Save £100s Each Year With a Heat Pump

Boiler Guide, Help Guides

What to do if my boiler breaks down

Get a Fixx quote today!

What to do if my boiler breaks down? When your boiler breaks down, it can send you into panic mode. Especially if it happens during Winter! No one wants to sit in a cold building with no heating and hot water. In this article, we explain what to do if your boiler breaks down.

So, What Should You Do If Your Boiler Breaks Down?

When your boiler breaks down you should remain calm and not panic. Although it’s advisable to have a Gas Safe registered engineer to carry out most boiler repairs, but not all issues require an engineer’s skills. Before you arrange for an engineer to visit your property, there are some boiler issues that you can try fix yourself.

Here are 3 boiler issues you can fix yourself:

  1. Low Pressure – If your boiler has low pressure then you could be faced with the following issues: your boiler switches itself off, your central heating makes banging sounds or the radiators furthest away from the boiler stop heating. To fix these issues you will need to check the pressure gauge on your boiler. If the pressure gauge on the boiler reads less than 1 bar, you will need to increase the pressure to between 1 and 1.5 bar. To do this you will need to switch off your boiler and allow it to cool. Then check that both ends of the filling loop are securely attached, open both valves and allow cold mains water into the system.
  1. Frozen Condensate Pipe – Cold weather can cause a frozen condensate pipe which is one of the biggest causes of boiler breakdowns in Winter. If you find your boiler is making gurgling sounds when you try to use it or your boiler won’t fire up, then you may be faced with a frozen condensate pipe. To fix this issue you can try to thaw the pipe yourself by pouring hot, but not boiling water over the affected section of the pipe. You could also apply a hot water bottle as a warm compress on the pipe.
  1. Issue with boiler or thermostat settings – Problems with your boiler or thermostat settings could cause your boiler to not fire up, not come on when it should or an error on your thermostat. These issues could be caused by a power cut or someone’s accidentally knocked the panel so, the timer settings may have changed and you will need to adjust them (if you are unsure how to do this use your boiler manual). Also check the boiler control panel is turned up. Then check the thermostat settings, if nothing is displayed then you might need to replace the batteries. Also, if you have the thermostat temperature set too low your boiler might not fire up properly so, increase the temperature to see if it switches on.

If you find the above doesn’t fix your boiler issue, then contact fixx on 0330 3530 365 and we will send one of our heating experts out to fix the issue ASAP.

How to Cope If Your Boiler Breaks Down?

If your boiler breaks down and you are unable to fix the issue yourself don’t panic! The heating experts at fixx have put together our top tips to help you cope before the heating engineer arrives. 5 tips to help you cope if your boiler breaks down:

  1. Layer up – Layer up by putting vests and long sleeves underneath your jumpers and tights to put underneath your trousers.
  1. Hot water bottles – A hot water bottle is a great source of extra heat, especially whilst you are in bed or on the sofa. They are cheap to buy, but effective.
  1. Dig out the blankets – Find all the spare blankets and duvets to wrap yourself up in and keep warm. You could also put old towels at the bottom of door frames to block draughts.
  1. Have you got a back-up immersion water heater? – If your building has a back-up immersion water heater (also known as a megaflow) then you can still get hot water if your boiler has broken down because the immersion heater uses electricity to heat the water.
  1. Get an electric heater – If you’ve got an electric heater then they are a great alternative way to heat your building. They are portable and can easily be moved from room to room.

Boiler Repairs and Maintenance from fixx

For boiler repairs and maintenance contact fixx on 0330 3530 365 or simply fill in our online contact form. All our heating engineers are on the Gas Safe Register so, you can have peace of mind all boiler repairs and maintenance carried out by us are completed safely and efficiently to the highest standard at the lowest possible price. If your boiler is unfixable, we offer unbeatable new boiler deals so, you can buy a replacement boiler at a great price with extensive warranties.

Click For A Free Quote