Boiler Breakdown in Haydon Wick

It can. A garage is colder than the house, so the boiler, its pipework and the condensate drain are more exposed to frost. If the boiler stops in a cold spell, check whether the condensate pipe has frozen and thaw it with warm, not boiling, water only if it is safe to reach. Then call me.

A combi should deliver hot water shortly after a tap opens. A long delay, or water that never gets properly hot, can point to scale in the heat exchanger, a diverter valve problem or a flow sensor fault. Tell me which taps are affected and whether the heating still works when you call.

It's worth doing. Many newer homes have a boiler still within its manufacturer's cover, and some manufacturer cover terms require the manufacturer's own engineer to carry out repairs. If the manufacturer's cover has expired or allows an independent engineer, call me with the make, model and fault code.

It shows the water pressure in your sealed heating system. Most combis sit around 1 to 1.5 bar when cold and rise a little when hot. A reading near zero means water has been lost; one above about 3 bar suggests the system was overfilled or the expansion vessel has a problem. Tell me the number when you call.

On Vaillant boilers, F.22 usually means the water pressure is too low for the boiler to run safely. Check the gauge reading. Low pressure means water has escaped somewhere, so look under radiators and for a dripping pipe outside, then call me with what you find.

Yes. Haydon Wick is about 5 miles from my base in Highworth, and I also cover nearby Blunsdon, Purton and Lydiard Millicent. When you ring, give me your SN25 postcode and tell me where in the house the boiler is.

A combi can only heat a limited flow of water at once, so some drop with two taps running is normal. If the water goes completely cold, or this is new, it may be a flow or diverter fault, or low incoming mains pressure. Tell me how long it has been happening.

You can call to describe the problem, but boiler repairs in a rented home are usually the landlord's responsibility, so report it to your landlord or letting agent too. If they're happy for me to go ahead, ask them to confirm with me so the repair can be agreed.

A bang on lighting, often called delayed ignition, can happen when gas builds up before it ignites. It needs checking before the boiler is used again. Switch it off at the fused switch, don't keep relighting it, and call me. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999 first.

That depends on the cause, so ask about it once the fault is known. Common steps include an annual service, protecting an exposed condensate pipe, keeping the pressure in the right range and dealing with sludge or scale if it is present. If a fault has a clear cause, there is often something simple that helps prevent it.