Boiler Not Turning On

Boiler Not Turning On - Check These Before Calling a Gas Safe Engineer

A home’s heating and hot water supply is entirely dependent on its boiler system, especially during the harsh, cold winters. In the UK, boilers are an indispensable part of any house, which means they are required to perform at optimum levels at all times. When a boiler breaks down, it can cause a lot of problems for you. If you find that your boiler isn’t turning on, here are a few things that you can do to get it running again.

The Power Supply

First of all you will have to check the boiler’s power supply. This may sound obvious, but many times a homeowner forgets to check if their heating system has been powered on. Issues with the power supply have a lot to do with a tripped main circuit board or a blown out fuse, which means it needs to be reset. Those who cannot find the reset button on the boiler can refer to their user manual provided by the boiler manufacturer. Tenants can contact the homeowner for the boiler manual.

Reset Button

Boilers normally have a built in reset button for safety. If the boiler is not working it may be because it has tripped, which may require a simple reset for the boiler to function normally. Boiler manufacturers normally design boilers with the reset button located at the front of the boiler, making it easy to be located during an emergency. But, if the boiler’s reset button is not at the front of the boiler then you can check the manufacturer’s manual to find out where it is. Normally, a reset button of the boiler is a dial that needs to be reset to “0” before being turned back on.

Heating Controls

Heating controls are an important part of any boiler system. These include timers, the room’s thermostat and central heating programmers. All of these controls must be set accordingly for the boiler’s system to function well. But, these controls could sometimes be confusing to the customer. If that’s the case, you should check the boiler instructions manual to make sure all of the settings are correct. There are some controls in boilers that send signals remotely, which can cause the boiler to stop functioning. All it takes is the push of one wrong button for your boiler to stop functioning, so make sure to check all the heating controls before you go on to call an engineer.

The Boiler’s Gas Supply

Few people know this, but the gas supply of a home can also cause the boiler system to break down unexpectedly. This is especially true for homes which have been fitted with a card-system payment meter. If you run out of credit, the boiler will stop automatically due to the gas being shut down. This is why it is important for you to always top up the credit and re-insert the card so that the boiler is able to function without any interruptions.

System Pressure

Sometimes, boiler’s system pressure may run low, which also causes the boiler to stop functioning unexpectedly. This is common with combi boilers, which have a pressure gauge with a dial displaying bars from 1 to 4. If the pressure drops to below one bar, the boiler will not function. Also, the system pressure should always be at 1 bar for the boiler to function at optimum levels.

If you’ve tried all these and failed, it’s time to contact Hassle Free Boilers if your boiler was installed by us otherwise please contact your Gas Safe Engineer for a check up.

Boiler not turning on because your condensate pipe could be frozen.

Condensation is a normal by-product of a boiler and is made when the gas is burned to create heat. This condensation is discharged automatically into a drain either inside or outside the house. Unprotected or incorrectly installed condensate pipes can freeze in extreme conditions, preventing the boiler from working.

It is best to install condensate pipes inside the house to avoid freezing. Sometimes this is not possible, in which case you can position the pipe so that it discharges to an outside drain. In this situation, the pipe must be installed in line with manufacturer’s instructions, be of an adequate size and be insulated to prevent freezing.

The Fan in Your Boiler Needs Replacing

Boilers produce waste gases which must be safely released. Your boiler contains the fan that pushes the waste gases through a pipe, known as a flue, to the outside of your home, where the gases are safely released into the air. The flue is very similar to the exhaust pipe on a car.

If for any reason your fan stops working, your boiler will not work, so the fan is an important safety feature. Replacing a fan is straightforward, but your installer will need to investigate why it failed to work in the first place.

You Have Sludge in Your System

Sludge is the material that has settled to the bottom of a heating system, usually your radiators. It will make your heating system run less efficiently and can lead to boiler parts failing. Sludge is usually made by having air in the system. This can make the inside of the radiators rusty.

Sludge builds up in the bottom of the radiators and sometimes on parts within the boiler, such as the pump. You can tell there is sludge in your system. There will usually be cold spots at the bottom of your radiators. For the system to run as efficiently as possible. A competent installer needs to remove the sludge, using chemical cleaners or a power flush, or both.

You Have Air in Your System

Heating systems should contain only water. Your system has air in it. This needs to be taken out as it’s causing a problem or threatens to. For your system to be running as efficiently as possible, only water should be present in the pipework and radiators.

If you have air in your system it will not work efficiently. You will often notice this by bubbling noises in the radiator, or the top of the radiators will be cool. Your installer should investigate the cause of air building up in the system. They can often easily solve the problem by bleeding the radiators.

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