As Gas Safety Week 2024 continues, our gas and heating contractors at Aaron Services and K&T Heating have shared their top tips on what to do if you find yourself without heating or hot water.
There could be a number of reasons why your central heating or hot water system isn't working. But there are things that you can do at home to sort this - without having to schedule an engineer visit.
If you can small gas
If you think that you can smell gas in your home, turn off your supply at the gas meter, ventilate the area by opening windows and doors, and immediately contact the National Gas Emergency Service Provider, National Grid, on 0800 111 999.
Otherwise, check the basics
Do you have a prepayment meter? If you do, check you've got enough credit. Are you other gas appliances, such as you cooker hob or gas fire, working ok? Have the fuses in your fuse box tripped?
Have you had a power cut recently?
If you have, the timer on your boiler may have reset. Re-programming it could solve the issue. Have a look at the instruction manual for your boiler if you have it, or visit the manufactures website, for instructions on how to do this.
Check the pressure
If your boiler's pressure gauge is at 1 bar or less, low pressure could be the issue. Your boiler's instruction manual will tell you how to top up the pressure.
Turn your thermostat up
Turn your thermostat up to 21 degrees or higher to see if your boiler starts to work.
Reset your boiler
If you boiler was installed before 2004, it probably has a pilot light. Check that it hasn't gone out. If it has, check the instruction manual on how to relight it. For newer boilers, again check the instruction manual on how to restart it.
Where can I find out more?
Aaron Services and K&T Heating have created some useful videos to help guide you through some of the simple things you can do if you find yourself with no heating or no hot water.
