One in five boilers break down each year, and repairs can often cost several hundred pounds. Almost all breakdowns happen in the same cold snap and engineers are hard pressed to reach everyone quickly. If your boiler has broken down, what can you do yourself?
Check your electricity is on, and ensure a breaker or fuse hasn’t popped. If the power’s been off and come on again, sometimes switches need to be reset.
Is your gas on? Check the meter. Never interfere with any part of the gas supply yourself - it’s illegal and invalidates any insurance cover, on the boiler and the house, should you cause an accident. Phone the emergency line (0800 111 999) if there’s any smell of gas.
Is the pilot lit? This is usually visible through a window on the boiler, or for back boilers often behind a panel in your fireplace. An extinguished pilot can usually be relit with an ignition button or by switching off and on again. If it won’t stay lit, you may need a new thermocouple - a builders merchant or engineer can help you identify the part.
Is the timer working? If it’s definitely broken, there may be a manual by-pass that will tide you over until a new one is fitted. To look for a new timer, try here: https://www.jtatkinson.co.uk/
Is the thermostat working? Sometimes just turning the heat up will get the boiler to kick back in, but if not you will need to identify the type of thermostat you need.
If the weather’s freezing and you have a modern condenser boiler, check the outlet pipe hasn’t frozen. Look for a plastic pipe going through the wall from the bottom of the boiler. Water can freeze in this pipe, and thawing it may get your boiler going again.
Is your water on? If it’s been off, the system may have sucked in air. When mains water is off, you can still use central heating because it’s re-circulating, but not hot taps. Air in radiators can be released using a key, but if air is in the pump, you may have to get the system flushed. If a boiler keeps switching itself off, it can be because of water pressure. Look for a pressure gauge - your manual may tell you how to adjust system pressures. Gunk in the pipes can be cleared by flushing with chemicals, like the ones here: https://www.jtatkinson.co.uk/professional-2-chemical-pack-filter-mc1-mc3.html.
Also check whether your boiler has a backup electric heater. Look for a switch near the timer. It may provide you with some temporary hot water at least.
If you still need an engineer, whose responsibility is it? If you’re a tenant, by law it’s the landlord’s responsibility under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, so they should be your first call. Are you insured? If you haven’t got a warranty or service contract, you may still have cover through your home insurance policy. Many policies have a section called “Home Emergencies”, although an annual service is often a condition for a payout for a broken down boiler.
Pensioners and vulnerable groups, whether householders or tenants, qualify for help under the Government’s ECO scheme. A landlord can also apply to this scheme, and local authorities may provide temporary heaters.
If you still need a Gas Safe and OFTEC registered engineer, depending on their quote, you may want to consider getting a new boiler altogether. Replacing a worn out one may avoid future breakdown costs and reduce your fuel bills. Many pre-2005 boilers are only rated G for energy efficiency, wasting 30% of heat. The type of boiler you need depends upon the size and the tanks in your house, and your builder’s merchant can advise on suitable boilers.