All you need to know about boiler repairs, common boiler faults, boilers, central heating & gas engineers
Boiler repairs are a common feature come autumn every year. Some people are lucky enough to get away with some minor trouble shooting when an extra load is put on the boiler in the form of central heating. Those of us who are familiar with common boiler faults, there solutions save money because we do not have to call in gas engineers which can be expensive and also you not knowing whether they are reliable or not. However there are some common boiler faults which do require the services of qualified gas & oil engineers, even though they are diagnosed by the user can be very tricky to repair and/or may not even be the problem.
Some common boiler faults which have a huge effect on performance with regards to central heating and most probably requiring gas engineers are:
Leaking boiler – There could be a number of reasons for a boiler to be leaking for instance too much water pressure, overheating of water or even a crack in one of the cast iron/aluminum sections of the boiler. This is a very common boiler fault which plays havoc with central heating and can be expensive to resolve with the section being replaced if its a commercial boiler or the boiler itself being replaced if its domestic and it will most definitely need a oil/gas engineer to visit.
Loss of pressure – If the boiler is losing pressure (Sealed System) then there may be a leak in the central heating system. The common places to lose water is the Pressure Vessel on the gas boiler/system being depleted of air (expansion), valves on the radiators or bad joints, compression & soldered. The solution is to replace or re-pressurise the Pressure Vessel on the gas boiler/system with air tighten or replace the valves or bad joints.
Boiler not heating water – This is the main function of a boiler and effects everything from showering, baths, washing to central heating. There can be a number of reasons for this very common boiler fault and usually its down to the circulating pump on the system or in the gas boiler itself engineers should take a look at it.
Boiler not igniting – This is also a common boiler fault and it is usually a internal issue with the oil burner or the gas burner/boiler and is recommended that it should be corrected by gas/oil engineers.
No central heating – Boilers are made of different components which all operate in sync with each other and also incorporate safety/fail safe devices to stop any unforeseen accidents, and any one could play a part in central heating not working. Checking the fuse followed by reading the error code on the front display can take engineers to the heart of the problem. Then we can decide if a gas/oil engineer is required.
Frozen condensate pipe – This is another common boiler fault especially in relatively colder winters and came to the forefront in 2010/2011. This happens when the condensate in the pipe which goes through the outer wall to the outer drain freezes. This normally does not require oil/gas engineers and can be fixed by pouring hot water on the frozen portion of the pipe.
Noisy boiler or noisy central heating – This can be due to scale build up in the heat exchanger causing it to rumble or screech. Noisy or gurgling and rumbling central heating pipes are also a result of sludge/scale build up in the pipes or air in the system. This is also a common fault that can be fixed by gas/oil engineers or Plumbers.
The natures of common boiler faults can are quite varied and most have a direct effect on central heating systems or the boiler unit itself. It is recommended to make sure gas/oil engineers employed to carry out repairs are well trained.