Boiler faults do not happen often, but when they do come around, you should allow yourself some time to understand what had happened. It is not always necessary to call boiler repair engineers, as some of the problems can be solved yourself for free. But experienced DIY’s should not get too excited here, as some of the gas boiler faults are not that easy to diagnose, let alone solve them. For this reason, we will dig into the 3 most common central heating faults that most of the UK households experience each year.
The Central heating system is not working
If you have no hot water out of the kitchen or bathroom taps, and if your central heating system stopped working in the middle of the freezing winter, then most likely you have an issue within your boiler. If you recognise that the display on the boiler flashing and showing a combination of letters and/or numbers, then note down the fault code. Now all you need to do is to look up the owner’s manual to see what those digits and letters stand for. Around 90% of the error codes will ask you to top up the water pressure on within central heating system. This is easy to do once you find a physical or a digital copy of the owner’s manual which will explain this process in more detail.
Radiators are not heating up
If none of your household radiators are heating up, then inspect your thermostat settings or read the first recommendation within this article. Alternatively, if you had recognised that you central heating is working, but just certain parts of your household are cold, then most likely you will have some problems with your radiators. But do not be scared, radiator problems can be pretty easy to solve most of the time.
If the whole radiator is cold, then you should investigate your radiator valves, which sometimes can get clogged up. Dirty water in the central heating system can prevent the pins within the valves to retract, often leaving the valves in the ‘off’ position. In this instance a solution would be to retract a pin that is stuck with pliers, or just update your valves to new ones.
If the bottom of your radiator is hot, but the top appears to be cold, then it can be a simple solution, which involves removing excess air from the radiator. Find an air release valve located at the top of the radiator. Then unscrew it 1 to 2 turns with a small screwdriver. You will hear air coming out of the radiator. Once the water starts flowing, close the valve off and do make sure not to over tighten the screw.
The Boiler is Making Noises
Inconsistent noises coming out of your boiler can sometimes be unpleasant, but even if the central heating and the hot water is still working, it should be noted that the there may be some issues within the boiler. If the noises are coming from the inside of the boiler exactly when the boiler Is working, then try solving the problem by turning off the heating with your thermostat and stop using the hot water, which will bring the boiler to a rest. Once that is done, turn the boiler off, leave it for couple of seconds, and then turn it back on. Some boilers may have a ‘Reset’ button, which might help. But if you notice the noises come back once you start using the boiler, then calling an engineer would be the most straight forward and the safest bet.
Safety is First
For safety reasons, always have your Carbon Monoxide alarm right next to your boiler, which will give you a peace of mind knowing that no toxic gases are coming from your boiler. If you are ever unsure of the situation, or you are unconfident dealing with the any of the boiler faults, consider calling Gas Safe engineers that will not only repair your boiler, but will service it afterwards too. Calling a local gas engineer is not always as expensive as most would thing, and they can cost anywhere from £60 to £100 depending on the time of the day. Do not forget to ask your engineer what is the overall condition of the boiler, how much it is to repair it, and how much it would cost to install a new boiler instead. Never feel pressured, and make timely a decision based on all of the information that you have gathered.
