Is your boiler working but no hot water is coming out of your taps? Having no hot water can be a major problem – after all, nobody wants to have a cold shower. This is especially the case if it occurs during the winter months when it’s so cold, or if you have young children or elderly relatives in the house.
There are several reasons why your boiler may be working but there’s no hot water. Luckily, some of the causes can be easily rectified. The key is to know which checks you can carry out yourself and when it’s time to call in a team of professional heating engineers to resolve the issues. Some problem can be solved very simply on your own, but many others will need professional assistance.
With this in mind, here we take a look at why your hot water is not hot and examine what you can do about it in an expert guide.
Do You Have Water, Gas And Electricity?
The very first step is to check whether one of the simple causes could be to blame. Before you check anything else, first make sure your boiler really is working. Sometimes, you may think that the boiler is functioning properly, but it isn’t. Start by looking at its control panel. If the display is a digital one and there is no display at all, it’s possible that a power cut has knocked out the power to your boiler.
This would explain why your hot water is not hot. You can easily check whether your electricity is working by switching on some power sockets or light switches to confirm whether a power supply problem exists. Another important check to carry out is whether the fuses inside your fuse box are in the right position and that none have tripped.
You should also check whether you have water and gas. Again, these are easy checks that you can carry out yourself. Just try running your tap for a while to ensure that your water supply is functioning properly. If the water to your home is currently not running, your boiler won’t be able to function properly. Next, check the gas supply to another appliance such as your fire or cooker. If they are functioning properly, then you don’t have a problem with your utilities and it’s time to move onto the next thing.
Are There Any Fault Codes?
Lots of boiler issues cause a fault code to be displayed on your boiler’s control panel. Should you have an operator’s manual to hand, you should check the fault codes printed in it. This will help you to identify the cause of the problem. Depending on the type of your boiler, you may be able to find a fault code tool for your brand online.
Remember, though, that fault codes will vary between different boiler types. If you have no way of checking what the fault code means, give our engineering team a call. We can determine the cause of your boiler fault and rectify the problem.
Check The Settings Of Your Boiler
If you’ve checked the above two steps and you still have no heating and no hot water, it’s time to check your boiler settings. Boilers have separate controls which turn on the hot water and the heating. It’s possible your heating or your hot water might have been turned off by accident or that you’ve inadvertently changed the setting.
Check Your Timer
Lots of boilers have a timer that is used to control your hot water. If the timer of your boiler controls the hot water production this could be the source of your problem. It’s possible that the time has been affected if the power supply has gone out, if the back-up battery has failed, if someone has altered the setting, or if the clocks have changed. Adjusting the timer is a simple fix and could easily restore your hot water.
Check Your Thermostat
The temperature of your heating is usually controlled with a thermostat, which is usually a manual dial that is mounted on a wall in your hall or living area. A newer boiler may have a digital thermostat. Whatever type of thermostat you have, it’s important to check that it hasn’t accidentally been turned to off.
Make sure that timer is set to active then adjust the thermostat up to a high temperature. This should make the boiler fire up. If it doesn’t your thermostat could be the source of the problem. If you discover this is the issue, contact our team today – we can help resolve your thermostat issues and help restore your hot water.
Check Your Diverter Valve
When you’ve carried out all of the tests above and you still haven’t found out why you have no hot water, it could be that you have an issue with your system’s diverter valve. This valve closes and opens to supply heat to your water or heat to your radiators. If you’ve found that your heating still works but your hot water doesn’t or vice versa, it’s likely that your diverter valve is stuck. Contact our friendly team of Gas Safe Engineers straight away. We can resolve issues with a diverter valve and restore your heating or your hot water supply.
Is The Problem Something Else?
If you’ve found your boiler is working but you have no hot water and you’ve checked all of the things above and found no problem, you should give us a call today. As a team of qualified and skilled heating engineers, we can examine your system and boiler and determine the source of the problem. We can then repair your system or recommend a replacement if necessary so you can enjoy the benefits of hot water and a warm home once more.
