Boilers when regularly maintained will rarely break down.
If you have an annual service the gas engineer will be able to tell you what parts are warring out and will need replacing soon.
But there are some simple checks to some of the control mechanisms which could help you get your boiler up and running again without the cost of getting an engineer out.
Check the age of your thermostat as over time they can lose their accuracy.
This in turn can lead to misreading of temperature which could make your boiler heat on or off at the wrong times.
If yours is past its sell by date, replacing it with an energy saving one from your local DIY store would be the best action to take.
Also many people make the mistake of having their thermostat too low which will stop the boiler from working.
Programmers and time switches work by a clock.
If your heating is coming on and off at the wrong time it could be that the clock dial is stuck or completely broken down.
With modern combination boilers one problem to cause your boiler to stop working is where there is not enough air pressure.
You can tell this by looking at the gauge which should be somewhere between 1.
0 and 1.
5.
If the bar has fallen below 1.
0 you will need to increase the water pressure by turning the pressure value until the bar has risen.
Sometimes pressure drops when there is a leak in the system.
If the pressure keeps dropping you make need to get a leak sealer to secure stubborn leaks.
One of the most common boiler problems is when the condensate pipe freezes in winter.
This pipe carries condensation from your boiler to your outside drain.
When the weather hits below freezing this pipe could freeze and cause a blockage.
If your boiler is showing a fault code and you know the night before was very cold, below freezing even, then the problem is likely to be a blockage due to frozen water.
All that needs to be done is to defrost the pipe so that the water flows freely again.
You can do this by using a heater to gently heat the pipe, a hair dryer will also do the trick.
Or you could wrap up your pipes to warm them so the water melts.
You can carefully poor warm water over the pipe.
But don't be tempted to pour boiling or too hot water as this could make your pipes crack.
A blown fuse will stop the boiler powering up.
So replacing the fuse could solve the boiler problem.
Also pilot lights can get wet and go out.
To get your pilot light working again follow the user instructions that came with the boiler, or if you haven't got these, search for your boiler type on the internet and see if you can download a user guide.
Normally it's a matter of holding down the button which lights the pilot for a few seconds until it ignites.
Once ignited you will need to hold the button for around 30 seconds and once released the flame should stay lit.
If not repeat the process and once lit hold it down for about a minute.
If you have an annual service the gas engineer will be able to tell you what parts are warring out and will need replacing soon.
But there are some simple checks to some of the control mechanisms which could help you get your boiler up and running again without the cost of getting an engineer out.
Check the age of your thermostat as over time they can lose their accuracy.
This in turn can lead to misreading of temperature which could make your boiler heat on or off at the wrong times.
If yours is past its sell by date, replacing it with an energy saving one from your local DIY store would be the best action to take.
Also many people make the mistake of having their thermostat too low which will stop the boiler from working.
Programmers and time switches work by a clock.
If your heating is coming on and off at the wrong time it could be that the clock dial is stuck or completely broken down.
With modern combination boilers one problem to cause your boiler to stop working is where there is not enough air pressure.
You can tell this by looking at the gauge which should be somewhere between 1.
0 and 1.
5.
If the bar has fallen below 1.
0 you will need to increase the water pressure by turning the pressure value until the bar has risen.
Sometimes pressure drops when there is a leak in the system.
If the pressure keeps dropping you make need to get a leak sealer to secure stubborn leaks.
One of the most common boiler problems is when the condensate pipe freezes in winter.
This pipe carries condensation from your boiler to your outside drain.
When the weather hits below freezing this pipe could freeze and cause a blockage.
If your boiler is showing a fault code and you know the night before was very cold, below freezing even, then the problem is likely to be a blockage due to frozen water.
All that needs to be done is to defrost the pipe so that the water flows freely again.
You can do this by using a heater to gently heat the pipe, a hair dryer will also do the trick.
Or you could wrap up your pipes to warm them so the water melts.
You can carefully poor warm water over the pipe.
But don't be tempted to pour boiling or too hot water as this could make your pipes crack.
A blown fuse will stop the boiler powering up.
So replacing the fuse could solve the boiler problem.
Also pilot lights can get wet and go out.
To get your pilot light working again follow the user instructions that came with the boiler, or if you haven't got these, search for your boiler type on the internet and see if you can download a user guide.
Normally it's a matter of holding down the button which lights the pilot for a few seconds until it ignites.
Once ignited you will need to hold the button for around 30 seconds and once released the flame should stay lit.
If not repeat the process and once lit hold it down for about a minute.
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