While it’s handy to have around for hot water at the turn of a tap and to keep your house nice and toasty throughout the winter, your home boiler manual needs regular maintenance. So aside from having service personnel on call, you ought to do your part by knowing when exactly to call them – and that means knowing the most common problems you can have with your boiler. But if problems tend to often arise, might as well consider buying a new one and consider checking the boiler replacement cost to be prepared, since the stacking costs from all the breakdown and repairs can be more expensive as compared to replacing your boiler.
1. Your boiler springs a leak
This is one of the most common issues, particularly for those with systems or conventional boilers with reservoirs. Leaks are commonly caused by too much pressure in your boiler, a faulty seal, or even a corroded pipe.
2. Insufficient pressure
If boiler pressure is low, you may find yourself in chilly rooms with no hot water running through your pipes. You can check for this in your boiler’s control panel; ideally, pressure should be at 1.5 bars depending on your boiler brand and make.
A drop in boiler pressure may be caused by either a leak in your heating system or a faulty radiator.
3. Your boiler turns into a giant steam kettle
No, we aren’t kidding: the technical term for this is kettling. It is what happens when water heats up too rapidly, reaches boiling point, generates steam within, effectively trapping air. You ought to call in a boiler engineer to help fix the issue. This may involve a simple cleaning or the replacement of parts.
4. Your condensate pipe is frozen
Whenever the temperature drops below zero, there is the possibility that the water in your condensate pipes may freeze and cause your boiler system to shut down. This can easily be resolved by pouring warm – not hot – water onto the pipe.
5. Your boiler won’t work with the thermostat
Your thermostat helps increase the heating efficiency of your boiler. If it doesn’t, check first if the temperature registered on the thermostat is the same as the temperature in the room. If the room temperature is colder than the thermostat, change the batteries or put it closer to the receiver.
6. Neither heat nor hot water is coming out
This is a surefire sign of something wrong with your heating system. It may be because your boiler has been disconnected from its primary power source; the boiler has switched off automatically because of a drastic change in pressure; or even issues with your pipes. You would do well to call in a registered engineer to do a diagnostic and repairs.
7. No heat, but you do have hot water
Check the system first: Find the boiler manual online, and go through all the instructions regarding maintenance. If yours is a combi boiler, you may have put it on the hot water only setting; this can easily be remedied. On the other hand, there may be more serious issues with the heating system, so you need to call a professional to help.
8. Your boiler keeps turning itself off
This problem may occur due to several reasons, including the presence of trapped air, exceptionally high pressure (which causes your boiler to shut off as a safety precaution), thermostat issues, or even the buildup of debris in your pipes.
9. Your boiler is noisy
Aside from the previously mentioned whistling sound, your boiler gives off if it starts kettling, any unusual noises from it are a cause for concern. Commonly, these are caused by any number of reasons, including trapped air, changes in pressure, and issues with working components like the pump.
10. Your pilot light goes out
This issue particularly affects older boiler models that require a pilot light to keep its burner lit. Again, this is not a repair job for amateurs and requires the expertise of a qualified professional as there is a high level of risk involved.
