During the winter months, millions across the country will rely on their boiler to keep them warm.
The increased use often leads to boilers breaking down, causing expensive repairs. Not an ideal time with an ongoing cost of living crisis, which will see millions struggle to pay their bills.
However, there are signs to look out for that show a boiler is broken. Spotting the signs earlier may result in a cheaper repair bill.
By making sure that the boiler is working at maximum efficiency, it will also reduce a household’s energy bills in the long run.
Joshua Houston, boiler expert at GreenMatch has revealed five signs to look out for if a boiler needs expensive repairs.
Bad smells
Like with sounds, bad smells are an obvious sign that the boiler is faulty. These include: rotten eggs and metallic smells. Both of these odours are signs of gas leaks.
This requires an immediate evacuation and a call for a gas safe engineer. The cost of fixing a gas leak can be between £300 to £500, but it is crucial as something sparking could cause a deadly explosive reaction.
Unusual noises
An obvious sign that the boiler is faulty is strange sounds coming from it. Unusual noises can include: kettling, wooshing, humming and rattling.
These are caused by multiple different factors like: limescale build-up (£450 for a power flush), a blockage in the air filter (£100 boiler service), trapped air (£100 boiler service), and loose components (between £100 to £500 depending on the damage).
So, if someone is hearing multiple noises coming from the boiler, they could be hit with a bill of up to £1,150 for repairs.
No hot water or heating
There are multiple reasons why the boiler is not producing hot water. Firstly, the water pressure could be too low. This might be down to the pressure valve needing to be replaced, which will cost you anywhere between £200-£500, including labour.
However, it could also be a broken thermostat. This typically isn’t too expensive, with the average cost of a replacement and installation being around £180.
Another reason might be a ruptured diverter valve. A diverter valve directs the hot water to your taps and radiators. If broken, the water won’t arrive at its intended destination, which is the cause of your lack of hot water and heating.
This can be a more expensive element of your boiler to fix, as depending on the damage, the bill can be between £300 and £700.
Leaks
Leaks are a very common reason why the boiler might not be working properly. One of the most worrying things about a boiler leaking is a corroded pipe.
This happens over time when the pipe becomes brittle and begins to leak. The reason for this being worrying is that the average replacement cost plus labour is £700.
But with any luck, it might just be that the water pressure is too high. If an individual reduces the pressure to between 1 and 1.5 bar using the valve, this may fix the problem.
Faulty pilot light
A household won’t be able to get any hot water or heating if the pilot light on the boiler is off. This can be caused by a faulty flame sensor or a blocked jet.
A flame sensor turns off the gas by detecting the pilot light’s flame going out. It may just be dirty so make sure you clean the sensor before doing anything else. If this hasn’t fixed the problem, then it is most likely broken and needs to be replaced. Luckily, this is one of the cheaper faults with repairs costing around £100.
A blocked jet is an easier fix, all that’s required is for a gas safe engineer to clear out any debris. However, this will cost a call-out fee, which will be between £80 to £100.
Houston added: “Your boiler breaking down is never ideal, and this is especially true during the winter period. People will have less money due to Christmas and the increase in energy bills.
“But finding out your boiler is broken as early as possible will save you money. It allows you to start saving straight away, instead of a few months down the line when your boiler completely packs up. Not only this, having a faulty boiler reduces its efficiency, which increases your energy bills. So, getting it fixed will save some money in the long run.”
