When winter comes around, the city of London can look pretty covered in frost and snow, but it’s not so attractive if your central heating isn’t working. While you are not so exposed to the elements in the boroughs of North London as you are in rural areas, you still need decent amounts of heat inside your home during the winter, and hot water for baths, showers and washing up. Heating can be expensive, however, and even the rich and powerful are not immune to high heating bills – London’s mayor Boris Johnson said he had no idea how much it cost to heat and light his North London Islington home but he suspected the costs were “outrageous”. It is even more expensive if you need to replace your heating system. If your central heating has stopped working there are a number of possible reasons behind the fault. You can try to locate and fix the problem yourself by using the following guide.
Are all the switches turned on? Check that all the connections to the gas, electricity and water are turned on and functioning. It is surprisingly easy to turn off a switch by accident. You can try turning the electric switch to the boiler on and off – this is a simple thing to do but it sometimes makes a big difference and can help reset the system and resolve any problems.
Is the thermostat on and working? Check the thermostat is turned up to the proper level and that the thermostat clock timer is working.
Is the pilot light on? Older boilers need the pilot light to be permanently on and it is common for the light to go out, resulting in no heat.
Is the clock set correctly? If the clocks have gone forward or back this can affect when your boiler turns on and off. Make sure the time is the right time. Also, if there was a power cut this may have affected the timer – check that it is still displaying your preferred times and hasn’t reset to factory settings.
What’s the boiler pressure? If your boiler has a pressure gauge that shows the pressure in the water system, check the level. It needs to be around 1 bar.
Are your pipes frozen? If it’s cold outside check that the outdoor pipes are not frozen. This can cause your boiler to malfunction.
Put your heating on maximum. If you central heating is temperamental or not working as well as it should, try putting the system on maximum for a short period of time and see if this jolts it into action.
Look in the user manual if you get any error messages. Find out what each code means and follow the instructions to fix the issue. If you are still having problems, try resetting the boiler back to its original configuration.
If you can’t find the problem or the issue is too serious for you to fix then you need to call in the professionals. Never try and fix wiring or electrics, or gas systems, if you are not properly qualified. If a quick fix won’t do it, call a plumber. When looking for heating engineers and plumbers in North London make sure you are hiring someone trustworthy and professional. Check the credentials of the plumbers and find out where their expertise lies. Call to make an appointment so you can enjoy a London winter once again.