What To Do If Your Boiler Breaks Down

What to do if your boiler breaks down? If your boiler has stopped working there are a few simple steps to take before calling in a professional.

What to do if your boiler breaks down

Our guide will help you try some simple steps to get your central heating working again. Often, you’ll be able to solve a boiler break-down without calling an engineer.

Is the Gas Working?

First, check another gas appliance to see if the gas is working. If none of them is putting out gas, then there is a problem with the connection. Check that the Emergency Control Valve hasn’t been mistakenly turned off. If it’s turned on and there’s no gas, you’ll need to get in touch with your energy supplier.

Is the fuse-box tripped?

If you’ve had a power-cut, the fuse-box may have tripped. A loss of power can also cause the timer on your boiler to reset: so it thinks it’s midnight. Check the clock display matches the current time.

Have You Paid?

If you have a prepaid meter, running out of credit will cause the gas supply to cut off, and your boiler won’t work. Getting things running again is a matter of adding some funds to the meter.

Is there enough pressure?

The front of your boiler or a mechanical gauge nearby will show the pressure in the central heating system. Boilers shut off for safety when the pressure drops. This can be fixed by adjusting the taps near the boiler to fill it until the pressure is between 1 and 1.5. Be careful; you don’t want to put too much pressure in.

Check the thermostat

Some boilers stop working when the thermostat is lower than 21°C to save energy. Try increasing the temperature temporarily.

Press the reset button

Modern combi boilers do not have a pilot light. Instead, they have a reset button, which can usually found on the front. Just like your PC, pressing the button to turn it off and back on again might solve the problem. Your boiler may instead have a rotary dial that must be twisted back to zero and then returned to its current position.

L&W Heating and Plumbing

Whatever your heating or plumbing requirements: from fixing a boiler breaks down to fitting a brand-new water saving shower unit, we can help: call the specialist at LW Heating and Plumbing now to find out more. All our expert technicians are Gas Safe registered and fully qualified. Call our local central heating engineers on a regional number below:-

• Newton Le Willows Central Heating Engineers 01925 394260
• Wigan Central Heating Engineers 01942 417220
• Warrington Central Heating Engineers 01925 394260
• St Helens Central Heating Engineers 01744 776140