5 Common boiler problems and solutions

For a gas boiler, the truth is that this is something that we just take for granted. We let it get on with its job of providing us with heating and hot water and only ever really give it a second thought when something goes wrong.

Regardless of the type of boiler that you have, there are some common problems that you may experience at some point. Certainly, when it comes to a combi boiler, you want to get this up and running again as soon as possible. The key is knowing what you can do yourself to bring your heating system back to life and when you need an expert. Let’s take a look.

1. No heating or hot water

If your combi boiler is leaving you without any heating or hot water, you’ll be keen to get this fixed as soon as possible. There could be several causes here but the most common include:

• A broken diaphragm 
• Faulty valve 
• An issue with the thermostat 

With any of these issues, you don’t necessarily need a new boiler (although a new one could prove to be much more efficient). Often it is just a case of replacing the faulty part and your hot water and heating system will be back up and running again. 

2) Only one thing is working 

It could be that your boiler is providing hot water but no heating. Likewise, the reverse may be true where the heating is fine, but you’re left with no hot water. This is an issue commonly faced with older boilers and is usually caused by a fault with the diverter valve.

A diverter valve is responsible for ensuring that hot water reaches your taps. It also ensures that your radiators are hot. Sludge and debris can build up and stop this from working effectively. Replacing the diverter valve will usually do the trick.

3) A boiler with low pressure

A water leak or broken valve could lead to your boiler pressure falling. You can check the pressure simply by looking at the pressure gauge on the front. If it has fallen below one then it is too low and will not work effectively.

Providing there are no leaks or other problems, you can reset the pressure yourself. You will find how to do this in the manual that came with your boiler. 

4) Noises

A noisy boiler can often be cause for concern. Low humming noise in the background is to be expected from any gas boiler, but anything more could well be a problem.

You may hear a whistling noise. This is caused by trapped air and can usually be solved just by bleeding the radiators. A gurgling noise could be due to a frozen pipe. You may well need an engineer to locate this.

5) Leaks

If your gas boiler is leaking water, there is likely to be an issue with either the pressure valve or pump seal. High boiler pressure will impact the pressure valve and can be resolved by lowering it. If the leak is from the pump seal, then this will need to be replaced.