My boiler's broken down what do I do?

Boiler's broken? You might not think that Mr Central Heating is the first port of call for someone that has turned on their boiler and it is not working. But it generally is and this is because most people look at the worst case scenario. we rely on our central heating system to work effectively 24 hours a day and for the most part take it for granted that it'll be there to provide heat. So when our boiler breaks it can be frustrating and worrying. How much is it going to cost if my boiler's broken? It is not always about the sale here and we want to make sure that we supply the right boiler at the right price. Sometimes we even advise customers to stick with what they have got and see if they can get it fixed. Maybe we are wrong on this point but we pride ourselves in being honest and it always benefits us and we often see those customers returning for many years after. The reason for this neutral approach is that sometimes things are not as straight forward. We have enough experience and ask the right questions to get a feel that a new boiler may not be the best option. This also applies to customers who arrive in store and request the biggest boiler we have. This is great for the till but not the best policy. We would always want to know what you are replacing, if the system is changing, who is fitting the boiler. We are not nosey, just not really interested in selling a boiler only for it to be returned after one day. All of the guys at Mr Central Heating have really technical knowledge, and if one does not know then there will be someone in store who will have the answer. So what to do if your boiler's broken down?   First of all you need to understand what type of boiler it is you have and what is not happening. All boilers have a lock out function and this can be caused by a number of fail safes to ensure that there is not an issue with gas or emissions. So it could be in lock out mode which can easily be rectified by turning it off at the socket, leaving it for 5 minutes and turning it back on again. This should reset the boiler and it hopefully fingers crossed will go back through its sequence. In many case this is the most simple boiler repair of them all. The sequence a boiler goes through when gearing up to firing is a key way to diagnose for a boiler breakdown. Either listen for or read the instructions on how the firing sequence is meant to happen. If any part of this is wrong it will not go to the next stage. So you can ascertain where it is failing and then try and identify what part it relates to. This is all great if it is starting, but if the heating system is completely dead then check the power, check there is not water coming from the boiler, the flue on the outside wall is not blocked, and the water and gas and electricity are on. If it is a combination boiler or system (sealed) then straight away you need to check the pressure and if it is low you need to top it up through the filler in stages till it reaches 1.5bar. You should be able to do this yourself, but if in doubt call out a professional especially with a boiler emergency if something is going seriously wrong. If you have a gas boiler then you should ensure that they are a gas safe registered engineer. Some boiler services and plumbers are available 24/7 if you are dealing with something serious such as a leak. As with all gas appliances if you smell gas then call British Gas since this could be a dangerous situation. In all instances please read the instruction manual! There are loads of things to diagnose on boilers and it is often difficult to work out what is wrong if it is not showing any forms of life. Furthermore the boiler is just the heat source and on traditional systems it can get the blame for other components not working like the pump, motorized valves or hot water cylinder. [caption id="attachment_1990" align="alignnone" width="250"] Need help finding a heating engineer or plumber?[/caption]

You are welcome to give us a call and we will try our best to help you if you think your boiler's broken, but in most cases it is best to call a plumber, get one in and if you use one of our trusted and recommended plumbers you know they are going to be great.

Good luck and we hope your boiler does not break down but if you want free, un-pressured advice then call Mr Central Heating today.