Boiler on the blink?
If you get to know your boiler, you might be able to avoid the cost of an engineer call out if there’s a problem. Don’t panic, we’re not suggesting you do anything that is unsafe, but if your boiler’s stopped working you may be able to restart it without too much trouble. Here are our top five problems and fixes to get your boiler working again. If you’re in any doubt, you can always call our team on the Technical Helpdesk (01527 888000) for advice.
Resetting your boiler
Before you do anything, please double check that there’s a power supply to the boiler, the system pressure is between 1.2 – 1.5bar, the batteries in the thermostat are working and the external programmers are turned on. If that’s ‘yes’ to everything, you may need to reset the boiler. This is safe and simple to do, and the instructions for resetting your boiler are in your Intergas boiler manual, but you can follow these steps:
- Press the reset button once. The reset button is on the right of your display panel (there may be a red light above it).
- Wait for one minute and the boiler should fire up.
- Repeat this process twice more if the first attempt fails.
If the boiler won’t fire up, there may be a fault with the boiler and you should contact your installer or Intergas to arrange a repair.
Loss of pressure
Loss of system pressure in your boiler is a common cause of the heating not working. The water pressure indicator or dial is on the front of your boiler, and the reading should be between 1.0 – 1.5bar. If the level is below 1.0bar, the water pressure is too low, and you’ll need to top up the system. Just follow these steps:
- First, find the filling loop; this is usually installed under the boiler. It looks like a short, flexible silver hose and is attached to the pipework by small valves with black handles at each end of the flexible hose.
- Make sure the boiler is switched off before proceeding.
- Check the system pressure. This is on the left hand side of the boiler display; there should be a red dash (–) on the right hand side, which indicates that the boiler is switched off. Open the taps slowly (using the black handles) and you should hear the sound of water filling the system; the system pressure display should also start to rise. Close both taps once the display reads 1.2 – 1.5bar.
- Now turn the boiler back on and your heating should work.
If the boiler still won’t start, or it does but the pressure immediately drops or you keep having to top up the water, please contact your installer or Intergas to arrange a repair.
No heating
If your heating isn’t working, there may be a simple cause; please follow these steps:
- Check there’s enough credit in the gas/electricity meter and whether other gas appliances in the property are working.
- Is the room thermostat set lower than the actual room temperature? If you turn it up, the heating may come on. If you have a wireless device, check the ‘battery low’ signal and replace the battery if necessary.
- Check there is a power supply to the boiler and programmer.
- Is the programmer turned on? Does it display the correct time? The clocks may have changed recently or there’s been a power cut, so you may need to reset the boiler.
- Is the thermostatic radiator valve working? If the dial is turned to the * (frost) symbol, the radiator won’t get hot.
If the heating doesn’t come on, please contact your installer or Intergas to arrange a repair.
No hot water – open vent/system boiler
If you have cold or lukewarm water coming from your tap, that could be due to a number of reasons:
- someone run a bath or used a lot of hot water? If ‘yes’ then wait for the hot water cylinder to heat up again (this should take around 30 minutes, depending on cylinder size).
- Is the programmer turned on? Does it display the correct time? The clocks may have changed recently or there’s been a power cut, so you may need to reset the boiler.
- Is the thermostat on the cylinder set to the correct temperature?
If you still can’t get hot water, please contact your installer or Intergas to arrange a repair.
No hot water – combination boiler
If you have cold or lukewarm water coming from your tap, there could be a number of reasons:
- The hot water tap may be too far open. Reduce the water flow until the temperature increases to a satisfactory level.
- The boiler has been switched off; this is shown as a red dash (–) on the front of the boiler.
- The hot water temperature on the boiler display may need to be increased. Press the temperature symbol twice so the green light is on the tap symbol, the hot water temperature is then shown in the display. Simply press the + button to increase the temperature (or the – button to decrease the temperature); once completed, press the reset button once so the letter P is displayed for a second.
Thermostat not working
If your thermostat is not working, that would affect how your boiler functions. Here are some of the most common fixes you can do yourself:
- If your thermostat is wireless, does the battery need to be changed?
- Cleaning the thermostat will allow the mechanism to work properly, and regular cleaning is important to protect against long-term damage. If you can remove your thermostat’s cover, try using a vacuum on a gentle setting or a very soft brush to clean the area.
- Adjust the settings; you might need to set your thermostat to a higher temperature to keep the heating on longer.
- Check the thermostat’s location as this can make a big difference as to how effectively it works. Thermostats need to be in the right place to correctly measure the heat in your home. They should not be near any source of heat such as a radio, a computer, the television or a light (non-LED), and that includes sunshine, as the thermostat will read the room as hotter than it is, and the heating will switch off.
If none of these steps work, please contact your installer or Intergas to arrange a repair.
