Common Boiler Problems During The Winter

It’s never fun dealing with a broken down boiler, but the worst time to experience problems is in the winter months. During this cold season we need the heat and hot water from our boilers more than ever, but sadly this is often when they are most likely to fail us. Using our many years of experience in sorting and solving winter related boiler problems, we’ve written a short guide to help you understand what may go wrong, and how best to quickly get your boiler working again. 

At D A Gas Heating & Plumbing, we serve the areas of North Weald, Ongar, Theydon Bois, Epping, Hoddesdon and Broxbourne and are here to help with your boiler strife. You can call us on 07920 875189 or 01279 316304, or email us at dave@dagas.co.uk with your query. 

Frozen pipes

Freezing pipes are all too common when the temperatures outside drop near or below freezing. Your pipes may struggle to cope with these conditions and if they freeze, your boiler can’t do its job of moving water around them to your radiators and taps. Many homeowners find their boiler isn’t working due to their condensation pipe freezing. This is positioned at the back of a lot of boilers and can easily freeze. Luckily, the solution is usually simple - and free! To thaw it out, pour warm water - not hot - over the pipe several times. This should then resolve the issue and your boiler should work effectively once again. It can be helpful in winter to always leave your heating on a low temperature when you’re out so that the pipes don’t reach the point of freezing. Setting your thermostat to something like 13 or 14 degrees means that it will kick in when the temperature drops below this and keep your pipes used enough not to freeze. 

Thermostat issues 

Thermostats don’t last forever, but thankfully replacing them costs a lot less than a new boiler! If a wire has worn out or a component within the thermostat has stopped working, it won’t transmit the message that heat needs to be sent to your radiators, so, even if your boiler is working, you won’t get any heat. You’ll need to ask a Gas Safe registered heating engineer to investigate, who will be able to check the thermostat and replace it if necessary. 

Pilot light switching off

The pilot light inside your boiler is what allows it to operate. Without it, nothing will work from your hot water to your radiators. Your pilot light can switch off for a number of reasons, but if this happens, you should contact a Gas Safe registered engineer to check it. They can investigate and resolve the issue, and most importantly, check there is no build-up of gas, which is a common reason for a pilot light to switch off. If this is the reason, there is obviously a huge safety risk, so be sure to get it properly checked out. 

Problems with your boiler? D A Gas can help

Our experienced, reliable team are trusted by customers across North Weald, Ongar, Theydon Bois, Epping, Hoddesdon and Broxbourne, so if you have a boiler issue we can help resolve it. To get in touch, simply give us a call on 07920 875189 or 01279 316304, email us at dave@dagas.co.uk or fill in our short contact form and we’ll get back to you ASAP.