When you find out that the boiler not working, it’s normal to feel stressed out about what you need to do next. It can be tempting to immediately call a gas safe registered heating engineer to help you get your boiler working again, but there are things that you can do first before calling an engineer. If these simple ways to fix your boiler works, then you can save yourself some significant money by not having to call an engineer.
Table of Contents
1. Re-Pressurize the Boiler
You will typically see a water pressure indicator on the front of the boiler. If you notice that this indicator is lower than 1, that means that the pressure is too low. If it’s too low, you will need to find the filling loop on the boiler, which can usually be found beneath the unit.
Be sure that you turn the boiler off and that the ends of its hose are attached to its valves. Then open the valves. You should be able to hear the water fill up the system. At this point, watch the pressure indicator and wait until it hits 1.5, then you can close the valves and turn the boiler on again. There is also a problem if the pressure is too high.
2. Reset the Boiler
When there’s a computer problem, you will often be told to just turn it off and turn it back on again. The same can apply to your boiler. If there’s a problem, find the boiler’s reset button. You may need to look at the manual to find out where it is.
Once you find it, push it down for 10 seconds. After this, you can just wait a few minutes and the boiler might start working again. If not, you can try it again a few minutes later. This will work if there’s an internal fault in the boiler.
3. Bleed the Radiators
You can try to bleed the radiator. With the heat on, go around to check your radiators to assess any radiators that are not warming up. After you’ve identified, the radiators that aren’t working properly, turn off your heating.
After the radiators have cooled off, take the radiator key, and use it to attach it to the valve. Take a cloth, then slowly turn the key in the anti-clockwise direction. The hissing sound that you should hear means that there is gas escaping. After the gas has escaped, you need to close the valve.
4. Check/Change the Batteries in the Thermostat
Sometimes the problem is simply caused by the batteries dying in your thermostat. Remove the housing for the thermostat, then flip it over to see the battery removal slots. Take out the old batteries, then replacement. Put the thermostat back on.
Conclusion
If none of these fixes work, then you need to consider calling a professional heating engineer to come in and help. However, an engineer can be expensive so if you can fix the problem on your own you can save yourself some money. Bear in mind that some serious boiler issues are not for DIY, this usually will require a gas safe engineer to come and find the faults and fix the boiler, and get it up and running again.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading the article and find it helpful. If you need help and advice on your boiler and central heating system, please get in touch with us on 07771 956641 and our friendly team is here to help you.
