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What does E133 mean?
E133 means the boiler couldn't light its burner, or couldn't see the flame, or its gas supply was interrupted. Baxi's and Potterton's guides give all three under the one code. The boiler stops, and stays off until it is reset.
An E133 can have a simple cause, such as the gas being off or a condensate pipe frozen in a frost. It can also come from a part that lights the burner or watches its flame. You can check the gas and the pipe safely yourself, and the parts are an engineer's job.
Which boilers show E133?
E133 is a code of Baxi and Potterton, and it means the same on both, since Potterton is part of Baxi Heating. On a two-figure display, a three-figure code shows in two parts that take turns, so E133 appears as E1, then 33. Baxi's newest boilers show the same kind of fault with another code, so read the model before the code. E119 on Baxi and Potterton boilers: low water pressure.
E133 on a Baxi boiler
Baxi lists E133 among the codes of its older ranges, though not every model shows every code. Those ranges run from the Baxi Duo-tec, EcoBlue and Platinum to the first 600 and 800. On the Duo-tec Compact, Platinum Compact and Megaflo Compact, E134 and E135 belong to the same family. E134 means the gas valve was open too long without gas, and E135 a gas supply interruption from an internal error. The Platinum Combi shows E133 as E1, then 33.
On the current 400, 600 and 800 Combi 2, a failed ignition shows as E.04.10 instead, meaning the burner didn't light after four tries. Main boilers are Baxi's own brand too. The Main Eco Compact, now sold as the Baxi MainEco Compact, shows 133, and the Main Eco Elite shows E1, then 33. Baxi boiler repair, and every other Baxi code.
E133 on a Potterton boiler
The Promax Combi and Promax System, the Titanium Combi, the Gold Combi and the Heatmax Combi HE show E133 as E1, then 33. The Assure and the Promax Ultra show an E and 133. The current Titanium Heat has no display. Its light flashing red three times is an ignition fault, and flashing green three times a flame lost while running. The other ranges have been discontinued, and we still repair them. Potterton boiler repair, and every other Potterton code.
What causes E133?
E133 has five groups of causes. Potterton's and Baxi's user guides put the gas supply first. Their manuals' charts then follow the boiler as it tries to light, in this order:
- The gas supply. The gas turned off or interrupted, or a prepayment meter out of credit.
- The spark. The ignition electrode, its lead and connection, and the gap the spark jumps.
- The gas at the burner. Air in the gas, which an engineer purges, and the gas valve and its wiring.
- The flame. The gas pressure at the valve, the valve's setting, and the electrode that senses the flame.
- The electrics. The power supply, which Baxi's code list names, and the circuit board, the last check in each manual's chart.
Baxi's own advice adds a frozen condensate pipe. In a frost, the boiler shuts down to stop water backing up into it. On most Baxi boilers the display then shows E133 or E28, Baxi says. On a Main Eco Elite, though, E28 is a circuit board fault. Neither maker ranks these causes, so the list follows the order of the manuals.
Sources: Potterton's Promax Combi user guide and installation manual, Baxi's Duo-tec Compact manual and its list of error codes, and Baxi's advice on frozen condensate pipes.
Worth knowing
Baxi links E133 in a frost to a frozen condensate pipe, and a pipe at ground level is one you can thaw yourself.
What can you safely check?
For E133, the steps a householder may take come from Baxi's and Potterton's own guides. Never lift off the boiler's front panel, and never touch anything that carries gas.
1. Is the gas on?
Light the hob, or try another gas appliance. If you have a prepayment meter, check its credit. Potterton's and Baxi's guides ask you to see that the gas supply hasn't been turned off before a reset.
2. Is it freezing outside?
In a hard frost, look at the white condensate pipe outside. A frozen part at ground level can be thawed with warm water, never boiling. Then restart the boiler. When a boiler won't fire up, and frozen condensate pipes.
3. Reset it, as your guide shows
The way to reset an E133 depends on the boiler:
- A Potterton Promax, Titanium Combi, Gold or Heatmax: turn the selector fully anticlockwise to Reset, and hold it there for at least 5 seconds.
- A Baxi Platinum, Duo-tec Combi HE, HE A or 2015 Duo-tec Combi: the same selector reset, held for at least 5 seconds.
- A Baxi Duo-tec Compact, Platinum Compact or Megaflo Compact: press the reset button for 1 to 3 seconds.
- A Potterton Assure or Main Eco Compact: press the reset button for about a second. Their guides say a press of more than 2 seconds won't reset.
Stop if the boiler doesn't relight, or if E133 keeps coming back.
Sources: the user guides and installation manuals for each Potterton and Baxi range named, the Main Eco Compact user guide, and Baxi's advice on frozen condensate pipes.
When should you stop and ring an engineer?
Call in an engineer for E133 once a reset hasn't cleared it, or as soon as you see any of these:
- The boiler doesn't relight after a reset. That is the point at which the guides say to call an engineer.
- E133 comes back again and again, though the gas works everywhere else and the condensate pipe is clear. Baxi says frequent lock-outs mean a fault.
- The condensate pipe is thawed, but the boiler still won't restart. Baxi says to call a Gas Safe engineer then.
- Getting further would mean taking the boiler apart.
A smell of gas comes before all of this. Don't reset anything, and ring the free emergency number in the gold "Smell gas?" bar on this page. Otherwise, ring us, because finding the cause of an E133 is our Gas Safe registered engineers' job.
The question we'll ask when you ring about E133
When you ring about E133, we'll want to know if the hob and your other gas appliances work, and if it's freezing outside. The answers point the way:
- No gas anywhere in the home points to the supply.
- A hard frost points to the condensate pipe.
- If neither fits, the fault is in the boiler itself.
We'll also ask for the boiler's model, as printed on it, and the exact code it shows.
What changes the price of the fix?
What you pay to fix an E133 depends on what caused it. Restoring the gas supply or thawing a frozen condensate pipe may need no part at all. A new ignition electrode, flame-sensing electrode or gas valve is a part to fit. The rate is agreed on the call before an engineer comes, and nothing is done until you say yes.
Do you cover my part of London?
Yes: we fix E133 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 E133
Can I keep resetting the boiler?
You can reset a boiler showing E133, as its guide shows, but the guides set a limit. If it doesn't relight, or E133 keeps coming back, call an engineer. More resets won't fix the cause, and Baxi says frequent lock-outs mean a fault.
Is E133 dangerous?
The boiler shows E133 to keep you safe. It stops when it can't light, or can't see its flame. Should you smell gas, though, that is an emergency. Leave the reset alone and use the free number in the gold "Smell gas?" bar on this page.
Why has E133 come back?
When E133 comes back after a reset, the cause hasn't gone. It may be any of these:
- a drop in the gas supply
- the condensate pipe icing up again overnight
- a part that lights the flame or senses it, but not every time
An engineer tests them one by one.
How much does it cost to fix E133?
The cost of an E133 repair turns on its cause and on any part it needs. The rate is agreed by phone, before an engineer sets off. 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.
