22 December 2022
There's No Heat or Hot Water
The first sign that there is an issue with a boiler is that there is no heat being produced in your home. If this is the case there are a few different things that could be wrong with your boiler including low water levels or thermostat issues.
But first of all, do check to make sure there are no issues with the gas supply in your home. If your other gas appliances don't seem to be working either, then you should call Ignite Gas Yorkshire.
Of course you should never attempt to fix/take apart a boiler yourself. But there are a few simple things you can easily check, before calling out a qualified engineer:
Is It the Thermostat?
When you have a problem with the heating in your home it's not necessarily the boiler itself that has an issue, it could be that there is an issue with your thermostat.
Over time your thermostat may lose accuracy and it may start turning your heating on or off, at the wrong times. There are a couple of things you can check first, as it may be an easy fix, but it may be time to replace your thermostat.
Check that all of the settings on your thermostat are set correctly. It could be that someone else has changed these to different settings, or something as simple as they may have been knocked.
If these all seem to be correct, it could be the case that the temperature isn't high enough to be heating your home. Try altering the temperature incrementally on your thermostat to see if this allows your boiler to heat your home to a comfortable temperature for you.
If you are still having issues, then it may be time to consider replacing the old thermostat with a new one.
The Pilot Light Has Gone Out
It is quite rare for the pilot light to go out on a newer boiler, however, if you have an older boiler this can be quite a common issue.
The pilot light is the small blue flame that is used to heat a large burner within your boiler. If this light has gone out, then it won't heat your boiler and in turn won't heat your home or hot water.
Relighting the pilot light can be quite simple, and generally shouldn't require an engineer to fix. Instructions on how to relight your pilot light should be found in your appliance instruction manual.
If this doesn't work, then most common cause for this is there being a problem with the thermocouple which will require a qualified engineer to replace.
The Radiators Aren't Heating Up
If you find that everything seems fine with your boiler, and your thermostat, but your radiators just aren't heating up like they used to, Then you may need to bleed the radiators, especially if only the bottom part of the radiator is heating up.
Bleeding your radiators is quite straightforward, and shouldn't need an engineer to come out; you will just need a radiator key which you can find at any local DIY store.
If the whole radiator isn't getting hot, it may be that it needs balancing. Again, this is a fairly straightforward process that you shouldn't need an engineer to come out to do.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to balance your radiator
If you are still having a problem with any of your radiators heating up, after bleeding and balancing, then you should call an engineer to come and take a look. It could be that there is a build up of sludge in the system which will need to be removed. A qualified engineer can do this by flushing the system, but this isn't something you should do yourself.
The Boiler Is Making Strange Noises
If your boiler is making any kind of abnormal noises it can be quite worrying, however, a boiler might start making noises similar to a kettle boiling when limescale or sludge builds up.
These build ups can prevent the flow of water within the boiler system which can end up overheating the water causing it to boil and steam (a bit like a kettle).
This can cause your boiler to try and work harder, which can reduce its lifespan, so it's important to get this looked at by a qualified engineer who can flush out any build up and have your boiler functioning properly again.
If you have an older system, it may have low water pressure which is causing it to make strange banging sounds. An engineer will be able to better determine the problem by identifying the type of sound your boiler is making.
Contact us at any time:
You should never attempt to fix/take apart a boiler yourself. If you think you may have an issue with your boiler, but you're unsure, or you're not as confident in carrying out certain checks yourself, Ignite Gas have a team of friendly, professional, and fully qualified Gas Safe engineers who are on hand to help and you should contact us.
