Help & Advice
Fixing common faults
If you are having problems with your boiler for either heating or hot water then there are some basic checks that you can do.
Adjust your room thermostat or programmer to ensure it is calling for heat. Simply turn your thermostat up a few degrees and see if this turns the boiler on.
Check that the boiler is pressurised to the required pressure. Most boilers will have a pressure gauge and the needle should be in the ‘green zone’. Most boilers will either be repressurised using a filling hose or internal filling key.
Video on how to repressurise using a hose
Video on how to repressurise using a filling key
Check that gas is available to your boiler. Test that gas is being supplied to other appliances in your home such as a hob. If your gas has been cut (or you have run out of credit on a pre-payment meter), then you may need to reset your boiler.
Check if your boiler is displaying any fault codes and if yes, try to reset these codes.
Video on how to reset your boiler
During periods of extreme cold check that your condensate pipe has not frozen which may stop your boiler from working.
Video on thawing condensate pipes
If radiators are not heating fully to the top, check to see if radiators need to be bled.
Video on how to bleed your radiators
The help links are only for one boiler type and small variations may exist with your boiler. Other guides for your boiler are likely to be available online. If your problem persists, please call us to try and resolve your problem.
What to do if you have a burst pipe
If you notice water leaking from a damaged or burst water pipe follow the following basic steps:
Turn off mains water supply.
Turn off central heating system.
Turn on all hot and cold water taps until all water has drained out of the system.
Consider turning off affected electricity circuits at fuse box.
Reduce damage to property by collecting water in buckets or soaking water up with towels.
If you have a plasterboard ceiling that is bowing with water above it, we suggest making a small hole in the ceiling with a sharp object such as a screwdriver or corkscrew. Collect water that comes out of the hole in a bucket underneath. This may save the ceiling collapsing under the weight of water.
Once you have reduced the potential damage from a leak, give us a call to try and resolve your leak.
How to reduce your heating bill
There are lots of steps you can take to reduce the amount of money you spend heating your home. There is a lot of information available on www.energysavingtrust.org.uk, but some things that you can consider include:
Installing a modern boiler
Heating accounts for about 55 per cent of what you spend in a year on energy bills, so an efficient boiler makes a big difference. Swapping to a modern, efficient combi boiler can save households up to £200 per year in energy costs and can be much more reliable.
Control your heating
Installing a room thermostat, a programmer and thermostatic radiator valves and using these controls efficiently could save you around £150 a year. If you already have a full set of controls, turning down your room thermostat by just one degree can save around £75 a year. Whatever the age of your boiler the right controls will let you:
- Set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them.
- Heat only the areas of your home that need heating.
- Set the temperature for each area of your home.
Reduce energy heating water
Whether in the kitchen or bathroom there are ways to save energy heating your water:
- Use a bowl to wash up rather than a running tap and save £25 a year in energy bills.
- If you’ve got a shower that takes hot water straight from your boiler or hot water tank (rather than an electric shower), fit a water efficient shower head. This will reduce your hot water usage while retaining the sensation of a powerful shower. A water efficient shower head could save a four person household as much as £75 a year on gas for water heating.
- Spending one minute less in the shower each day will save up to £7 off your energy bills each year, per person. With a water meter this could save a further £12 off annual water and sewerage bills. If everyone in a four person family did this it would lead to a total saving of £80 a year.
Draught proofing
Unless your home is very new, you will lose some heat through draughts around doors and windows, gaps around the floor, or through the chimney.
Professional draught-proofing of windows, doors and blocking cracks in floors and skirting boards can cost around £200, but can save around £20 a year on energy bills. DIY draught proofing can be much cheaper.
The savings for each of the energy reducing measures are detailed on www.energysavingtrust.org.uk. This is an excellent website for helping you to reduce gas and electric usage in the home.
