What Should You Do If Your Boiler Stops Working

When you discover your boiler isn’t working, it can be incredibly frustrating. Even with a comprehensive maintenance package provided by expert engineers, accidents and faults can still happen.

Thankfully, there are some basic checks you can do to attempt to fix your boiler problems for free. In this guide, we will take you through some common boiler problems and troubleshooting steps, hopefully allowing you to fix your boiler online.

However, some problems require a professional, so if in doubt consult the assistance of a registered Gas Safe Engineer. At MFM Group, we have trained professionals that will be able to diagnose your boiler issues and repair them quickly and safely, if it boils down to that.

So, here are (some surprisingly) common issues – which are free and easy to fix. Closely followed up by more sinister and costly reasons why your boiler isn’t working that would then require an engineer.

1. The Old On and Off Hack

Outstandingly simple but effective, this old trick is something that is frequently overlooked. Make sure your boiler isn’t switched off at the mains before calling up a professional.

This can sometimes be attributed to things like power cuts or occasionally it is simply a miscommunication with the person who used it before you.

2. Check for Low Pressure

Boilers can naturally lose pressure over time for a number of reasons, most of which aren’t anything to be concerned about. It is easy to orchestrate – one check and one tap turn.

• The arrow on your boiler’s pressure gauge should point towards the green zone when it is switched off.
• Directly underneath your gas boiler should be some pipework, amongst which will be your filling loop.
• The filling loop is the silver flexi pipe with either one or two black (usually) taps on.
• Increase the pressure by opening one (or two) taps fully until they lock at 45 degrees.
• As you are doing this you should see the pressure rise on the boiler’s pressure gauge.
• When you are in the green zone – turn off the taps!

3. Leaking or Dripping Boiler

Check for signs of leaks on your system by exposing everything, such as radiators, as well as the boiler itself. A leaking boiler is one of the most common causes of a broken boiler. A leak can spring up anywhere in the system and drop the boiler pressure significantly – if it’s after the boiler pressure gauge, it might not even get picked up by the readings. If you don’t see any obvious signs, then you might have to contact an engineer and get them to look at things a little more closely.

4. No Pilot Light to the Boiler

This can be quite noticeable too since it stops the boiler from actually heating up everything that passes through it. No pilot light or thermostat means that your boiler will produce no central heating or warm water.

Very few new boiler designs use an actual flame anymore, so you’ll be relying on technology instead: if you can’t restart it, get an engineer to take a look since they’re more likely to identify the damaged components correctly.

If you are on pre-paid meter, make sure you have credit. Contact the gas company to ensure you have a live supply.

To restart the pilot light, see your boilers manual for more information on how to do this as it may vary for each boiler brand.

5. Unpaid gas bill or Low Gas Meter Credit

Again, this reason can seem obvious at first glance but even so, it remains a common issue. Sometimes it is just an old-fashioned mistake on your part, however it isn’t unheard of that your gas company might have made the error.

Double check that all your energy bills are up to date to avoid any unnecessary costs.

6. Check Your Condensate Pipe

This will only apply during the winter when there is the potential that the pipe could freeze. Your condensate pipe usually travels from your boiler to the nearest outside wall and is where excess liquid caused by condensation from your boiler is deposited outside.

This small amount of slowly dripping water is naturally vulnerable to freezing in cold weather.

A frozen condensate pipe will lead to a blockage, meaning the excess water has no escape route and your boiler will shut down upon detecting this. It’s a surprisingly common cause of a boiler that’s not working.

It is fairly straightforward to fix – Gently pour warm water over the frozen condensate pipe until the frozen water has melted away.

After you’ve tackled that – reboot your boiler.

To prevent this problem from reoccurring, you can check regularly on the pipe or wrap the external part of the pipe in foam or cloth to prevent future freezing.

7. Check If Your Boiler Isn’t Working Because of a Faulty Thermostat:

• Check it’s switched on with a full charge or working batteries
• Ensure that the temperate is turned up to the level you require
• Check your Wi-Fi connection if applicable with the boiler thermostat
• Run over the time settings, making sure no ‘vacation modes’, stand-by options or unnoticed daily schedules have been set.

How to fix a boiler thermostat that isn’t working:

• Replace the batteries in your thermostat
• Clear any settings and restore to manual operation
• If all else fails, refer to the thermostat manual

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Is Your Boiler Still Not Working? Time To Get a Qualified Engineer Out

It’s not always easy to tell if your entire boiler is broken, but if it is not working and doesn’t seem to be turning back on even if you reset it and have gone through our recommended 7 step check list, then there is likely a major issue with the entire system.

At this point, getting a gas safe registered engineer involved or potentially getting a new boiler is key: every second of a boiler not working is a second of wasted fuel, as well as potentially increased damages and repair costs.

At MFM Group we understand a broken boiler can be stressful, which is why we have a team of Gas Safe and OFTEC Engineers at the ready to lend a hand when things get out of control. For our clients, our engineers are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so no matter what happens and when, we can get them back up and running in no time.

Get in touch today for expert boiler system design, install and maintenance.

Next read: How to Maintain a Boiler Heating System – Boiler Maintenance Tips>