How Do I Know if my Central Heating is in Need of Repair?

Your central heating system is made up of different, complex components which work together to provide your home with heat and hot water. This can make identifying a problem with it tricky, as you may not instantly know whether the issue is coming from your boiler, radiators or thermostat. While sometimes your boiler can experience a full breakdown, other times there may be smaller things that go wrong which are easier to fix - once you know what they are!

With the right knowledge, you can resolve some central heating system problems by yourself. Others will require a Gas Safe registered engineer to carry out a repair. If in doubt, always contact a trusted plumber, and use the following guide to help you work out whether or not your central heating system needs repair. 

Signs your central heating system is in need of repair

Your radiators are only warm at the bottom

If this happens it may well be that your radiators simply need bleeding, due to air getting trapped in them and preventing the spread of heat throughout. This is a fairly simple task for many people, and can be done using a special radiator key. You may already have one of these at home but they can easily be picked up from your local DIY shop if not. 

Your radiators have cold spots or are only warm at the top

If you notice this, you may need a powerflush due to a build-up of sludge and debris in your system. A powerflush is usually necessary around every five years, and during it, a Gas Safe registered engineer will inject water into your whole system at high velocity. This will clear away all the sludge and help your system to work more efficiently. 

Your boiler is making loud noises 

Generally speaking, your boiler should run quietly. If it starts making noises, whether a whistling type sound or a loud banging noise, it will need to be checked. Boilers can make noise due to air being trapped or the pressure being incorrect. But there can be a number of other reasons for a noisy boiler, associated with different faults that need addressing before they cause serious damage.

Your pilot light has switched off

If your boiler isn’t working and therefore you aren’t getting heat or hot water, check to see if the pilot light is on. If it isn’t, your boiler can’t operate. Again, there can be a number of reasons for this, but one of them is a safety measure if there is a build-up of gas. This can obviously be extremely dangerous, so if your pilot light switches off always get it investigated by a Gas Safe registered engineer. 

Your radiators aren’t heating at all

If your boiler is on but your radiators aren’t heating, there may be an issue with your thermostat. Over time the wiring and components within it can wear out and stop working, and if your thermostat is faulty it can’t communicate with your radiators and they won’t heat. This will need to be looked at by a Gas Safe registered engineer, but they can usually identify and fix or replace your thermostat unit quickly.

Looking for central heating repairs in West Yorkshire?

Smart Gas Plumbing & Heating are central heating specialists, trusted by customers across Heckmondwike, Batley, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury and Mirfield. If you’re having trouble with your boiler or central heating system, we’re on hand to help so just give us a shout. You can call us on 01924614075, email us at info@smartgasheating.com or send us a message via our online contact form.