circulation
- E119Get it checkedThe sealed system on a rotary-switch Potterton — Promax, Titanium, Gold, Heatmax — has dropped below half a bar. The window shows E1 and then 19. Fill to 1–1.5 bar and it clears itself.Related: same brand
Own a Potterton boiler? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.