Baxi Duo-Tec E160 fault code

Baxi Duo-Tec E160 fault code fault code explained

Baxi Duo-Tec boilers are quite reliable boilers in general. However if you have one of these boilers you may experience the E160 fault code at some point.

This fault code will usually cause your Baxi Duo-Tec boiler to stop working, leaving you without central heating or hot water.

If you look in the Baxi Duo-Tec installation manual under the E160 fault code it states the following;

“Fan or Fan Wiring Fault”

All Baxi Duo-Tec boilers have a fan. The fan only has one job to do, but it is one of the most important components on a Baxi boiler.

If you are seeing the E160 fault code on your Baxi Duo-Tec boiler it more than likely means that the fan has failed.

Sometimes you may be able to get your boiler working intermittently with a reset, but most of the time an E160 fault code will not reset and your boiler will not work at all unfortunately.

Fans on modern gas boilers with premix burner designs like Baxi Duo-Tec boilers, have sophisticated electronics which communicate back to the printed circuit board(PCB).

The printed circuit board controls the speed of the fan and modulates its speed depending on the load on the boiler.

If the fan isn’t running at all or at the right speed, the printed circuit board will know this and shut the boiler down with an E160 fault code as a safety precaution.

The fan operating correctly is crucial to the boiler working properly, and any irregutlatires detected with the speed of the fan on a Baxi Duo-Tec boiler will cause the boiler to shut down with an E160 fault code.

Unlike some fault codes on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers, the E160 fault code is very specific and is trying to tell you that the fan has more than likely failed.

In our experience working on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers, the number one cause of the E160 fault code, nine times out of ten is the fan.

The fan can fail in a few different ways but mostly the electronic printed circuit board on the fan just fails.

Sometimes the motor inside the fan can fail also.

When to call a gas engineer to fix your boiler

If you are experiencing the E160 fault code on your Baxi Duo-Tec boiler, it is important to take action as soon as possible.

While some issues can be resolved by homeowners themselves, others require the expertise of a qualified Gas Safe registered heating engineer.

The E160 fault code is usually caused by a faulty fan, but it could be caused by a faulty printed circuit board(PCB) or faulty wiring harness.

This is why it is extremely important to get a suitable heating engineer with experience on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers, otherwise you could end up wasting money fitting parts to your boiler that are unnecessary.

With some fault codes you can often reset your boiler to get it going short term, but this is generally not the case with the E160 fault code.

Once you see this fault code it generally won’t go away without a repair to the boiler, which usually requires replacement of the fan.

So it usually best to get a qualified Gas Safe registered heating engineer to have a look at your boiler at your earliest convenience.

How to prevent the E160 fault code

A lot of the time certain faults on a Baxi Duo-Tec boiler can be prevented with regular annual servicing and maintenance.

Unfortunately this is not the case with fault codes like the E160 fault code.

A lot of the parts on a Baxi Duo-Tec boiler are non serviceable parts, this includes the fan as well.

This means that there is nothing that can be done to these parts to extend the life of the fan and prevent the E160 fault code.

The only thing that can potentially help to prevent seeing the E160 fault code, is to avoid turning your boiler off unnecessarily.

Sometimes when people go on holiday they like to turn their boilers off electrically.

This is a bad idea. It’s best just to isolate your boiler hydraulically by turning the mains water off, but it’s always best to leave the power switched on to your boiler.

This is because sometimes the electronics inside the fan(or even PCB), fail when getting powered back on.

This is an inherent design flaw within certain electronics on certain boilers.

Whilst the electronics on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers aren’t known for failing in this way in general, it’s still our advice to avoid turning the mains power to your boiler off unnecessarily.

Baxi Duo-Tec boilers affected by the E160 fault code

The E160 fault code on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers can affect any Duo-Tec combination boiler or system boiler.

Below is a list of Baxi Duo-Tec boilers that can be affected by the E160 fault code;

• Baxi Duo-Tec 24, 28, 33 and 40 combination boilers
• Baxi Duo-Tec 24 GA, 28 GA, 33 GA and 40 GA combination boilers

Frequently asked questions:

Is my boiler showing an E160 fault code worth repairing ?

Yes definitely, most of the time your broken Baxi Duo-Tec boiler displaying an E160 fault code will be worth repairing.

Obviously the cost to repair your boiler will be determined by which parts need to be replaced.

You would need a competent, Gas Safe registered heating engineer to have a look at your boiler and make an assessment to determine exactly which parts might need to be replaced.

Before replacing your boiler it is always worth getting a suitable Gas Safe registered heating engineer, with experience working on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers, to make an assessment of your boiler so you can determine whether it is worth fixing not.

Can I repair the E160 fault code myself?

Most of the time an end user will not be able to solve the E160 fault code in any way, even by resetting the boiler.

Once an E160 fault presents itself its usually there to stay, in our experience anyway.

Fixing the E160 fault code will usually require removing the cover of your boiler to replace parts which you are not legally allowed to do unless you are a Gas Safe registered heating industry professional.

Is the E160 fault code dangerous?

No definitely not , the E160 fault code on a Baxi Duo-Tec boiler is not inherently dangerous in our experience.

In the unlikely event you are having issues with an intermittent E160 fault code, resetting the boiler is often only a short term solution to your problem, and your boiler will probably stop working altogether at some point.

As such if your boiler is coming up with an E160 fault code, the best thing to do it get it repaired at your earliest convenience, by a suitable Gas Safe registered heating engineer – ideally one that has experience working on Baxi Duo-Tec boilers.