Boilers are a necessity, particularly in the chilly winter months. A faulty boiler can make you dread the winter, and if gets cold enough, force you to spend the night elsewhere. A good rule of thumb is to keep the boiler in good working condition with the help of professionals.
Bi-annual maintenance can keep your boiler unit fully operational. But even the best-maintained boilers will go awry. Let’s explore some major problems associated with boilers.
Leakage and dripping
If your boiler is leaking gas – you have to act fast.
In the case of water, you may have to turn off the boiler’s electricity supply to eliminate the risk of electrocution and further damage to its components. Once this is done, you can check the boiler pressure gauge by locating the round dial located on the front of the boiler. If the arrow is in the red zone, you’ll need to wait for the boiler to cool down and release the pressure by bleeding its radiators.
Leaks are often caused due to worn-out parts that will need to be replaced. In some cases, the cause of a leak is corrosion in the pipes. The best way to determine the cause of the leak is to contact an expert. They will come to your house with the right tools to find out about the leaks (including gas) and fix them.
Low boiler pressure
The most common reasons for low boiler pressure is a broken valve, water leaks, and bleeding radiators. In most cases, you can check the boiler pressure by looking at the pressure gauge. If the needle is sitting somewhere below 1, you’re dealing with low pressure.
Look for any visible leaks and call a boiler expert.
Pilot light is cutting off
The pilot light is a small flame in your boiler that is used to ignite natural gas. This is then used to heat the water in the boiler and provide heating to your house. Modern boilers have ignitors, but it’s not uncommon to see older boilers making use of pilot lights.
Without the pilot light, the boiler will simply not be able to heat up your home. You can try to reignite the gas. If the boiler does not reignite, you’re possibly dealing with a blocked valve. Perhaps outside debris has blocked the flow of gas and needs to be cleaned up.
You can try to follow your boiler manual to reset the switch and see if this fixes things. If not, you’ll have to call a boiler expert near you.
Frozen condensate pipes
Condensate pipes are used to drain excess water from the boiler. This water is slightly acidic (since it is a by-product of waste gases). The pipe should run outside for the water to properly drain.
This is where the problems start. Since the pipes are usually fixed outside the home, they often freeze during the winter months. Most boilers are equipped to detect this and will let you know by showing a warning notification or faulty code.
In some cases, a simple fix such as placing a heating pack on the frozen area can thaw out the ice and allow water to once again flow. You can try pouring hot water through the pipe as an alternative solution. Once the ice is gone, you can reset the boiler and see if it works again.
The radiators are staying cold
It is common for radiators to not heat up due to the buildup of air or sludge. In some cases, only the bottom portion of the radiator seems to be giving off any heat. You can try to bleed the radiator to fix this issue.
However, if the problem is not related to bleeding, then you are dealing with built-up sludge that is preventing the flow of water to the radiators. This should be handled by a professional. Call your nearest boiler repair services to remove the sludge.
Problems with the thermostat
Inaccuracies with the thermostat can lead to wrong temperatures and cause the boiler to turn on or off at the wrong time. The thermostat needs to be repaired or fixed.
It is very common for the electrical wiring in most thermostats to become loose – repairing this will require expert help. It is also possible for the thermostat to have been damaged or for the user to have entered inaccurate settings. Sometimes, all it takes is checking to see if the thermostat is on.
Contact https://rjmartindale.co.uk today to have your boiler problems repaired right away by experienced technicians.