Your gas heating
If your heating isn’t working properly and if it’s something simple, you might be able to fix it yourself, rather than having to wait for an engineer to come to you. Take a look at our helpful hints and tips below:
If you’re not sure or do not feel confident fixing the problem yourself, please contact us.
What seems to be the problem?
You only need to do this if the boiler is displaying a fault code or if the reset button is flashing red.
What to do:
- Press the reset button for 5 seconds (See pictures below of common boiler types to help you find the right button)
- Repeat the process 4 – 5 times
- If the problem persists, please contact us by phone and we’ll send someone out to take a look for you
Worcester Combi & System Reset Button (Press & hold button for 5 seconds).
Worcester Regular (Heat Only) boiler Reset Dial (Turn dial to the reset position for 5 seconds, then turn back to original position, blue light will stop flashing and go solid)
Ideal Combi boiler Reset Dial (Turn the Mode dial to the Restart position and hold for 5 Seconds, release the dial and return to original position, the boiler will go into its start-up process and display 0)
If your radiators aren’t working, there are a few things you can try:
- Turn on your heating and set it to the highest heat setting on the thermostat. Make sure the radiator valves are also at maximum
(turned as far anti-clockwise as they will go). - Check each radiator and see if they’re getting hot.
- If they’re getting hot at the bottom and not at the top, there is too much air trapped in the system and you need to bleed your radiator. Bleeding the radiator releases the air and allows the hot water to fill the whole system and increase the heat it can radiate into the room.
Bleeding a radiator
- You will need a radiator key, available from most DIY shops.
- Turn off the heating system.
- You will need a cloth and bucket or bowl.
Step by step instructions
- The bleed valve is the smallest square nut at the top of the radiator.
- Place the key over the valve and have a cloth ready to catch any water.
- Gently turn the key anti-clockwise. You will hear a hiss as the air is released.
- When the water starts to be released, turn the key back clockwise to shut off the valve.
- DO NOT unscrew the valve completely.
You've bled the radiators and there is still a problem
- Some radiators are getting hot and others aren’t, further investigation is required so please contact us.
- No radiators are getting hot they may be a problem with your main thermostat.
- Your radiators are all working but after about 15 minutes they’re still cold at the bottom, we’ll need to come and take a look so please get in touch.
If you’ve run out of credit, you’ll need to top up the meter and reset the boiler.
- Please go to your meter
- Ensure the Emergency Control Valve in the ON position
- If you have a pre-payment meter, please press the A button and wait for the display to come on (this screen will tell you what credit you have available, if you’ve used your emergency credit and if the meter is on or off)
- If you have no gas credit, please top it up, following the top up procedure instructions on the meter.
- Once gas credit has been restored, please go to your boiler and reset it.
Watch a video on topping up your pay as you go meter
If an issue persists, please contact us.
If your boiler or programmer are showing no display or lights, but you have power to other appliances it may be that a switch has been turned off, so following these steps should help:
- Go to the fused spur (this is usually either by the boiler or in the airing cupboard).
- If they look like the pictures they’re ON. If not, please switch them down
- If the fuse spurs are on but you still have no power, please go to your consumer unit (fuse board) and open the cover to see if any switches have tripped to the OFF position. Put them back to the ON position
- If the issue persists, please contact us.
Sometimes, the batteries on the thermostat fail, so you just need to replace them. You’ll know if the thermostats (all models) needs new batteries because the battery symbol will flash in the display.
Find out how to replace the batteries in your thermostat here.
If you need to repressurise your boiler please follow these steps:
1. Underneath your boiler you’ll find a filling loop.
2. With the boiler turned off, start to repressurise the boiler until the needle reaches between 1 and 1.5 (Don’t worry if you go too high, you can take the pressure away with bleeding the radiators).
If you bled the radiators, check the pressure gauge and see if it’s still between 1 and 1.5. If not, top it back up.
3. Turn the boiler back on.
4. If there’s still a fault code displayed, press the reset button to clear any faults.
5. Turn on your heating and check to see if your radiators start to get warm after a couple of minutes.
6. If you find you keep having to top up the pressure regularly then let us know.
Below are some videos on re-pressurising you boiler:
Watch the video on how to repressurise your Worcester Bosch system using the new Keyless Filling Link
Watch the video on how to repressurise a Worcester Bosch heating system with an External Filling Hose
Watch the video on how to repressurise an Ideal Boiler
Watch the video on how to repressurise a boiler with a flexible filling loop
Condensing boilers require a pipe to be fitted to carry away waste water that forms as a result of the normal condensing process. This is called the condensate pipe, it is normally plastic and runs from the boiler to a household drainage system or soakaway outside.
Watch a video on how to safely defrost your condensate pipe .
Energy theft is dangerous – it costs lives, causes injuries, and destroys homes every year.
Meter tampering (or meter cheating) involves altering or bypassing a meter, so it doesn’t record full energy usage. This might seem like a shortcut to just save money, but it poses enormous safety risks to everyone nearby.
- Gas meters: Damaging a gas meter can cause leaks, turning a room into a potential explosion. Even a small spark - like switching on a light, can ignite the gas, endangering everyone inside.
- Electricity meters: Tampering with an electricity meter can cause appliances to become live, leading to electric shocks, burns, fires, and overheating - putting everyone in the building at risk.
For more information on spotting gas and electrical meter tampering, please visit the Crimestoppers website .
If you suspect anyone of energy theft, you can report it anonymously by calling 0800 023 2777 or using the Stay Energy Safe online form and help prevent the risk of harm.
Gas safety
Keeping you safe in your home is a top priority for us. If you have an assured, secure or fixed term tenancy we have a legal duty to check all the gas appliances in your home every 12 months and give you a valid gas safety certificate. If you're a shared owner or leaseholder, you're responsible for these tests within your own home.
For more information visit our webpage on annual gas safety checks.
It's really important that you know where and how to turn off your gas in an emergency (it's usually located outside, where the gas pipes enter your property).
If you smell gas
- DO call 0800 111 999 immediately (the Gas Network Provider freephone number).
- DO put out naked flames (including cigarettes).
- DO open all doors and windows.
- DO shut off your gas supply at the meter.
- DON'T strike matches or light a cigarette.
- DON'T turn electrical switches on or off.