No hot water or heating
Overview
There are lots of reasons why your heating or hot water might not be working. Sometimes, it’s a simple issue that you can diagnose and fix yourself without having to wait for an engineer to come out. Maybe you switched everything off and turned your thermostat right down during summer? Maybe the clocks have changed, and the time is set wrong. Maybe the batteries in a remote thermostat have gone?
If you don’t feel comfortable, are unsure what the issue is or how to fix it, get in touch with us and we will happily try to help over the phone or send someone out to fix it.
Finding out what the problem is
Is the heating switched on?
It sounds simple, but we’ve all done it. Always check the simplest things first.
- Check your thermostat, timer, and any other controller you have.
- Is it switched on?
- Is a timer set that would affect the heating coming on?
- Is the thermostat set to a temperature where it would normally come on? Usually around 21°C.
Check your boiler’s display
The boiler display will be the best indication of whether there is something wrong with your boiler.
If the display is not on, there may be an issue with your electrics, or a serious fault with the boiler.
If the display is showing an error or fault message, check the user manual. It should tell you what the issue is.
Some boilers have a switch to allow only hot water or both hot water and heating to function.
Safely check your electricity
Your boiler needs electricity to function. If the digital display is not on, there may be an issue with your electrical supply.
You can check if your electrical supply is working by testing other appliances.
If they are working as they should be, the boiler switch on your fuse box may have tripped.
If nothing is working, there could be a power cut in your area. Check if there’s a power cut in your area.
If everything else is working as it should be, or the boiler switch keeps switching off, there could be a serious fault with the boiler and you should get in touch with us as soon as possible.
Check your pilot light
Most modern boilers in our properties do not have pilot lights, instead they use an electronic ignition system.
If your boiler does have a pilot light, there will either be a clear screen that will allow you to physically see the flame, or there will be icon on the display.
If it is not igniting, check your boilers user manual, or get in touch with us and we will take a look for you.
Check your boiler pressure
Your boiler needs sufficient pressure to function correctly.
The pressure will be displayed on the pressure gauge which will either be on a digital screen, or a dial depending on the model. The ideal pressure for boilers is typically between 1 and 1.5 bar, but this can differ depending on the boiler. Always check your boilers manual before attempting to repressurise your boiler.
Check your pipes
If you have no hot water or heating, there may be an issue with your pipes. Most boilers will display an error code identifying the issue.
Frozen pipes
The condensate pipe transports wastewater outside and can become frozen in cold weather. You can locate this pipe on the outside of the wall your boiler is attached to.
Try pouring hot water onto the pipe to thaw it. If this does not work, there may be another issue.
If you identify or suspect that you have a leak, get in touch with as soon as possible.
Check for cold spots on the radiator
If you have hot water, but your radiators do not seem to be heating up correctly, they will probably need bleeding.
Bleeding a radiator is a simple job you can do yourself.
How to bleed a radiator
Before you start you will need:
- Towel
- Cloth
- Radiator bleed key
STEP 1: Turn the house heating on full
Before you bleed your radiators, you will need to check for cold spots to identify which radiators will need bleeding. To do this the first thing you need to do is turn your heating on and wait for it to heat up.
STEP 2: Check each radiator for cold spots
Once your radiators are up to temperature, feel for cold areas at the top of the radiators. Be careful when doing this as the radiators can become extremely hot. Make a note of which radiators have cold spots so you know which ones to bleed later.
Step 3: Cool down
Once you know which radiators need bleeding, switch the heating off and allow it to cool down. If the water is still too hot when you bleed them, you can damage your radiators.
STEP 4: Locate the radiator bleed value and get your radiator bleed key
Once your radiators have cooled down, you will need to locate the radiator bleed valves and get your radiator bleed key ready.
The radiator bleed valves can be found at the top and side of your radiator. It’s the small metal square or screw found inside a surrounding nut.
The radiator bleed key is a small, metal key with two turning arms attached. If you do not have one, you can pick one up from any hardware store for a couple of pounds.
STEP 5: Insert the radiator bleed key
Insert the bleed key into the bleed valve.
Hold a cloth next to the valve and under the drain hole to catch any drips.
STEP 6: Make a quarter, anti-clockwise turn
Slowly turn the key anti-clockwise to allow air to escape. Keep turning until it is a quarter of the way open. Do not to unscrew the bleed valve completely as it can be difficult to put back when water is coming out the radiator. Do not open the valve too much or too quickly as too much water may escape. You should hear some hissing.
STEP 7: Close the radiator bleed value
Once all the air has escaped, and water has started to drip out. Turn the key clockwise to close the valve fully. Do not close the valve too tightly as it may damage it. Repeat this process for any other radiators in your home that need bleeding.
STEP 8: Check the pressure of your boiler
After bleeding the radiators, you will need to make sure your boiler pressure hasn’t dropped.
STEP 10: Turn your heating back on for your final checks
Once you have checked your boiler pressure, switch your heating back on and check for cold spots again. If there are still cold spots, you may need to bleed the radiator again.
How to repressurise a boiler
How you pressurise your boiler will vary slightly depending on your boiler manufacturer.
Most of our properties have Valliant boilers. If you have any other type of boiler, contact us and we will repressurise your boiler for you.
Repressurising your Valliant Boiler
To find out how to repressurise your Valliant boiler, watch the video below, or visit the Valliant website.