Makes we repair
What does E119 mean?
E119 means the water pressure in your heating system has dropped below 0.5 bar, too low for the boiler to run. The boiler's water pressure switch stops it, and it stays off until the pressure is back up.
The cause of an E119 can be as simple as water let out when a radiator was bled. It can also be a leak, or a part such as the pressure switch. You can top up yourself, as the makers' guides show, and finding why the pressure fell is an engineer's job.
Which boilers show E119?
E119 means the same on a Baxi as on a Potterton, because Potterton belongs to Baxi Heating. Their displays show a three-figure code in two parts that take turns, so E119 appears as E1, then 19. Other Baxi and Potterton boilers use other codes for low pressure, so read the model before the code. What E133 means on a Baxi or Potterton: the gas supply, the ignition or the flame.
E119 on a Baxi boiler
The Baxi Duo-tec Combi HE, HE A and 2015 Duo-tec Combi show E119 when the heating's water pressure is below 0.5 bar. They are Duo-tecs with an ON/OFF/Reset selector. The Platinum Combi and the Platinum+ show E119 too.
Other Baxi boilers use other codes for low pressure:
- E118 on the Duo-tec Compact and Platinum Compact, the Duo-tec 2 Combi GA, the Assure Combi (not the Assure 500) and the Megaflo Compact System
- A.02.06 or H.02.07 on the 400, 600 and 800 Combi 2
- H02 06 or E02 07 on the first 200 and 400 Combi, of 2016
E118 is a separate code from E119, with ranges of its own. E118 on Baxi boilers, range by range, and how to top up each.
Main is Baxi's own brand too, and the Main Eco Elite shows E119 for low pressure. The Main Eco Compact, now sold as the Baxi MainEco Compact, shows 118. Every other Baxi code, and Baxi boiler repair.
E119 on a Potterton boiler
Potterton's Promax Combi and Promax System show E119 when the heating's water pressure is below 0.5 bar. The Titanium Combi, the Gold Combi and the Heatmax Combi HE show it too.
The Assure and the Promax Ultra show E118 for low pressure instead, a separate code. E118 on the Assure and the Promax Ultra, and how to top up each.
The current Titanium Heat has a light, not a code. The other ranges are no longer made, and we still repair them. Every other Potterton code, and Potterton boiler repair.
What causes E119?
The causes of E119 are water lost from the heating system, or a fault in the boiler itself. Potterton's Promax manual and Baxi's Platinum+ manual list the engineer's checks in this order:
- The pressure itself. Below 0.5 bar, the first step is to top the system up.
- The water pressure switch. When the pressure reads right and E119 stays, the engineer checks the switch's connection, then the switch itself.
- The automatic air vent. Its cap must be open, and the manual has the engineer open it.
Why the pressure fell is the other half of the job. Potterton's and Baxi's user guides say pressure below 0.5 bar may mean a leak on the heating system. Baxi's current boilers show low pressure with other codes. Their manual adds a leak on the boiler itself, and a low charge in the expansion vessel.
Bleeding a radiator lets water out too, which is why Baxi's guides say to check the pressure afterwards. No maker ranks these causes by how often they happen, so the order above is the manuals'.
Sources: Potterton's Promax installation and service manual, Baxi's Platinum+ manual and its manual for the 400, 600 and 800 Combi 2, and both makers' user guides.
Worth knowing
Topping up now and then is normal, Potterton's and Baxi's guides say. Needing it regularly means a leak or a fault, and an engineer.
What can you safely check?
Potterton's and Baxi's guides give a householder these checks for E119. Never open the boiler's case, and never touch any part that carries gas.
1. What does the gauge read?
The pressure gauge on the boiler reads the heating's water pressure. Between 1 and 2.5 bar is right, the green on a Potterton gauge, and E119 comes up below 0.5 bar.
2. Top it up, as your guide shows
The filling loop on a Potterton Promax Combi or Titanium Combi sits under the boiler, with two blue taps. Top the boiler up with it like this:
- With both taps off, take off the caps and fit the loop's pipe.
