Oil Boiler – Breakdown
Checks to carry out in the event of an oil fired boiler breakdown.
Do you have power to the boiler?
If not, please can you check that the fuse is switched on.
Have you got a token meter for electricity?
There needs to be approximately £2.00 on your meter to fire the boiler.
Is there a pilot light displayed?
Oil boilers have an electronic ignition system – if there is no pilot light displayed try to reset the button in order to re-start the boiler. (On some models this button is known as a limit button).
Are there any illuminated buttons on the boiler panel, for example the ‘Lock Out’
button?
This can indicate a possible fault with the burner itself or could be caused by the oil tank running dry.
Have you checked the oil level ?
When the tank has run out of oil this causes the boiler to ‘lock out’, which in turn can cause an air lock from the fuel line to the boiler. Try re-setting the boiler in order to clear the blockage, if this doesn’t work you will need to call us as the fuel nozzle and burner will need to be removed in order to clear the air lock. Please note: this may be charged back to you.
What reading is the pressure gauge currently registering at?
This should read around 1 bar when cold.
Is your clock timer set correctly?
Have the clocks changed recently? The timer may be out by an hour.
Is you thermostat set correctly?
The heating could switch off if the thermostat is situated in a warm room. Have you tried turning the thermostat up?
If you have completed the key checks and your hot water or heating is still not working, please call us on 020 8801 1117 and have the following information ready before you call:
Do you have an immersion heater?
Do you have any other form of heating available, for example an electric fire?
In the event that you can smell oil in your property, turn the boiler off, open the
windows for ventilation (if necessary) and call us on the number above.
A smell of oil in the property indicates that there is something wrong with the boiler which could be caused by any number of faults in or around the boiler.
If you are uncomfortable about carrying out any of the checks suggested above, or have an concerns about any of the services in your home, please call us. We are here to help.