Hot tips to help get a cold boiler working
Your first impulse might be to contact a plumber, but these simple checks may help you save a needless call-out fee
H eating and hot water not like it used to be? Now’s a great time to act. Waiting for autumn – when everyone else realises their system has problems – means you could be back of the queue for boiler and heating engineers.
Depending on where you live, you could pay from £60 to £120 for a call-out, plus the cost of parts needed, and more if the job is long.
But before phoning a plumber, the problem could be simple enough to fix yourself.
Amazingly, one frequent panic call to tell engineers “nothing is happening – all I get is cold water radiators” is due to the central switch being off. It takes seconds to work out but they can still charge for a call-out!
Most systems have one electrical switch – often near the controller/clock or thermostat. Many clocks light up when on – if yours fails to light, check the fuse in the switch, then make sure your electric circuit has not tripped (or blown a fuse on older systems) at the consumer unit.
Another frequent call is the thermostat set to zero – some do this in the summer to stop the unwanted heating – or a clock set to “off” or the wrong time. If all this sounds obvious, it is. But it’s how heating engineers can pay for their holidays!
Some boilers have pilot lights. These turn off if you shut the gas down – perhaps you are going away for a time – or they are covered with easy to remove dirt. In either case, your boiler manual (most are online if you have lost yours) will help. If you are not confident, ask a family member or neighbour.
When the heating is turned on again in the autumn, some radiators may be cold. The simple answer is a radiator key – about £1 at DIY stores – that fits into one end at the top. Twist it anti-clockwise, and air should hiss out. When this stops and water flows, turn it clockwise. It’s called “bleeding”.
If that fails, it’s time to flush out your system with chemicals, a professional job.