So, your heating and/or hot water don’t appear to be working and your Ideal Boiler is displaying a status fault code ‘0’. What exactly does it mean what can you do about it?
An Ideal Boiler Status 0 might be nothing to worry about. Your boiler might simply need a reset. But on the other hand, if you find your boiler needs to be reset frequently (or if resetting your boiler doesn’t fix the problem), it could be part of a bigger issue and time to call out a professional. Any fault not dealt with now could just be storing up bigger problems for the future. So, read on to discover what to do about Ideal Boiler Status 0.
What Does Ideal Boiler Status 0 Mean?
Ideal Boiler status 0 simply means the boiler is in standby mode and not receiving any demand for hot water or heating – it’s waiting to be ‘activated’. Demand for hot water or heating is received when your central heating system tells your boiler to heat up some water and power up those radiators. This usually happens via a room thermostat, a clock setting, or by simply switching it on manually. Status 0 means your boiler is not receiving any demand from your heating system.
But, what if there is demand? Or there should be demand? What if your heating and hot water should be activated according to your thermostat or timer?
Here are a few simple things you can check before you call out an engineer:
Is your boiler working?
The first thing to do is to check the boiler definitely is or isn’t working. Run the hot taps and manually switch on the heating. Wait an appropriate amount of time and see if anything heats up. If it doesn’t there’s an issue.
Have you accidently altered the clock?
Short power cuts and power outages happen quite often – sometimes without us even realising it especially if they happen when we’re at work or sleeping. Power going on and off will cause your timer to reset and mess with your timer settings, meaning you have no hot water when you think you should and vice versa!
Also, British Summer Time beginning or ending could have an effect on your timing. So, check your clock and settings are all working correctly.
Remember though, combi boilers provide hot water on demand, so clock or timer failure won’t affect them in the same way.
How’s the temperature?
Most boilers allow you to set distinct temperatures for heating and hot water. Human body temperature is around 37.5 degrees Centigrade, so any water set to significantly below that will actually feel pretty cold – especially in your bath or shower. So, check your water temperature hasn’t been accidentally altered and set to ‘chilly’. Consult your central heating user manual for instructions on how to set the correct temperature for your water.
Are your radiators switched on?
If you have hot water, but your radiators are cold, check that each one is switched on. It’s common practice to turn the knob to zero during the summer, and pretty easy to forget about! So, do a quick sweep of the house to make sure they are all switched on.
Is the temperature of your radiators consistent?
If your radiators are only partially warm – cold at the top, but hot at the bottom for example – your radiators could need bleeding. This means there is air trapped in the system stopping the hot water from circulating through the radiator properly. It’s a pretty simple job, but can get messy! So, lay down an old towel, grab your radiator key and go slowly. You might need to reset the pressure inside your system after you have bled any radiators, so refer to your owner’s manual for how to do this.
Is your thermostat working and set correctly?
Your thermostat needs to be set at the correct temperature in order to send a ‘demand’ for heating to your boiler. Setting it too low, will fail to activate the heating as the temperature in the room never gets below the activation point.
Again, over summer, many people turn their thermostat down, so check your temperature settings. If your temperature is set correctly and you still have no heating, you could need a new thermostat rather than a new boiler.
Did your system crash?
Like most electronics these days, your boiler is controlled by a tiny computer (or PCB), which sends signals to the electronic elements of the boiler to complete their functions. And just like most computers, it sometimes crashes! There is no ‘ctrl-alt-delete’ on your boiler, but there is a reset button. Sometimes, just a quick reboot is all it needs to iron out any issues. Check your manual for the correct reset procedure for your model or boiler.
What Next?
If you’ve tried everything that is safe for you try, and you still have an Ideal Boiler Status 0 issue, it is time to call in the professionals. Remember, you should never attempt to fix any serious issues with a boiler or any other gas appliance yourself – a Gas Safe Heating Engineer is the only person qualified and legally allowed to do so. Rowlen is capable of solving the issue for you with a call out, and we can attend any property in London and Surrey too – just get in touch.
