Rotherham's Boiler Experts Speak Out
It's far more common than you might think that we speak to customers who have considered trying to repair their own boiler. You may or may not know why we find this so concerning, so let's start by addressing that.
First and foremost, it's illegal to open any product connected to a gas supply, unless that's a normal part of operation, and intended to be completed by someone that's not trained in gas safety. An example might be opening a panel on a boiler to relight the pilot light. As a general rule of thumb, if you're looking at something that's gas powered and need a tool to fix something, you shouldn't be doing it unless you're trained and qualified.
Hopefully the reason why is obvious, gas can be incredibly dangerous if it's not used properly. It can explode, or it can poison you if it gradually leaks into the air you breath, so there's never a good time to decide to fix things yourself.
With the rant out of the way, let's move on to how to get your boiler fixed. As we've now made clear, if a repair is required, you need a Gas Safe registered engineer. Before you make the call though, make sure you don't have hot water, and your radiators are cold with he heating turned on. Quite simply, if you have hot water but no heating, or heating but no hot water, the chances are your boiler is working and the problem lies elsewhere. Spend ten minutes checking your system, for example has someone turned down the thermostat and that's why the house is cold?
These checks can seem silly when you're convinced something's broken down, but it could save you a substantial call out fee if it turns out to be the problem, especially if you need a weekend, evening or overnight emergency appointment.
Once you're satisfied you need an engineer, you can make a call. Just turn to Google or the Yellow Pages to find a suitable company to help. Just please, never put you and your family in danger by trying to cut corners and save money by attempting the work yourself.
First and foremost, it's illegal to open any product connected to a gas supply, unless that's a normal part of operation, and intended to be completed by someone that's not trained in gas safety. An example might be opening a panel on a boiler to relight the pilot light. As a general rule of thumb, if you're looking at something that's gas powered and need a tool to fix something, you shouldn't be doing it unless you're trained and qualified.
Hopefully the reason why is obvious, gas can be incredibly dangerous if it's not used properly. It can explode, or it can poison you if it gradually leaks into the air you breath, so there's never a good time to decide to fix things yourself.
With the rant out of the way, let's move on to how to get your boiler fixed. As we've now made clear, if a repair is required, you need a Gas Safe registered engineer. Before you make the call though, make sure you don't have hot water, and your radiators are cold with he heating turned on. Quite simply, if you have hot water but no heating, or heating but no hot water, the chances are your boiler is working and the problem lies elsewhere. Spend ten minutes checking your system, for example has someone turned down the thermostat and that's why the house is cold?
These checks can seem silly when you're convinced something's broken down, but it could save you a substantial call out fee if it turns out to be the problem, especially if you need a weekend, evening or overnight emergency appointment.
Once you're satisfied you need an engineer, you can make a call. Just turn to Google or the Yellow Pages to find a suitable company to help. Just please, never put you and your family in danger by trying to cut corners and save money by attempting the work yourself.