A broken boiler is one of the last things anyone wants to deal with.

There may be several reasons why you’re reading this. You may have had to go through many repairs on your old boiler in the past, or it’s finally decided to pack it in. Either way, if you have a broken boiler, it’s time to look at New Boiler and move onto getting it sorted. 999 Plumber Gas Safe plumbers are local and right on your doorstep. 0800 999 1233

To begin with, you need to work out why you have a broken boiler. If you do this first, you may be able to save spending money on an entire boiler replacement.

The classic ‘turn it off and on again’ technique is a classic for a reason. Regardless of the brand, if your boiler is more than 15 years old, there won’t be a reset function. Instead, you’ll have to rely on the pilot light. If this is the case, then your best option would be to consult the instruction manual. However, many manufacturers for these boilers no longer operate, so you may wind up having to get a Boiler quotation for a replacement instead.

If you have a condensing boiler however, then the reset function will be a lot easier. Just look through the manufacturer’s instruction manual and it should tell you how to reset your boiler.

Hopefully your thermostat won’t be THIS old!

What may seem like a broken boiler, sometimes turns out to be nothing more than a simple correctable error on the thermostat.

Although it depends on how you’ve programmed the settings for your boiler, there’s always a chance that the temperature has been set too low. If this is the case and your thermostat has been set lower than 21 degrees, you can relax – it’s a straightforward process to fix. All you need to do is turn the temperature from the thermostat back up to above 21 degrees and your boiler should start working again. If it doesn’t, then it might be time to speak to an industry expert for advice or to consider a boiler replacement.

When your property suffers from a powercut, there’s a high likelihood that your boiler was one of the many items in your property that automatically got reset. If this happens, you simply need to reprogram your boiler to the preferences you had set before. If you don’t have access to your boiler’s instructional manual, you should also be able to find an answer from your manufacturer’s customer support line.

With an issue such as this, all you need to do is check the pressure that is usually positioned at the front of the boiler. When looking at the pressure gauge, check where the needle is pointing. If it’s sitting below 1 bar, then it’s highly likely it’s the reason your boiler is failing. 

However, if you find that you’re doing this repeatedly, the low pressure issue may be caused by something else. For example, it could be a leak that you haven’t come across yet. If this is the case, then check all your radiators and your boiler for leaks.

A condensate pipe at this angle is more likely to be frozen

Although there’s an easy way to combat this issue, a frozen condensate pipe can still catch people off guard – especially as we move closer into winter.

The primary function of a condensate pipe is to transfer the water that gets produced from the boiler’s condensing process (which is acidic) out of the property and through a safe exit via the external drain.

The pipe itself might be frozen because the fall isn’t steep enough. If the condensate that travels out the pipe isn’t able to exit because of this poor angle, it’s going stay in the pipe until it freezes, causing you more issues.

If your gas supply is provided on a pre-pay meter, it’s always worth checking to see if you still have credit. One of the best ways to check that you have gas available in your property, is by checking the other appliances such as the cooker hob. If you don’t have any luck with your appliances, then it’s likely an indication that you don’t have any credit. All it takes for a quick fix is to top it up or call your local gas supplier.

When it comes to common boiler problems or having a broken boiler, most issues need to be addressed immediately in the interest of safety. This is no different for checking for gas leaks.

If a broken boiler is left unchecked, it can cause damage not only to your boiler or entire central heating system, but also you and other residents in the property as well. If you ever suspect you have a gas leak, call the Gas Emergency Services immediately. They’ll be able to send an engineer round to your house and take the appropriate action from there.

According to the NHS, there are around 25 deaths per year as a direct result of carbon monoxide poisoning in England and Wales. One of the more dangerous sides to this issue, is that carbon monoxide poisoning from an old or broken boiler is very hard to detect.

There are however, some symptoms that you can always watch out for:

Vomiting and feeling nauseous (sick)

• Lack of stability, heavy-headed
• Pains in your abdominal region (stomach)
• Breathing is shortened and difficult
• Feelings of confusion and exhaustion

There may be a chance of experiencing any one of these symptoms as a result of a gas leak. Even if it turns out to be the case instead of a broken boiler, you need to contact the safety and emergency line as soon as possible.

No matter the brand you’ve chosen as a replacement for your broken boiler, it’s always worth knowing how to respond if anything comes up in the future. Whatever the case for your boiler not working – understanding the meaning behind each error code is going to give you a big head start in getting the problem solved.

To learn about the meaning of each boiler brand’s error code, simply click on any of the links below:

• Viessmann error codes
• Ideal error codes
• Baxi error codes
• Worcester Bosch error codes
• Vaillant error codes
• ATAG error codes

If you’re ever unsure, or if you simply want to know signs your boiler may be broken, there are just a couple of things to look out for:

The term ‘boiler kettling’ specifically refers to loud hissing or whistling sounds that you might sometimes hear from your broken boiler. The main reason for this will be because your boiler is suffering from a build up of limescale.

When limescale starts building in your system, it can accumulate in a few areas, most notably your Boilers heat exchanger, When this occurs the flow of water gets restricted, which is what results in the sounds that you hear.

It may seem like a whistling or clunking sound from your boiler is an easy thing to ignore, but if you hear anything like this, you need to respond as soon as possible. This is because the boiling and expansion process that occurs can cause irreparable damage to the internal components of your boiler.

You might find over time that your bills for energy usage slowly start to creep up. A common cause for this is the age and condition of your boiler, because as time passes, its efficiency will deteriorate.

