There could be a range of reasons why a boiler appears not to have power and therefore does not operate. Whilst some issues are more complex and will be costly to fix, others may be simpler and therefore can be resolved by yourself.
This article will provide some troubleshooting tips to aid the investigation of why a boiler may not have power, and hopefully will help to get the heating system back up and running again.
However, if you are in any doubt in investigating the cause of no power to a boiler or are unsure with your findings it is highly recommended that a qualified heating engineer is called out.
Causes of No Power to a Boiler
There are a handful of common reasons of why a boiler doesn’t have power. To eliminate some of the basic issues, try the following:
- A tripped or broken fuse – Often following a power cut or power-surge, a safety mechanism with trip the fuse within the fuse box. The first check would be to see if the there is a switch down within the fuse box, and if so, following the instructions to safely turn the switches back on. If, following turning the switch back, the power trips again, the fuse may be broken or there could be another electric fault and therefore it is always best to call in a professional electrician.
- No Electric Supply – Another simple check is to establish if it is just the boiler that has lost power, or other household devices as well which would indicate that there is a power supply issue. In this instance it is also worth checking with neighbours to see if the local area is also in the same situation, and if so, checking if there are any notices posted on the website of the electricity network.In addition, if the property is fitted with a prepayment meter it would be sensible to check that the meter has credit applied to enable the system to work.
Grants & Government Funding
Did you know that there may be government assistance available to help with home improvements including free windows and boilers? The Eco Scheme is one such scheme operated by the government in conjunction with energy companies (commonly referred to as the big six).
You can read more about accessing this funding at Boiler Grants, along with the eligibility criteria.
The following matters are more complex and therefore for safety purposes would require a call out from a Gas Safe Registered heating engineer:
- Fault within the boiler’s Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
- A PCB is the boiler’s brain, located inside the boiler unit itself and as such, undertakes all of the communicating and controlling tasks between the electrical components. The PCB undertakes many functions including starting processes such as turning on the fan and igniting the boiler as well as running safety checks in the background, so that if a fault is detected the boiler will deliberately shutdown to minimise further damage to the boiler itself and protect the property.If the boiler diagnoses that there is a fault with the PCB, an error code may be shown within the display window of the unit. Error codes vary between different boiler makes and models and therefore it is recommended to check the boiler’s manual for the exact codes for your boiler.
If the display panel does not display anything at all, the PCB may have failed and therefore a Gas Safe engineer would need to be called out to investigate the matter.
If the PCB can be repaired the engineer will advise this and provide a quote, however often due to the time required to undertake a repair, a replacement part may be advised. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the part, PCBs are fairly expensive bits of kit and therefore the cost of a replacement part should be reviewed against the costs of purchasing a new boiler.
- Internal Boiler Fuse Fault – Similar to the problem we discussed earlier, fuses can blow following a power surge, however in this case we are talking about the fuse or fuses within the boiler unit itself. A blown fuse protects other boiler components from damage from a power surge however once blown, the fuse will require replacing by a qualified Gas Safe Registered heating engineer, who will also undertake the necessary tests to ensure that all parts are working safely.
- LED Fault – An LED fault could falsely indicate that the boiler has no power as the display does not light up. If the LED lights have failed, a professional can replace them which would be a fairly low-cost replacement part in comparison with the PCB for example.
How to Reset the Boiler
Following the matter being resolved either by yourself or by a professional heating engineer, the boiler will require to be reset. Most modern boilers have a simple, user-friendly reset button, however if there is any doubt always refer to the boiler’s manual for specific instructions.
Broken Boiler
If the no power issue was not a simple matter that could be resolved yourself, or by a reasonable quote form a Gas Safe Registered heating engineer, it may be worth considering a replacement.
It is commonly found that it is often more economical to replace the entire boiler rather than splashing out on expensive parts for an aging boiler. A new boiler will not only provide energy savings equal to replacing to windows but will also give peace of mind that you are fairly protected from breakdowns in the immediate future due to the warranty supplied with a new boiler.
There are many methods of purchasing a boiler these days, either online, via large heating companies or by local suppliers, however it is essential that a new boiler is fitted by a Gas Safe Registered heating engineer.
Summary
During this article we have explored a number of reasons that can result in a boiler not having or appearing to not have any power. As mentioned, a few of the possible causes can be simply checked and troubleshooted, whereas others require the assistance of a Gas Safe Registered heating engineer.
Where the fault is with a large or expensive part within an aging boiler, it may be worth considering purchasing a replacement boiler for both the benefit from the energy savings provided with a modern boiler and the peace of mind of the cover from a new warranty.