Inside the Widowmaker

To be accurate the Potterton Netaheat Mk I was nicknamed the Widowmaker. This is the Mk II E. It differs slightly in its controls but the basic design is the same.

Ground breaking, revolutionary technology in it's time. All other boiler manufacturers copied it. It would still work but the electrode that makes the spark is an obsolete part so it is no more. Just for a titchy little spark plug!

I suppose I can't complain, they stopped making them 20 years ago. I've no idea how old this one is.

The strange thing is - there is so much mystique surrounding boilers, as though mending them is some sort of dark art, but take them apart and they are just a glorified gas grill inside a box. Watch out though, they are cast iron and very heavy! Undo the bolts that hold them to the wall and they come in a rush!!!

The replacement boiler is easy to pick up and won't last twenty years, it has a two year warranty.

So that's my weekend taken up.