Your alarm goes off early in the morning and it’s still dark out. It’s time to get up, but the house is cold and the water is freezing. Disaster! Winter is the absolute worst time for your boiler to fail. The cold weather brings with it potential problems that can arise with your boiler and heating. Here we have a look at the most common boiler problems that reveal themselves as the weather turns colder and the dark nights draw in.

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Frozen pipes

Whether you have a System, a Regular or a Combi boiler, each has a condensate pipe that goes outside of the house, usually to a drain. This pipe sloughs away the waste acidic water product from the gas. Because they go outside, these pipes can freeze, and bring the whole heating system to a stop. You can easily thaw these pipes should they freeze. Being careful, you can thaw them using a hot water bottle, a warm cloth or warm water – never boiling – poured over the frozen spot.

Pilot light keeps going out

Your pilot light might go out at any time during the year. But over the winter and with the near constant use of our boilers, it is more likely to go out during the colder months. The cause is usually an issue with the ignition system, a build-up of material on the pilot light itself, or an issue with the gas supply. You can reignite the pilot light yourself, but you should always check for gas. If your other gas appliances are not working, it could be a problem with the gas supply. In this case, always ask your local Bristol boiler service to help you.

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Cold radiators

You’ve fired up the boiler, it’s whirring happily away, but the radiators are not getting hot. The chances are they simply need bleeding to remove any excess air in the system. It’s easy to bleed your radiators by yourself, but if you don’t feel confident, always give your local engineers a call. Companies like bristolboilerservice.co.uk/bristol-boilers/boiler-service-bristol will always be able to help.

So stay warm and cosy this winter. Check your boiler and heating system is working, and keep an eye on any changes, and always call an engineer if you are unsure.