Boilers are the heart of the home and help to keep our rooms and water warm and comfortable for us. However, much like any other appliance, there are several issues your boiler may encounter and luckily many of them can be easily identified.

Having any issues with your boiler fixed as soon as possible is essential for the safety of yourself and your family as boiler issues can potentially be extremely dangerous if left unnoticed or unfixed for long periods of time.

One of the easiest ways to notice that your boiler is malfunctioning or has issues is by a lack of heat or hot water. This can be due to a variety of issues and some can be fixed quite simply.

One of these is a faulty thermostat, which may cause a lack of heat as it is not registering the temperature of the home. Replacing or simply resetting this may solve the issue at hand. Other issues which result in no heat or hot water may need to be diagnosed by a plumber.

These issues may also result in your boiler switching itself off periodically. If your boiler is switching off for seemingly no reason, seek the advice of your local plumber for help and assistance.

If resetting your boiler doesn’t work, seeking the advice of a plumber is recommended as there may be further underlying issues with your boiler which are preventing it from heating your home effectively.

This is more common in older boilers which may not have been serviced in a while.

Leaks can be easily identified by wet patches forming under or around the boiler and should be addressed as soon as possible. They can be caused by various issues such as corrosion on the pipes, faulty valves or damaged seals.

If you find a leak, turn the boiler off as soon as possible and seek the help of an emergency plumber.

Looking for a plumber in North London? Get in touch today.

The weather has been so good lately that Brits haven’t had to think about turning their central heating on over the last few weeks. 

The temperatures have regularly been over 20C, and even exceeded 32C on June 10th in Chertsey, Surrey, which is the first time the mercury has gone above 30C since August 2022.  

While many of us are enjoying being in the garden on a sunny day, going to the beach, or having barbecues with friends and family, it won’t be long before the need to put the heating back on returns. 

Therefore, if your boiler had started to play up before the hot spell, you might need to consider replacing it. However, there are big differences in the cost of boilers, which can be confusing to many homeowners. 

Which? explains the costs will vary according to the type of boiler you opt for, such as a heat-only or storage boiler, or one with a hot water cylinder fitting. 

The brand or model of boiler will also result in differing prices, and while lots of people may be tempted to go for the cheaper option, this might not work out being cost-effective.

“Getting a reliable boiler is the most important thing to consider when deciding which brand to go for, as it will save you money and stress in the long run,” the consumer expert stated.

Lastly, the size of the boiler can alter the price, with larger models being more expensive. 

Those who are worried about the expense of a new central heating system should consider getting new boiler finance in London, which can help spread the cost. 

Recent data has shown one in 25 people over the age of 65 live on their own without central heating, putting their health at risk. 

This means there are more than 66,000 elderly people in England and Wales in one-person households who face freezing cold conditions during the winter, the Express reported. 

Age UK told the publication this could have “potentially serious consequences”, with its director Caroline Abrahams saying: “Older people lacking central heating often find it very difficult to stay warm during the winter months. Living alone can make this worse, as it means one person’s income has to stretch further to cover the fixed costs of heating.”

The area with the greatest problem was found to be Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, with 5.4 per cent of its elderly population living alone without central heating. This was followed by Gwynedd in north-west Wales at 4.6 per cent. 

London also has a high proportion of over-65s who do not have heating, with Waltham Forest (4.3 per cent), Lambeth (4.1 per cent), and Westminster (4.1 per cent) the worst affected areas. 

At the end of last year, Age UK called for the government to take further action to help elderly people afford to turn on their heating. 

It wanted discounts for lower-income households to be able to afford their energy bills, vulnerable households to receive funding for energy efficiency improvements, and more active promotion of the Energy Bill Support Scheme to help those on prepayment meters. 

Following the surge in energy prices over the last year, it warned more than a million older households were at risk of a “long, bleak winter”. 

Making your home more energy-efficient helps to bring down bills, which is why getting a boiler replacement in north London could help elderly people so they can keep their heating on over the winter. 

Over the next year, all boilers should ideally see at least one service, and during that time, a skilled engineer will look at your boiler, sometimes other parts of your water system or gas supply and make suggestions.

In some cases, they may give your boiler a clean bill of health. In others, however, they may slap a warning sticker following the unsafe situations procedure (GIUSP). This often requires shutting off the appliance or even disconnecting the gas supply until the issue is fixed or the boiler is repaired.

In quite a few cases, however, the advice will simply be that you need a new boiler soon, sometimes as far in the future as the next 12 months, whether that is due to obsolescence, age or other factors.

Once you get that news, here are some top tips for what to do next.

Look At Your Options

With many of the rules surrounding boilers changing over the next few years and a lot of options available, it is worth taking some time to look at potential options and alternatives to a conventional boiler.

This can include buying a new boiler, as new boilers designed to a “hydrogen-ready” standard are set to become available as early as 2023 according to British Gas. These would be designed to work with a blend of up to 20 per cent hydrogen once installed, but can also be easily modified to work with 100 per cent hydrogen.

Alternate options include heat pumps, both for ground and air sources, as well as biomass boilers and solar heaters.

Wait Until Summer If You Can

Boiler installations can take a few days, so ideally you will want to arrange it for a time when you do not necessarily need it, so it is ready for you when you do.

To this end, summer (as well as the months just before and just after) is the perfect season to get a replacement. It can also save money in installation fees and allow you to get it installed at your convenience.

For more information and advice from plumbers in London, get in touch today.

Heating your home in the winter can be expensive, especially with the cost of living seeming to constantly be on the rise. Being warm and comfortable in your home is important, but you can still stay cosy while saving a few pennies along the way. 

Keeping your boiler and heating systems in good shape can help save you money and improve efficiency, so your home will heat up and stay warmer for longer. 

Be sure to have your boiler and radiators checked to ensure they are working as they should and you aren’t losing money due to faulty equipment. 

Turning down your thermostat just a little can help you save money. You likely won’t notice the difference of a few degrees but your bank account will. Keeping your home at a comfortable temperature doesn’t require always having the heat on full blast, so where possible turn it down a notch. 

Electric blankets are a great way to warm yourself up and they are incredibly inexpensive to use. Rather than cranking the heat up overnight to stay toasty in bed, try investing in an electric blanket that will keep you just as cosy at a fraction of the cost. 

Ensuring doors and windows are properly sealed and aren’t letting in a draft can make a world of difference. Even the tiniest of air leaks can cool a room down so make sure everything is nice and sealed so you aren’t losing heat – and money – unnecessarily. 

Finally, as old-fashioned as it may seem, try layering up before dialling the thermostat up. A jumper or extra blanket may be all you need to feel warm again without having to spend extra on heating the home. Besides, nothing beats curling up with a cosy blanket and a cup of tea on a cold winter’s day.

Do you need a boiler repair in North London? Contact BBS Plumbing and Heating today.