Listen, when your Baxi throws an E160, you’re going to notice it immediately. The most common sign is a complete lack of hot water and freezing radiators. You might hear the boiler try to “rev up” several times—a whining or humming sound—only for it to go silent and flash that dreaded code. Don’t panic; while it sounds technical, it’s usually down to either a bit of dirt or a component that’s reached the end of its natural life. We can figure this out.
Symptoms
In my thirty years of wrenching on these units, the E160 doesn’t usually sneak up on you—it makes its presence known. Here is what you should be looking for:
📖 Pro Tip: Verify Technical Specs
Incorrect repairs can cause fire or injury. Always verify with the manufacturer’s manual.
- The “Death Pulse”: The boiler attempts to start, you hear the fan spin for five seconds, it cuts out, and tries again. After three attempts, the E160 locks the system down.
- No Central Heating: Your thermostat might be calling for heat, but the boiler remains idle because it cannot guarantee the safe removal of exhaust fumes.
- Audible Grinding or Rattling: Before the error code even appears, you might hear a bearing noise from the top of the boiler. If that fan is struggling to spin against friction, the E160 is inevitable.
- Visual Indicators: The LCD display will alternate between the current temperature and the “E160” digits, often accompanied by a red warning light.
Comprehensive Repair Guide
Before we turn a single screw, let’s get one thing straight: Safety is paramount. If you aren’t comfortable working with electricity or around gas components, call a Gas Safe engineer. Now, let’s get to work.
- Power Isolation: Start by turning off the electrical supply to the boiler at the fused spur. Never work on a live boiler. Verify the display is blank before proceeding.
- Removing the Outer Casing: Use your Phillips head screwdriver to remove the screws at the bottom of the front panel. Carefully lift the panel up and off its hooks. Set it somewhere safe where it won’t get scratched. You’ll likely need to flip down the control box to see the internals.
- Locating the Fan: The fan is situated at the very top of the boiler, connected to the flue outlet. Look for a circular metal or plastic housing with wires leading to it.
Safety Warning: The fan and surrounding pipes may still be hot if the boiler was recently running. - Electrical Continuity Check: Set your multimeter to the Ohms (resistance) setting. Disconnect the wiring harness from the fan. Check the resistance across the fan motor windings. If you get an “Open Loop” (OL), the motor coil is burnt out, and the fan must be replaced. Also, check for 240V at the main power pins when the boiler is powered on and calling for heat (do this with extreme caution).
- The Manual Spin Test: With the power OFF, try to flick the fan blades with a finger or a screwdriver. They should spin freely for several rotations. If they stop immediately or feel “crunchy,” the bearings are shot. You can try a drop of high-heat lubricant as a temporary fix, but usually, a replacement is the only long-term solution.
- Cleaning the Venturi & Blades: If the fan spins but looks filthy, use a soft brush and a vacuum to remove dust from the impeller blades. Check the small plastic tubes (Venturi tubes) connecting the fan to the air pressure switch. If these are blocked with cobwebs or soot, the pressure readings will be wrong, triggering the E160.
- Reseating Connections: Unplug and firmly re-plug every connector between the fan and the PCB. Sometimes, the “fix” is as simple as curing a bad connection caused by years of vibration.
- Reassembly and Reset: Put the panels back on, restore power, and hold the “Reset” button for 3 to 5 seconds. If the fan kicks in and the blue flame appears, you’ve nailed it.
| Metric | Specification |
|---|---|
| Difficulty Level | Moderate to High (Technical Knowledge Required) |
| Estimated Time | 45 – 90 Minutes |
| Tools Needed | Multimeter, Phillips & Flathead Screwdrivers, Soft Brush/Vacuum, Long-nose Pliers |
| Estimated Cost | £20 (Cleaning) to £250 (Replacement Fan/PCB) |
Technical Explanation of the Fault
To fix a machine, you have to understand how it thinks. The E160 is a safety protocol. Your Baxi is a pressurized combustion chamber; if those toxic gases aren’t pulled out and pushed through the flue, the boiler becomes a hazard. Here’s why the system is failing:
1. Accumulated Particulate Matter (Debris): Over time, the fan blades collect dust and carbon soot. Think of it like a plane wing with ice on it—it loses its aerodynamic efficiency. If the blades are heavy, the motor can’t reach the RPMs the PCB demands. The board sees this “drag” and kills the power to prevent overheating.
2. Hall Effect Sensor Failure: This is the “speedometer” of your fan. It’s a small electronic sensor that counts how many times the fan spins. If the sensor is fried due to heat or a voltage spike, the fan might be spinning perfectly fine, but the PCB is “blind” to it. No signal equals an E160 error.
3. Bearing Seizure: Fans live in a harsh, high-heat environment. The lubrication in the bearings eventually dries out. This creates mechanical resistance. If the motor has to pull more amperage than normal just to turn the shaft, the PCB assumes the motor is failing and shuts it down to protect the circuitry.
4. Wiring Harness Corrosion: The vibration of a boiler can occasionally loosen the small molex connectors that lead from the fan to the main board. A tiny bit of oxidation or a loose pin can drop the voltage just enough to trigger a speed fault.
How to Prevent Error E160
I always tell my customers that a little bit of prevention saves a whole lot of cold mornings. You don’t want to be doing this dance again in six months.
Annual Professional Servicing: This is the big one. A qualified engineer doesn’t just look at the boiler; they clean the fan assembly and the heat exchanger. Removing that carbon buildup once a year prevents the fan from ever reaching the “overloaded” state that triggers an E160. It’s the best £80 you’ll ever spend.
Install a Surge Protector: Modern Baxi PCBs are sensitive. A power surge can easily blow the hall effect sensor on your fan. Having a surge protector on your heating circuit can protect the delicate electronics from “dirty” power coming off the grid.
Check Your Flue Terminal: Every now and then, walk outside and look at where the boiler vents. If birds are building nests near it or if leaves are clogging the mesh, the fan has to work twice as hard to push air out. Keep that terminal clear to reduce the workload on the fan motor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I just spray WD-40 on the fan to fix E160?
A: Absolutely not. WD-40 is flammable and will evaporate quickly in the high-heat environment of a boiler. It can also attract more dust, making the problem worse. If the bearings are seizing, you need a dedicated high-temperature silicone lubricant, but even that is usually just a “limp home” fix. Replace the fan if the bearings are failing.
Q: Is the E160 error dangerous?
A: The error itself isn’t dangerous because the boiler has done its job—it shut down. The danger arises if someone tries to “bypass” the sensor. The E160 is there to prevent carbon monoxide from backing up into your home. Never try to trick the PCB into thinking the fan is spinning when it isn’t.
Q: How do I know if it’s the fan or the PCB that’s broken?
A: This is the golden question. If you have 240V going to the fan but it isn’t spinning, the fan is dead. If there is NO power coming from the board to the fan when the boiler starts its ignition sequence, the relay on the PCB is likely at fault. A multimeter is your only way to know for sure.