The old Powermax had been condemned as dangerous and labelled Do Not Use. The landlord asked us to quote for a replacement, and the tenant ended up with a new combi on the wall and most of a cupboard back.
The Potterton Powermax HE in an Erdington rental had been condemned as dangerous and labelled Do Not Use, so the tenant could not use it for heating or hot water. The landlord called us for a quote and we quoted for a replacement. The Powermax is a tall floor-standing unit with the boiler on top and a hot water store built in underneath, and it filled the cupboard. We took it out and took it away, and fitted a wall-hung Baxi 400 combi with a Sentinel magnetic filter and a scale reducer. The new flue runs up through the ceiling void to a vertical terminal on the roof, and we supported it properly along the way. The system was flushed as standard, then we commissioned the boiler and checked the combustion on the analyser. The tenant was delighted to have so much of the cupboard back.
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Free survey and written quote. Combi swaps in the same position from £1,999 fitted (depends on the boiler); conversions to a combi from £2,699. Non-standard work is quoted and agreed before we start.
No travel charge within 10 miles of B20 2JS. Further out, £2 per mile may apply — always agreed before anything is booked. Full price list
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The landlord rang us about a rental in Erdington. The boiler, an old Potterton Powermax HE, had been condemned as dangerous and carried a Danger, Do Not Use label, as in the first photo. A condemned appliance has to stay off until it is put right, so the tenant was relying on us to get a replacement in. The landlord asked for a quote for a new boiler, and we gave one.
The Powermax is an unusual boiler. It is a tall floor-standing cabinet with the boiler on top and a hot water store built in below it, so it takes up a whole cupboard. With the case off, in the second photo, you can see both halves. We drained it down, stripped it out in sections and took it away in the van.
In its place we fitted a wall-hung Baxi 400 combi, which heats hot water on demand and needs no cylinder. New copper pipework runs down from the boiler, and we fitted a Sentinel magnetic filter to catch any debris before it reaches the new heat exchanger, plus a scale reducer on the incoming cold main to protect the hot water side from limescale. The system was flushed as standard before the new boiler was commissioned.
The new flue goes straight up through the ceiling void to a vertical terminal on the roof. We supported it properly along the way, on brackets and threaded rod, so the joints stay tight and cannot sag. It matters: on a recent service in Kitts Green we found a flue in a loft with no proper support and joints that were not secured.
With the boiler running, we checked the combustion on the flue gas analyser: CO 22 ppm, CO2 8.6% and a CO/CO2 ratio of 0.0003, comfortably inside the manufacturer's limits. Then we set the boiler up and handed it over.
The tenant has a new boiler with heating and hot water, and was extremely happy to get so much of the cupboard back. The landlord has a modern, efficient combi in place of a condemned unit, with the old one taken away.
Combi swaps in the same position start from £1,999 fitted, depending on the boiler, and conversions to a combi from £2,699. Moving from a boiler with a built-in store to a combi, as here, is quoted after a free survey, and the price is agreed before we start. Details are on our boiler installation page.
A Gas Safe engineer has found it to be dangerous, turned it off and labelled it Do Not Use. It must not be used again until it has been repaired or replaced and made safe. For a landlord, it also means the tenant needs heating and hot water sorted quickly, so the sooner the quote is in, the better.
Usually, yes. The Powermax stores hot water in its own built-in cylinder, while a combi heats it on demand from the mains, so the stored hot water goes and so does most of the bulk. A combi suits homes with good mains water pressure and flow and one main bathroom. We check this at the survey before recommending it.
Flue pipe is joined in sections. Over a long run, and especially going up through a ceiling void to the roof, it has to be supported at intervals so the joints cannot sag or separate. An unsupported flue can leak flue gases into the void, which is exactly the problem we found on a service in Kitts Green.
An old system carries sludge and debris that will block a new boiler's heat exchanger and pump. Flushing the system and fitting a magnetic filter protects the new boiler, and manufacturers expect both for their warranty. We do it as standard on every installation. On this job we also fitted a scale reducer on the cold main into the combi, which helps protect its hot water heat exchanger from limescale.
Job attended and photographed by our engineers, October 2026. Written up by Saeed Iqbal, the engineer who leads Synergy Gas & Plumbing (Gas Safe registered 594385). More of our work in the area is on our Erdington page, and every job we write up is on the case studies index.
From £1,999 fitted
Free survey and written quote. Combi swaps in the same position from £1,999 fitted (depends on the boiler); conversions to a combi from £2,699. Non-standard work is quoted and agreed before we start.
No travel charge within 10 miles of B20 2JS. Further out, £2 per mile may apply — always agreed before anything is booked.
A routine annual service: condensate trap and magnetic filter cleaned, clean combustion readings. Following the flue into the loft, we found it held only by metal banding with the joint clamps unscrewed. Warning notice left, quote accepted, return visit booked.
Read the case studyA smell of gas in the upstairs bathroom and a 20 mbar drop on Cadent's test. We traced the leak to old steel pipe, capped it off, tested and recommissioned, so the boiler was back on the same day. The hob now needs a new supply.
Read the case studyThe main heat exchanger had failed on a boiler that had done 17 years, so the numbers pointed one way. Like-for-like swap into the same cupboard, Worcester magnetic filter fitted, system dosed, guarantee registered.
Read the case studyWe put the repair price and the replacement price side by side. New boilers from £1,999 fitted, with the guarantee registered on the day.
