No Hot Water? - What to Check

If you're like most homeowners, you rely on hot water to complete a variety of daily tasks, from taking a shower to doing the dishes. When your hot water suddenly stops working, it can be extremely inconvenient. Here are a few things you can check before calling a gas engineer to see if the problem is with your boiler. 

If you need a Gas Safe registered heating engineer in Canterbury, Dover, or Folkestone, call VFR Plumbing, Heating & Gas at 07957479456. Our gas engineers provide boiler and heating repairs throughout Kent, including Canterbury, Dover, and Folkestone.

What is causes hot water to stop working?

Hot water problems can be caused by a variety of factors, the most common of which is a boiler malfunction. The first thing to double-check is that your boiler system is working properly. 

If your boiler is not working properly, the boiler's display will display a boiler error code. Because each code corresponds to a different boiler fault, it is critical to cross-reference the code with the manual for your boiler. The majority of boiler faults should always be handled by a Gas Safe engineer.

Is your gas, electricity, or water supply disrupted? 

The most obvious cause of a lack of hot water is if the power or water supply to your boiler is disconnected. Whether you have a gas or electric boiler, it is critical that the correct fuel, as well as water from the mains or a separate storage tank, is always supplied to the system. 

It is common for the connection to these sources to be disconnected by accident or to fail during a power outage. If you are confident that the connection to your boiler system is secure, check the supply to your other household appliances; your home may be experiencing a brief power outage. If the hot water problems persist, get in touch with our gas engineers.

A common cause of a lack of hot water is a power outage. Check the boiler display; if it is not turned on, a power outage has most likely turned off your boiler settings. Check your main fuse box and turn on the boiler switch to resolve this issue.

Is there a problem with your water pressure?

The operation of a boiler is dependent on boiler pressure. For the appliance to work properly, the system pressure must be sufficient. This enables the system to heat water from the mains; if the pressure drops too low or rises too high, the system will automatically shut down, preventing any hot water from being distributed throughout the house. 

Check your boiler's pressure gauge to see if it is at the recommended level. Modern boilers will also display an error code to indicate a pressure-related problem on occasion.

Is your pilot light not working properly? 

A gas boiler's pilot light going out is a common cause for it to stop heating water. A pilot light, which was traditionally found on older appliances, is a small flame used in gas boiler systems to ignite the gas burner. Some boilers allow you to see the pilot light without removing the casing, whereas others use an electronic display to indicate whether or not the pilot light is on. 

If your pilot light has gone out, safely restart the system by following the instructions in your boiler manual. If you follow the instructions exactly and the flame still does not light, contact a gas engineer to look into it further. It's possible that an internal component needs to be replaced.

The majority of modern appliances do not have a pilot light; instead, an electronic ignition system is used to light the gas when it is required. Pilot lights are commonly found on older appliances, typically those older than 20 years. 

Do you require the assistance of a qualified heating or gas engineer? In Canterbury, Dover, and Folkestone, our gas safe engineers repair a wide range of boilers and heating systems. Please call us at 07957479456 or use our contact form to get in touch.