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 E160 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
Fan or fan wiring fault on every Potterton code display: the fan did not start or reach speed. A component fault in the user guide's words — note it and call; no reset is offered.
Take care
Get a Gas Safe registered engineer to look at your Potterton E160
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 does the boiler sound like when it tries to start?
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.
Silent — no whirr before the click
Fan not starting. Motor or its supply.
Engineer; expect a fan.
Grinding or rattling, and it has been getting louder
Bearings. The fan is on its way out.
Engineer before it stops altogether; a fan is a planned job when booked early.
It runs, then E160
Speed signal or flue restriction.
Engineer; mention any recent flue work or debris outside.
What E160 means
E160 is "Fan or Fan Wiring Fault" on every Potterton table from the 2007 Gold Combi HE to the Assure and Promax Ultra, where it is 160 with a spanner. The fan drives air and gas through the burner and pushes the products out through the flue, and the board watches its speed through a Hall-effect signal; no signal, or the wrong speed, and the burner is never lit.
Potterton's user guides list it among the component faults the owner is asked only to note down and report, and no Potterton manual offers a reset for it: the rotary-switch knob acts only on E110, E130 and E133, and the Assure button list does not include 160. The Promax Combi fault-finding chart reaches "Error 160 flashing" twice, once when the fan should start (section D: "Fan connections correct at fan. PCB X2 connector, is 230V AC across terminals 5 & 7 ... Fan jammed or faulty winding: replace fan") and once when it runs but not at the right speed (section L: the four-wire signal connector at PCB X401).
Fans on the older Promax are the part whose bearings announce themselves for weeks before they fail, so a boiler that has been getting noisier and now shows E160 has told you its own story. On the Assure the fan is part 7683926.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Fan motor worn or seized | Bearings gone, often after weeks of increasing noise. The chart: supply present, fan does not run, replace fan. | Common |
| Fan wiring or connectors | The 230 V supply plug at the fan and the PCB X2 connector, or the speed-signal lead to X401 on the Promax. A disturbed plug after a service is the cheap version of this fault. | Common |
| Speed signal fault | The fan runs but the board cannot read its speed, or it cannot reach the demanded speed against a partly blocked flue. | Occasional |
| PCB fan drive | The chart's last step in section D when there is no 230 V to the fan: replace PCB. | Rare |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£60–£320
Time on site
1 hour
Fan and fitting £190–£300. Connector repair at a call-out £60–£90. PCB £220–£320.
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.
Baxi / Potterton / Main fan assembly
7683926£110–£220Authorised Baxi parts distributor
Price checked 28 September 2026
Baxi / Potterton / Main main PCB
£150–£320Authorised Baxi parts distributor
Price checked 28 September 2026
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Related Potterton fault codes
- E28Get it checkedThree meanings on Potterton: incorrect PCB fitted (Gold Combi HE 2007), flue NTC fault (2008–2014 and all digital displays), or flue NTC, air pressure switch, blocked flue or condensate (2015–2019 combis).Related: fan and flue
- 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
- E133Get it checkedGas supply interrupted, ignition failed or no flame detected — every Potterton generation. Confirm the gas supply, one reset (5 s on the knob, 1–3 s on the button), and call if it returns.Related: same brand
- E118Get it checkedThe digital-display Pottertons — Assure Combi, Assure System, Promax Ultra — have dropped below half a bar on the heating circuit. Repressurise to 1–1.5 bar and the boiler restarts on its own.Related: same brand
- 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: same brand
- 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: 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.