Baxi or Potterton boiler showing E119 in Birmingham? It usually means the water pressure switch has not made, most often because pressure is low. What to check and when it is the switch itself.
The water pressure switch has not made, so the boiler will not run.
With the heating cold, most Baxi boilers want about 1 to 1.5 bar.
Use the filling loop slowly, then reset the boiler.
Then the switch or its wiring may have failed.
Scale around the switch is common in older Birmingham boilers.
Both relate to pressure. Newer Baxi models tend to show E118.
If the pressure is low, yes, by topping up through the filling loop. If the pressure is fine, it needs an engineer.
Water is leaving the system, usually through a radiator valve, the relief valve or a faulty expansion vessel.
On many Potterton models it means the same thing, because they share parts with Baxi.
Once is fine. If the code comes straight back, stop resetting and get it looked at, because the boiler is telling you the cause is still there.
Ask to see the Gas Safe ID card when they arrive. The back lists exactly which appliances that engineer is qualified to work on, and the number can be checked on the Gas Safe Register.
E119 on many Baxi and Potterton boilers means the water pressure switch has not closed. In plain words, the boiler cannot confirm there is enough water pressure in the heating system to run, so it will not start. Most of the time that is because the pressure really is low, and you can fix it yourself.
Look at the gauge with the heating cold. If it reads below about 1 bar, top the system up through the filling loop, opening it slowly and closing it at around 1 to 1.5 bar, then reset. If E119 clears, the job is done for now.
If the gauge already reads a healthy pressure and E119 still shows, the switch itself may have stuck or failed, or the wiring to it has a fault. That is common on older Baxi combis that have been in Birmingham's hard water for a decade or more, because scale and debris build up around the switch. That needs an engineer.
If you find yourself topping up every week, the pressure is going somewhere. In the city's older terraces and semis it is usually a weeping radiator valve, the relief valve dripping through the copper pipe outside, or an expansion vessel that has lost its charge. Newer Baxi models often show E118 for low pressure instead of E119. Codes differ a little between models and years, so check the meaning in your own boiler manual too.
Send a photo of the display and the boiler badge on WhatsApp and we can usually tell you the likely cause before anyone sets off. If you smell gas, leave the house, do not touch switches and ring the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999 from outside.
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