Boiler broken down? Let us find out what’s wrong

No heating. No hot water. An unfamiliar fault code on the display. Or a boiler that’s making noises it definitely wasn’t making yesterday.

When something goes wrong with your boiler, you don’t need to work out what the problem is before you call us.

Willis Heating Ltd provides professional boiler repairs across Seaford, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Lewes and the surrounding area.

Our Gas Safe registered heating engineers will investigate the fault, explain what we’ve found and advise you on the most appropriate way to put it right.

Having trouble with your boiler? Contact Willis Heating and tell us what’s happening.

Common boiler problems we investigate

Boilers can develop faults for many different reasons.

Some are relatively straightforward to resolve. Others require further investigation to understand what’s happening within the boiler or the wider heating system.

We regularly investigate problems including:

• No heating
• No hot water
• Boiler not firing up
• Boiler repeatedly switching itself off
• Boiler losing pressure
• Boiler pressure that’s too high
• Water leaking from the boiler
• Banging, whistling or gurgling noises
• Fault codes appearing on the display
• Heating or hot water that has become unreliable
• Boiler controls not responding properly
• Radiators failing to heat correctly

If your particular problem isn’t on that list, don’t worry. Tell us what you’ve noticed and we’ll take it from there.

Finding the fault comes first

Good boiler repair starts with good diagnosis.

The symptom you can see isn’t always the underlying problem. A boiler that keeps losing pressure, for example, may have a fault within the boiler or there may be a leak elsewhere in the heating system.

Likewise, radiators that aren’t warming up don’t automatically mean the boiler itself has failed.

Our engineers will investigate what’s happening rather than simply replacing components in the hope that the problem disappears.

Once we’ve identified the likely cause, we’ll explain what we’ve found and what needs to happen next.

Can my boiler be repaired?

In many cases, it can.

A boiler breakdown doesn’t automatically mean you need a new boiler.

Whether repair makes sense will depend on factors such as:

• The nature of the fault
• The age and general condition of the boiler
• The cost of the repair
• Availability of replacement parts
• Whether the boiler has suffered repeated problems
• Its overall reliability

If repairing the boiler is sensible, we’ll tell you.

If it’s becoming difficult or uneconomical to keep an older boiler running, we’ll explain that too and discuss the alternatives with you.

We won’t recommend replacing a boiler simply because it’s the easier option.

Boiler repairs across different manufacturers

Our engineers have experience diagnosing and repairing boilers from leading domestic manufacturers, including Vaillant, Glow-worm and Worcester Bosch, as well as other commonly installed brands.

Willis Heating is a Vaillant Advance Installer and Glow-worm Club Energy Installer, giving our engineers access to additional manufacturer training and technical support for those products.

If you’re unsure whether we work on your particular boiler, let us know the manufacturer and model when you contact us.

What should I do if my boiler displays a fault code?

Modern boilers use fault codes to help indicate where a problem may lie.

The code can be useful information for our engineer, so make a note of it—or take a photograph of the display—before contacting us.

Some faults can have several possible causes, so a fault code shouldn’t necessarily be treated as a complete diagnosis.

If you’re asked to carry out a simple user reset in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, that’s one thing. We don’t recommend removing covers or attempting repairs yourself.

Gas boiler repairs should be undertaken by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.

My boiler keeps losing pressure

Occasionally topping up the pressure doesn’t necessarily indicate a serious problem, but if your boiler repeatedly loses pressure there is usually a reason.

Possible causes can include a leak somewhere in the heating system or a fault with components associated with the boiler.

Continually repressurising the system without finding the cause doesn’t resolve the underlying problem.

If the pressure keeps dropping, let us investigate it.

What if the problem isn’t actually the boiler?

Because Willis Heating works across complete plumbing and heating systems, we’re not limited to looking at the boiler in isolation.

Problems with circulation, radiators, valves, controls or other parts of the central heating system can sometimes produce symptoms that appear to be boiler related.

If we establish that the problem lies elsewhere, we can explain what’s needed and, in many cases, carry out the appropriate heating repair too.

[Find out about General Plumbing & Heating Services]

Repair or replace?

This is one of the most common questions when an older boiler breaks down.

There’s no single age at which a boiler automatically becomes uneconomical to repair.

We’ll look at the condition of the boiler, the fault and the likely repair cost. If repairing it gives you a reasonable prospect of continued service, that may be the right choice.

If you’re facing an expensive repair on a boiler that’s already unreliable or approaching the end of its useful life, replacement may make better financial sense.

We’ll explain both options where appropriate and leave the decision with you.

[Find out about Boiler Installation]

Could regular servicing help prevent boiler problems?

Annual servicing can’t guarantee that a boiler will never break down, but it gives an engineer an opportunity to inspect the boiler, check its operation and identify certain developing issues.

Regular servicing can also be important for maintaining a manufacturer’s guarantee.

If your boiler hasn’t been serviced recently, or you’d like Willis Heating to look after it each year, find out more about our servicing.

[Find out about Boiler Servicing]

Gas Safe Registered Boiler Engineers

Repairs involving a gas boiler should only be undertaken by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.

Willis Heating’s engineers have the training and experience required to diagnose and repair domestic boilers safely and professionally.

Boiler Repairs across Seaford and the surrounding area

Our engineers provide boiler repairs throughout:

• Seaford
• Newhaven
• Peacehaven
• Lewes

We also work outside these core areas, so if you’re in Eastbourne, Brighton or elsewhere nearby, please contact us to see if we can help.

Having problems with your boiler?

You don’t need to know what’s wrong before contacting us.

Tell us what the boiler is doing, any fault code you’ve seen and when the problem started. We’ll take it from there.

Call Willis Heating or get in touch online to arrange a boiler repair.