- Open one tap fully, then the other slowly while you watch the gauge.
- Close both taps at 1 to 2 bar.
- Then take the pipe off and refit the caps.
A Baxi Platinum may have the green Easy-Fill link under the boiler. If yours has, hold its lever open until the gauge reads 1 to 2 bar, then let go.
Other models have their own steps in their user guide. Where no Easy-Fill link is fitted, Baxi says to ask your installer how.
3. Is it running again?
Once the pressure is back up, the boiler should run again, Potterton's and Baxi's guides say. Keep an eye on the gauge afterwards. If the pressure falls again, or E119 comes back, stop there, because needing to top up regularly means a leak or a fault. If the needle reaches 3 bar, the safety relief valve opens, and the guides say to call an engineer.
Sources: the user guides for Potterton's Promax Combi and Titanium Combi and for Baxi's Platinum Combi, with their troubleshooting charts and filling steps.
When should you stop and ring an engineer?
E119 needs an engineer once topping up hasn't cleared it. Ring us as soon as you see any of these:
- The pressure drops back and E119 returns. A system that needs topping up regularly has a leak or a fault, the guides say.
- The gauge reads 0.5 bar or more, yet E119 stays. The manuals then point to the pressure switch or the automatic air vent, both inside the boiler.
- Water shows around the boiler, its pipes or a radiator. The guides tie low pressure to a leak.
- The gauge reaches 3 bar, where the safety relief valve opens. The guides call that a fault.
- You can't find a filling loop or an Easy-Fill link.
- Going any further would mean opening the boiler.
If there's a smell of gas, the free emergency number is in the gold "Smell gas?" bar on this page. Otherwise, finding why the pressure fell is a job for our Gas Safe registered engineers.
The question we'll ask when you ring about E119
When you ring about E119, we'll start by asking what the pressure gauge reads, and whether the boiler has needed topping up before. The answers split the causes in two:
- A system that keeps losing pressure points to a leak or a fault.
- A gauge that reads right while E119 still shows points to a part in the boiler.
We'll also want the boiler's model, as printed on it, and the exact code on the display.
What changes the price of the fix?
The price of fixing E119 depends on its cause. A top-up after a radiator was bled may need no part at all. A leak has to be found and mended, and a pressure switch is a part to fit. Before an engineer comes, the rate is agreed on the call, and nothing is done until you say yes.
Do you cover my part of London?
Yes: we fix E119 faults all over Greater London, day and night, in every borough north and south of the Thames. Pick your side of the river to see the areas.
North of the river
Every borough north of the Thames: Barnet and Enfield at the top, Hillingdon in the west, Havering in the east, and central London in between.
South of the river
Every borough south of the Thames: Richmond and Kingston in the west, Bexley in the east, and down through Croydon to Sutton and Bromley.
Questions about E119
Can I keep resetting the boiler?
Resetting isn't the fix for E119. The guides' answer is to top up the pressure, after which the boiler should run. If it needs topping up again soon, the fault needs an engineer, so ring us.
Is E119 dangerous?
E119 is the boiler's safety switch at work. With the water pressure below 0.5 bar, the switch stops the boiler. Low pressure can mean a leak, though, so if it keeps happening, ring us. Should you smell gas at any point, open the gold "Smell gas?" bar on this page for the free number.
Why has E119 come back?
An E119 that comes back after a top-up means the pressure has fallen again. Potterton's and Baxi's guides say needing to top up regularly means a leak or a fault. An engineer finds where the water is going, on the boiler or the system. The engineer also checks the expansion vessel's charge, a check Baxi's manual gives for its current boilers.
How much does it cost to fix E119?
An E119 repair costs more or less depending on its cause, and on whether a part is needed. Before an engineer comes, the rate is agreed on the call. How our rates work.
Don't know what has failed? You don't have to.Ring and say what you can see or hear. Finding the fault is our job.
Calls answered 24 hours a day
A real person answers and gives you the rate on the call. No work starts until you say yes, and repairs are guaranteed for 12 months: parts, labour and any return visit.
