Boiler Broken Down? What To Do Next

Confused charming woman holding up her hands

With your boiler broken down, you’ll soon realise just how much you come to rely on instant heating and hot water in our homes.

If your boiler has broken down, follow this handy checklist to make sure your gas boiler is up and running again as soon as possible.

Troubleshoot

Are you certain that your boiler is broken down, or could it be a problem that you could resolve yourself? Take a minute to check the water pressure gauge on your boiler. If the pressure has dropped far enough, the boiler will not work. You can refill the boiler with the correct tap – this can often be found under the sink. Loss of water pressure is a problem that should be investigated regardless but if this is the problem you should be able to at least get heating and hot water again while you wait for an engineer.

Switch Off

If you’re sure that the boiler has broken down, the first thing you should do is switch it off and turn the gas off at the mains. At this stage, you may not know what the cause of the breakdown is and it’s not worth taking any chances with your health and safety. A carbon monoxide leak can be fatal, and as carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless, you won’t be able to detect a leak without a carbon monoxide alarm.

Call an Engineer

You don’t want to have to wait any longer than necessary to get your heating and hot water back. Once you’ve ensured that your boiler is safe, call a qualified, professional engineer who is a Registered Gas Installer (RGI). Callouts for a broken down boiler can be expensive with some companies, but you can be sure that when you call Gas Services you will be getting the best service for a price that is reasonable and fair. Gas Services engineers carry an extensive range of parts in their vans at all times, meaning that 80% of the time we can fix the problem without a return visit.

Keep Warm

The most common time for boilers to break down is at the beginning of autumn when it starts to get colder. So, while you are waiting for your engineer to arrive, it’s important that you take steps to retain as much heat as possible.

• Keep doors in the house closed

• Keep curtains shut

• Use draught excluders in the doorways and in windowsills if needed (if you don’t have

draught excluders, create makeshift ones by rolling up towels or blankets)

• Electric heaters and fan heaters can be expensive to run, so only use them in the rooms that

they’re needed in (and take the above steps to get the most out of the heat).

• Wrap up warm in extra layers, hats and blankets.

• Use your kettle or boil water in saucepans if you need hot water. If you have an electric

shower, this will still work if your boiler has broken down.