When your boiler stops working, we understand it can be a big inconvenience, especially during the winter. The cold can be a boiler’s worst nightmare and can cause issues that stop it from working altogether. These issues might not always need a professional to resolve them. Here are five of the most common issues and how to tackle them to keep you warm at home.
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Frozen condensate pipe
You can try thawing out the pipe yourself using hot (but not boiling) water and a warm compress directly on the pipe. You can find out more about how to do this here.
A frozen condensate pipe is one of the biggest causes of winter boiler breakdowns. It’s because when temperatures drop below zero the water in your pipes can freeze too. -
A settings issue
If you find your boiler doesn’t come on when it should, comes on erratically, doesn’t fire up or there’s a blank or error message on your thermostat it could be an issue with your boiler or thermostat’s settings. This might happen if you’ve had a power cut or if someone’s accidentally knocked the panel.
You can double-check your boiler’s settings versus the manufacturer's recommended settings by reading the manual.
If this doesn’t resolve things, check your thermostat settings. If there’s nothing displayed on your thermostat panel, you might need to replace the batteries. If the temperature is set below 21 degrees your boiler might not fire up, so increase the temperature and see if this helps.
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Low boiler pressure
Low boiler pressure is a common issue and is often caused when your system has been idle, like during the summer.
Low pressure means that the amount of water going around your system has reduced. It might mean your home doesn’t warm up as quickly as normal or it doesn’t warm up at all.
Find out more about how to detect low boiler pressure and how to resolve it here. -
The pilot light has gone out
A pilot light can blow out for several reasons, but you should be able to reignite it by following the instructions on your boiler or in your manual.
If you smell gas, notice a change in the flame colour, or find soot marks on or around the boiler don’t try to reignite it. Instead, turn it off and call the emergency gas line 0800 111 999 and report it to us too. -
Your boiler is locked and needs resetting
If you find a bright light on your boiler, spot an error code on the control panel or you find your boiler won’t come on, it may need to be reset.
Resetting your boiler is simple and is something you can do yourself. Simply find your reset button on the boiler, usually located near the control panel. Then follow the instructions to reset the system using the manufacturer's manual.
If this doesn’t work, you could try turning the boiler off and on again. If you continue to have issues report it to us so we can repair it.
If you’re ever not sure, always report the issue to us and we can create a repair to resolve it for you.