If your boiler is more than 15 years old, then it will be a non-condensing boiler. This means that its normal efficiency level will by definition, already be lower than a condensing boiler. As a result, your energy bills will be higher.

Put some thought into it!

Boiler manufacturers have advanced the development of these products to impressive levels, so a new boiler won’t be cheap – to begin with. If your boiler is barely 5 years old, it’s probably not worth replacing – unless it came from a low-quality, amateur manufacturer.

However, if you find that repairs are noticeably frequent and costing you a lot of money, then replacing and old boiler with a combi will be worth considering as well as a few other options.

“According to the Energy Saving Trust, if you convert to an A-rated combi boiler, you can save up to 40% on your annual energy bills.”

An old boiler’s efficiency can drop at alarming rates, meaning for every £100 you put towards your energy bills, you could be wasting as much as £50 because of the condition of your current boiler – scary!

Whether you’ve made the decision to get a new boiler replacement, or you’re simply curious with your research and have a few questions, the best thing you can do is get a quote for a new boiler to know exactly what would be included in the installation.

If you have any specific requirements, you can always speak to an expert during this process who will be happy to discuss with you.

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Winter is slowly creeping in again, and you may already be feeling the chill and turning on your central heating. Now is a great time to think about your central heating and whether it’s working well enough for you – before winter really kicks in!

If you feel like your boiler isn’t keeping you as warm as it should be, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to get a new one. There are many cheaper things you can try to get your system working as good as new once more. These ideas can also help if you feel like you’re paying too much for your heating.

Here are just a few ideas for saving energy, reducing your bills, and lowering your carbon footprint – all while keeping your house feeling toasty.

Power Flushing

A power flush can clean out all the sludge rust, and other debris clogging up your central heating system. The aim of this is to restore full circulation within your system so that water can travel through all the pipes, radiators, and our boiler. This should make your central heating system more efficient, warming your radiators more quickly and heating your home for less.

Bleeding Your Radiators

Bleeding your radiators is another way to make your heating system more efficient. You can tell if a radiator needs bleeding if it is only heating up at the bottom. Bleeding your radiators releases any air trapped at the top of the radiator, allowing hot water to fill the entire system once more.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves

TRVs allow you to adjust the temperature of individual radiators so that you can heat some rooms in your home while keeping others a little cooler. This is a good way to save energy and money as it means you’re not heating the rooms you’re not using, but you can still keep the temperature comfortable in rooms you use more. 

Wireless Room Thermostats

These thermostats can accurately measure the overall temperature of your house and adjust the heating system to ensure your home stays at your desired temperature. This means you don’t have to worry about changing the temperature manually to save energy.

Cylinder Thermostats

Cylinder thermostats regulate the temperature within your heating cylinder, ensuring the water is only heated when the temperature drops to below 60-65 degrees.

Unvented Cylinders

These cylinders draw cold water from your mains supply and heat it on demand. Unlike cylinders that constantly heat the water, these only heat water when needed. They also don’t require a cold water storage tank, giving you the added bonus of extra space in your home.

Radiator Reflectors

Radiators give off heat in the space all around them, which means half the heat leaves the back of the radiator. If the radiator is on an external wall, some of your energy could be wasted heating your garden instead of your home! Radiator reflectors can stop this heat transfer and reflect the heat back into the room so it doesn’t escape through your walls. This means you don’t have to put the radiator on for as long, and you can lower its temperature if you have a TRV.

Radiator Fans

These are micro fans which are placed on top of radiators. They are very low wattage and they only come on when a certain temperature is reached. When they do come on, they blow hot air from the radiator further into the room, increasing the temperature so that you can have your heating on for a shorter amount of time and lower your heating bills.

Radiator Additive

Radiator additive can help your central heating liquid heat up faster and stay hot for longer, by changing its heat transfer properties. This means your heating will reach your desired temperature quicker and your boiler won’t have to work for as long, saving you money on your heating bills.

Heat Recovery Devices

Some of the gas generated by your boiler escapes through the flue, but you can buy heat recovery systems which capture it and use it to heat your water, making your system more efficient.

Hot Water Cylinder Insulation

New Cylinders are factory insulated to help keep your water at the right temperature, but older cylinders may need some additional insulation to stop heat escaping. You could save money and energy by topping up your insulation.

Inhibitors

The build-up of lime-scale can significantly reduce the efficiency of your hot water system, but inhibitors can prevent this build-up. A chemical inhibitor is a liquid which is inserted into your central heating system and slows down oxidisation, which is the reaction between the metal radiator and the water running through it.

Electrolytic scale inhibitors can also be fitted to your incoming water supply pipe, and these stop lime-scale crystals sticking to any surface in your system, preventing build-up.

Upgrade Your Boiler

The average boiler lasts for between ten and fifteen years, so if yours is getting on a bit and you’re encountering problems, it may be time to replace it. Modern boilers are more efficient than older boilers because they are all condensing boilers. All boilers burn fuel efficiently if they are well-maintained, but they tend to lose some heat in the gases that escape up the flue. In contrast, condensing boilers have larger heat ex changers, so they recover more heat and send cooler gas up the flue. Sometimes the flue gases get so cool that the water vapour in them condenses out and even more energy is recovered, making condensing boilers particularly efficient. In fact, a condensing boiler only wastes around 9% of its gas, compared to 20-40% for non-condensing boilers.

If you would like more specific advice for your central heating system, or if you would like 999 Plumber to carry out any repairs, improvements, installations or upgrades, get in touch! Call 01635 922 999 or contact us online and we will be happy to help you get the most out of your central heating and boiler. 

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