Baxi E128 Fault Code: Frequent Loss of Flame
Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire
E128 on a Baxi is a safety error for frequent loss of flame. The boiler is lighting, then losing the flame, repeatedly.
It is worth one reset, and worth checking the condensate, but a repeating E128 is telling you something real.
What E128 actually means
This is different from failing to light at all. The burner is igniting, then the flame is going out or the boiler is losing sight of it.
After that happens enough times in a short window, the appliance stops trying and locks out on a safety error.
What you can safely check yourself
Reset once. Repeated flame loss is a genuine fault and repeatedly clearing it will not fix it.
Check the condensate pipe. A blocked or frozen condensate is one of the most common causes of a boiler lighting and then dropping out, particularly in cold weather. It is the white plastic pipe running from the boiler, often outside. Thawing it with warm, not boiling, water often clears it.
Check the gas is on properly. Try another gas appliance. Low gas pressure will light a boiler and then starve it.
Check the flue terminal outside is not obstructed.
If one of those was it, reset once and see.
When to stop, and why
If the condensate is clear, the gas is fine and it still drops out, stop and call an engineer.
What causes it beyond the simple checks
A partially blocked condensate trap or pipe, low or fluctuating gas supply pressure, a dirty or worn flame sensing electrode, a flue problem causing recirculation, or a gas valve not holding a stable output. Repeated flame loss usually comes down to combustion or condensate, and both need testing rather than guessing.
How Vantage can help
We are Gas Safe registered under 956889 and cover Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, with an emergency line answered 24 hours a day. Call us on 01462 506374. See also boiler repair and boiler servicing.
Frequently asked questions
Is E128 dangerous?
The lockout is the boiler being safe. It has stopped rather than keep trying to light. The cause still needs finding.
Why does E128 happen more in winter?
Frozen condensate. It is the single most common cold weather cause.
Can I keep resetting E128?
No. If it returns after one reset it needs looking at.
Related fault codes
Other Baxi codes: E09 · E10 · E20 · E28 · E110 · E119 · E125 · E133 · E160 · all boiler advice. See also boiler repair. The same fault on other makes: Vaillant F29 · Glow-worm F.29. See also frozen condensate pipe.
In Baxi’s own words
The Baxi error code table lists E128 as: Safety error for frequent loss of flame
Baxi use different code sets across their ranges and generations. The definition above comes from The Baxi error code table. If your boiler is a different model and the code behaves differently, check the manual for your appliance or ring us and we will tell you what it means on your unit.
When to call an engineer
If the checks above have not cleared it, the next steps are engineer work and the boiler should not be reset repeatedly in the meantime. Call Vantage Plumbing and Heating on 01462 506374. We are Gas Safe registered under 956889, the line is answered by a person at any hour of any day, and you get a price before anyone starts.
Need help today?
Call and speak to a person, any hour, any day of the year. Get a fixed price quote or call 01462 506374.
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Vantage Plumbing and Heating covers Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas. Call and talk to an engineer, or send us the details and we will come back to you with a price.
Gas Safe registered, number 956889. Emergency line answered 24/7.