Boiler repair in North West London

What counts as a boiler repair?

Most repair enquiries start with one of a handful of problems: no heating, no hot water, a fault code or flashing light on the boiler display, pressure that keeps dropping, a drip or leak underneath the boiler, strange noises such as banging or whistling, or a boiler that fires up and then switches itself off. Sometimes it is only one of heating or hot water that has stopped, which is a useful clue for the engineer.

If you are not sure whether your problem counts, send the enquiry anyway. Describe what you can see and hear, and the engineer can tell you whether it needs a visit.

Is there anything I can safely check first?

A few checks are safe for anyone to do and sometimes solve the problem. Make sure the boiler has power and that the thermostat and any timer are set to call for heat. Check the pressure gauge on the front of the boiler: on most combi and system boilers it should read roughly between 1 and 1.5 bar when the heating is cold. Your boiler manual explains how to top it up if it has dropped.

In cold weather, a frozen condensate pipe is a common cause of a boiler stopping on a condensing boiler. This is the plastic pipe that runs from the boiler to a drain outside. Many manufacturers explain how to thaw it with warm (not boiling) water.

Do not take any covers off the boiler or attempt anything on the gas supply. Work on gas appliances must, by law, be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

What should I tell the engineer?

The more the engineer knows before they call, the quicker they can help. Useful details are:

• the make and model of your boiler, usually printed on the front panel or on a label underneath or inside the flap
• any fault code or flashing light on the display, such as F28 or EA
• whether the problem affects heating, hot water or both, and when it started
• anything that changed recently, such as a power cut, cold weather or new radiators
• a photo of the boiler and its display, if you can take one

What happens after I send an enquiry?

We pass your enquiry to one local heating engineer who covers your postcode. It is never sent to a list of companies, so you will not be chased by several firms. The engineer contacts you to talk through the problem, arranges a visit if one is needed and agrees any price with you directly before doing any work. You decide whether to go ahead.

Asking is free and there is no obligation. We are an independent enquiry service, not a heating company, and the engineer may pay us a fee for the introduction.

Repair or replace?

Most faults are repairable, and an engineer will usually start by finding out exactly what has gone wrong. If a boiler is old, needs parts that are hard to get, or keeps breaking down, the engineer may talk to you about whether a replacement makes more sense. That is your choice. You can ask for a repair quote and a replacement quote and compare them.

Which areas do you cover?

We pass enquiries to an engineer who covers Harrow, Brent, Barnet and Ealing in North West London. The postcode districts are listed on our home page. If your postcode is not listed, send your enquiry anyway and we will tell you if we cannot help. Our pages on Ealing and Harrow describe the homes and boiler setups typical of each borough.

What if I smell gas or think there is carbon monoxide?

Do not wait for a call back. If you smell gas, leave the property, do not use electrical switches or naked flames, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. It is free and open 24 hours a day.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or you feel headaches, dizziness or nausea that ease when you go outside, turn off the appliance if it is safe to do so, open the windows, get everyone outside and call the same number. A carbon monoxide alarm near the boiler is a sensible precaution in any home with gas appliances.