Like most people today we rely on our boilers to heat our homes and to give us constant hot water, as and when we need it, but did you know around 90% of people never have the boiler checked over or serviced until it decides to stop working.

So why does the boiler stop working?

I have listed some common faults below.

Leaking Boiler

You may have noticed small drops of water around or below the boiler and thought nothing about it, but this is a sign that there is a problem within the boiler. This could be a simple fix where a pipe connection just needs to be tightened or something more involved.

Banging Noise

When the boiler is working you notice that it is making a strange noise a bit like when a kettle is coming to boiling point or a gurgling sound, this is a telltale sign that limescale has built up within the main heat exchanger and the water is restricted and cannot flow through the main heat exchanger as it should.

No Hot Water

If you find you have no hot water at your taps this could be due to a motorised valve that has become faulty and is not opening up to heat the water, it may also be due to the programmer not sending a signal to the thermostat.

With combination boilers the problem could be a little more complex to solve. When you open a tap for hot water a sensor sends a signal for the diverter valve to open and to heat the water.

Hot Water Intermittent

With a combination boiler if you notice the water is not staying at a constant temperature going cold then warm sometimes not even working, this is normally due to the hot water heat exchanger being clogged with limescale and sludge.

No Heat to the Radiators

You find your radiators are not working, this could be a simple fix by just turning the thermostat up, We have been called out many times for no heating only to find the thermostat has been turned down. The pump fitted to the system may be faulty, if the pump fails then the radiators will not work. The fault could also be a motorised valve or programmer problem.

The Boiler Losing Pressure

This is a common fault that we come across quite a lot. If you have a pressure gauge fitted to your boiler then you have a pressurised system. Somewhere on the system will be an expansion vessel, many boilers now have them fitted internally, this needs to be reset with the annual service but seems to be forgotten. The vessel is an important working part of the system if this becomes faulty then you will notice system pressure lose.

Condensate Pipe

If the weather is particularly cold outside and your boiler stops working this could be due to a frozen condense pipe, very common in the winter months. If your pipe exits to an outside drain and is not protected from the cold then eventually the boiler will stop working. When the boiler is running it produces condense which is normal for today’s high efficiency boilers, if the pipe cannot discharge the water it backs up into the boiler which will make it go to lock out and shut down.

These are just a few of the of common faults that we come across when the

Boiler stops working. One thing that is very important though is to have the boiler service regular, just like you would with a car, this will keep your boiler running at optimum performance.

One last thing, you should always make sure that the person working on your boiler is Gas Safe registered and also registered to work on boilers.