Having your boiler break down will usually send you into panic mode, especially during the winter. But, knowing exactly what to do in these situations will help you stay calm and solve the problem a lot faster; after all your boiler is the hub of your home so getting it back up and running is essential. Your first port of call depends on several factors, here is our guide to knowing exactly what to do if you find yourself with boiler trouble.
Before you call assistance
If your boiler hasn’t turned on as expected or you can’t get any hot water there are a few things you can try before calling in the experts.
- Low pressure: check the pressure gauge of your boiler, if its showing a reading of one bar or less then this could be the problem. Luckily, you may be able to fix this yourself by referring to your boiler manual, however, one of the common causes of losing boiler pressure is a leak so an engineer should be called to assess the problem.
- Thermostat setting: your problem might be simply down to not having your thermostat turned up high enough. Some boilers need to be set a certain temperature in order to get going, increase the temperature to see if it starts working again.
- Power cut: if you’ve recently had a power cut then your boiler may have reset. Try re-programming the timer and see if this helps, if not you may need to call a plumber.
Calling a professional
If none of the above solutions have proven useful then it’s probably time to call an expert. Assess your situation carefully to decide who’s most relevant to solve the problem.
- Insurance: your home insurance may include your boiler breaking down, if so, get in touch with your provider as soon as it breaks down; they will be able to provide an engineer who can come and assess the problem.
- Warranty: is your boiler still under warranty? New boilers are likely to be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty, get in touch as soon as you can and they should be able to help free or charge.
- Landlord: in a rented property the maintenance of your boiler is usually the responsibility of the landlord. Call them as soon as any problems occur, as they’ll probably have a preferred engineer that they will contact.
- Gas Safe engineer: if the previous point don’t apply, then call a professional engineer to assess your boiler; this is usually the quickest option. There are many emergency engineers that you can call for a same day call out, so have a search to find your local plumber who will have the right tools and knowledge to get things working again.
If your boiler is in need of a service or you find yourself in an emergency situation, then The Plumbing Doctor is on call for Plymouth and the surrounding areas. We have a fast and reliable team who can help with a range of heating issues with no call out fee and a satisfaction guarantee. 99.2% of our customers rate us 5/5 so you can rest assured that you’ll receive high quality service. Get in touch today for assistance with plumbing, boilers and drainage.