Not everyone finds troubleshooting faulty boilers easy, especially when they have no experience.
Especially in the winter months, we get many calls from confused customers who go into a panic because their boilers have stopped working, and they have been left with no heating or hot water when they need it most.
Sometimes I think to myself, if only there’s an easy way for them to diagnose the problem before calling, it would save time and it might even be something they’d be able to fix for themselves.
With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a quick, handy guide to help you diagnose some of the most common boiler problems.
Are you experiencing any of these?
Some of the most frequent boiler issues include:
- Low pressure
- Boiler lockout/boiler continually needing reset
- No heating, plenty hot water
- No hot water, radiators working
There are ways you can diagnose these problems yourself, and although you may still need to call an engineer (DON’T try to fix it yourself), you will save some time and give the engineer a good idea of what he/she is getting into before they arrive.
Diagnosing the problem
It may sound simple, but the first thing you should do when it comes to troubleshooting faulty boilers, is to check the manual. This is because your boiler manufacturer has likely covered some of the most common boiler problems you’re likely to experience.
If you have lost the manual, or you have a particularly old boiler which was there before you moved in, the next best thing to do is to check online. Take a look at the front of your boiler; you should see a data badge telling you the make the model.
You should be able to type this into Google and find either a digital version of the owner’s manual, or a list of common boiler faults for that particular make and model. This should hopefully help you diagnose what’s wrong with your boiler.
Online resources
If you’re struggling, or want a more detailed explanation of the issues you’re facing with your boiler, there are so many helpful resources online to help with boiler issues.
We know that getting practical, useful information out there is important, so Superwarm have put together some of our own blogs and videos, including:
- What to Do If Your Boiler Loses Pressure
- 6 Common Combi Boiler Error Codes and What to Do Next
- The Ultimate Guide to Diagnosing a Faulty Diverter Valve
- Troubleshooting Faulty Boilers: Boiler Frequently Needs Reset
- Troubleshooting Faulty Boilers: What Does ‘Boiler Lockout’ Mean?
- No Hot Water or Central Heating? The Problem-Solving Landlord’s Checklist
Frequent boiler issues?
Experiencing regular problems with your boiler? Feeling fed up? Firstly, you need to determine is the problems are just related to the boiler. On some systems, it could be issues with external controls, the clock, thermostat, radiators, pumps or valves.
If you’re having frequent problems with the boiler itself, I’d recommend getting at least two home visits from qualified Gas Safe registered engineers. They will be able to carry out a full assessment on the boiler, and tell you if it’s economically viable to repair it.
Some cases, it may be down to a simple, small repair job (due to normal wear and tear), leaving your boiler as good as new. However, in more serious cases, it may make better financial sense to replace the boiler now, instead of continuing to throw away money on it.
I once had a customer whose old Vokera boiler was faulty, and he had previously had another company repair the boiler for £350. We advised him that we would not recommend spending any more money at this time, as the repair would be a further £400.
We explained that it would be more cost-effective to simply replace the boiler. However, he proceeded with the repair from another company. Three months after the second repair, he got back in touch with us again (having spent a total of £750 in six months), having decided to finally replace the boiler.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting faulty boilers isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and if you’re suddenly left without any heating or hot water, you obviously want the problem fixed right away. However, taking the time to diagnose the problem yourself could save time and money on call-outs.
Telling an engineer what the problem is up front gives them a good idea of what to expect when they get there, and means they won’t be spending extra time trying to figure out where the problem is coming from.
Some of the most common boiler problems include:
- Low pressure
- Boiler lockout/boiler continually needing reset
- No heating, plenty hot water
- No hot water, radiators working
If you’re experiencing any of these, always check the manual or failing that, looking up the make and model of your boiler online. Remember, there’s a wealth of online resources out there to help you; you just have to look.
