Like so much of the country, we’re snowed under right now!

Because of the weather conditions we are receiving a huge volume of calls and our engineers are in high demand. And like so many other people on the road, our engineers are struggling to get to some parts of Oxfordshire.

We are trying to provide you with the same service as usual, but we are prioritising people who have no heating and hot water. We have also implemented additional measures to try and help.

If your boiler has shut down and is showing error code, then your condensate pipe may be frozen. 

Please follow these steps to get your boiler up and running again: 

1. Switch your boiler off at the control panel, and turn off the electricity at the wall. 
2. Find where the pipe is frozen, usually the most exposed part of the pipe. 
3. Warm the condensate pipe across its exposed length using either a hot water bottle, a microwaveable heat pack or warm water poured from a watering can. Do not use boiling water straight from the kettle as this could damage the pipe. 
4. Turn the power back on at the wall and restart your boiler. Repeat the process until the boiler works again. 

Service Your Heating System / Power Flushing

 

Heating on but house still FREEZING?

 

A BOILER that takes hours to warm up could mean you need to get it serviced. The problem is often caused by a build up of dirty water and sludge, which causes a blockage in the heating system.

 

• An inefficient boiler is a sign you need to get a plumber to do a service, or even replace your model.
• This is because it points to a blockage in the system, caused by dirty water or sludge.
• If your boiler makes strange clunking noises, it is another sign your boiler urgently needs repair.

 

If your boiler takes forever to heat up, or else it never gets properly warm, it could point to a blockage in the system.

Over time, central heating systems may get blockages in the pipes, for instance from dirty water or sludge.

Sometimes, a radiator fails to get warm because of an airlock in the central heating system, or else a fault with the thermostatic radiator valve.

However, another common cause is a partial blockage in the system which affects it.

Signs of a blockage include some radiators failing to heat up at all, or radiators which have a warm top and a cold bottom.

Another sign you need a boiler service or even a new boiler to be installed includes strange sounds.

If your boiler is making a loud banging sound regularly (and not just when you turn up the thermostat) this spells trouble.

It could mean any number of boiler issues, from a broken valve to heat pump problems.

The first step to take is to turn off the boiler if you hear these strange sounds.

Then, call out an engineer to fix your boiler or advise on whether it needs a replacement.