A boiler breakdown, where the boiler has stopped working entirely rather than showing a minor issue, is understandably stressful, particularly in colder months. We attend boiler breakdowns across Cheam and Sutton, with engineers who are Gas Safe registered to work safely on gas appliances.
Breakdowns can range from a boiler that will not fire up at all to one that has locked out and refuses to reset. Emergency call-out availability may vary depending on engineer availability, so contact us and we will advise on availability and the quickest response we can provide, rather than promising a specific arrival time.
While you wait, there are some safe checks worth carrying out, covered below, that occasionally resolve a breakdown or at least help the engineer diagnose it faster.
What can cause a total boiler breakdown
- Loss of power to the boiler, including a tripped fuse or switch
- Low boiler pressure causing a lockout
- Ignition or gas supply faults
- A failed printed circuit board or major component
- Frozen condensate pipe in cold weather
Safe checks before we arrive
A few checks are safe to carry out yourself and can sometimes get your boiler going again.
Check the power and fuse
Confirm the boiler's isolation switch is on and check whether a fuse or circuit breaker has tripped.
Check the pressure gauge
If pressure has dropped below the normal range shown on the boiler, this is a common cause of lockouts. Repressurising via the filling loop, if you know how to do so safely, may resolve it.
Check for a frozen condensate pipe
In very cold weather, the external condensate pipe can freeze and block, which many boilers will show as a specific fault code.
What our engineers do on a breakdown call
An engineer will identify the specific fault, explain what caused it where possible, and carry out a repair on the visit if parts are available on the van, or explain what needs to be ordered if not.
How charging works
There is no call-out charge and no separate emergency premium fee. Work is charged by time depending on when the visit takes place, plus parts. See /our-rates for current rates.
