What to do if your boiler isn’t working!

If you discover that your boiler is on the blink, there will probably be a few panicky, angry moments and a choice word or two uttered.
There’s no good time for a boiler to stop working – your home will have no hot water, no central heating and everyday life can get a lot more difficult.
Here, we’re going to show you some quick boiler fixes that might correct the problem until you can arrange for a boiler repair.

The pilot light is out

The pilot light is the small flame you can see through a window in the front of the boiler.
It helps ignite a gas burner to heat up water, and if the pilot light is out then it’s probably stopping the supply of gas to the boiler.
Check that there aren’t any problems with your property’s gas supply. If the gas stopcock is fully turned on but the boiler and other appliances aren’t working, then contact your gas supplier immediately.
If the gas supply is normal, you could try relighting the pilot light by carefully following the instructions in your boiler’s manual.
If you don’t feel confident enough to relight it yourself, you can always call a Gas Safe Registered engineer to make a quick boiler fix.

Low boiler pressure

There’s a simple way to see if your boiler is struggling with low pressure.
Just look at the gauge meter. If the indicator needle is below one, then it’s likely that you have low boiler pressure.
This can be caused by a water leak in the system, but if you can’t spot any visible leaks the boiler may just need to be repressurised and you won’t need a professional boiler repair.
This can be completed in about two minutes and if it is not contained in the manual, your manufacturers’ website should have a section on how to repressure your specific boiler.
Again, if you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you can call a registered engineer to carry out the boiler repair.

Your smart boiler is not responding

Many modern boilers are controlled by a wireless thermostat and have internet-connected controls for central heating and hot water, operated via a smartphone app.
If your smart boiler is not working as it should, you might not need a boiler repair.
First, check that the thermostat box is close enough to the boiler to communicate with it.
Smart boilers sometimes experience interference from other smart devices such as TVs and routers, so ensure that there are no other gadgets causing frequency problems nearby.
You could also check that the thermostat box has fresh batteries, and if none of that works, consider simply turning your smart boiler off and on again!

Leaks and drips

If you find water leaking, this probably won’t be a quick boiler fix. Call a qualified engineer to make a boiler repair as there is likely to be something broken internally.
It could be a pump seal or valve inside your boiler that has shifted or worn out, perhaps due to the pressure being too high.
Some components are likely to need replacing, but this may be covered if you have a boiler guarantee.

Thermostat problems

If your heating and hot water keeps switching on or off when it’s not supposed to, then it could be an issue with your thermostat.
If you haven’t changed any settings and you’ve checked it’s correctly set up, it’s possible the thermostat thinks the temperature is warmer than it is.
A gas engineer or electrician can try and rectify this, but if the thermostat has malfunctioned it’s probably time to replace it. Again, this may be covered by your boiler guarantee.

Are you looking for professional and reliable boiler repair in Leeds? Woolfoot Heating can repair all types of boiler, no matter how old. With our industry knowledge and expertise, we can diagnose problems and offer you a quick boiler fix. We also offer Yorkshire’s longest boiler guarantee. Find out more here.