Central Heating Repair
Cold radiators, a boiler that keeps locking out, or pressure that drops overnight all have a cause, and finding it is the job. We diagnose and repair domestic heating systems for homes and rental properties across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex towns.
What's involved
Heating faults show up in a handful of familiar ways, and these are the areas we work through to find the cause.
Fault Diagnosis
Checking pressure, controls, the boiler and the pipework in order, so the repair addresses the cause and not just the symptom.
Boiler Faults and Lockouts
Ignition, pressure, sensor and diverter valve problems on domestic boilers, worked on under our Gas Safe registration.
Cold Radiators and Circulation
Bleeding, valve and pump work, and clearing sludge where poor flow is stopping heat reaching the far end of the house.
Controls, Leaks and Pressure Loss
Programmers, room thermostats and zone valves, plus tracing and repairing the weeping joints that pull system pressure down.
Finding the fault before changing the part
Most heating call outs start the same way: something has stopped working, and it is not obvious why. A radiator stays cold, the boiler fires and cuts straight back out, the pressure gauge is sitting on the floor again by Monday morning, or the hot water is fine while the heating is not. Each of those points at a different part of the system, so the first thing we do is work through it in order rather than reach for the most likely part.
That means checking the simple things first, because they are often the answer: the programmer and room thermostat settings, the batteries in a wireless stat, the system pressure, and whether the pump and zone valves are actually moving. From there we look at flow and return temperatures across the radiators, listen to the pump, and watch how the boiler behaves through a heating demand and a hot water demand.
A part swapped without a diagnosis is a repair you pay for twice.
What we isolate, remove and test
Once the fault is identified we isolate the section we need to work on rather than draining the whole system where that can be avoided. A single radiator or valve can usually be closed off at both ends and dropped out on its own. Boiler work means isolating the gas and electrical supplies, closing the flow and return valves, and draining only the appliance.
Faulty components come out and go with us. On boilers that is typically an expansion vessel that has lost its charge, a pressure relief valve weeping to the outside, a diverter valve that has stuck, or an ignition or flame sensing fault. On the system side it is more often a seized zone valve head, a failed pump, a corroded radiator valve, or an airlock in a badly run pipe.
Afterwards the system is refilled, vented and dosed with inhibitor if we have drained it down. We pressure test, run the boiler through a full cycle on both heating and hot water, and check the gas rate and combustion where we have worked on the gas side. We are Gas Safe registered for domestic gas work under registration 568345 and an accredited Vaillant installer, so Vaillant appliances are familiar ground alongside the other boilers common in homes around Brighton, Hove and Woodingdean.
More information
Faults we are called out for
- One or more radiators cold while the rest of the house is warm
- A boiler locking out, showing a fault code, or firing and cutting straight back out
- System pressure dropping and needing topping up again and again
- Hot water working while the heating does not, or the other way round
- Banging, kettling or gurgling from the boiler or the pipework
- A thermostat or programmer that no longer controls anything
Pressure that keeps dropping is telling you water is going somewhere; it is worth finding out where.
Repair or replace
Not every fault is worth fixing. If a boiler is old, parts are getting hard to come by, or the cost of the repair is creeping toward a large share of a replacement, we will tell you that plainly and let you decide. Equally, plenty of systems that feel finished only need a single component and a proper clean of the water inside them.
We are based in Woodingdean and cover Brighton, Hove, Worthing, Lewes, Shoreham-by-Sea, Haywards Heath, Seaford, Burgess Hill and surrounding Sussex towns. Call 01273 911551 with the symptoms and any fault code showing on the boiler, and we will take it from there.
Worth considering
Smart Thermostat Installation
Smart thermostat fitting for homes in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, checked for wiring compatibility and set up ready to use.
Smart Thermostat Installation→Heating Controls Installation
Thermostats, programmers and smart heating controls supplied, fitted and set up for homes across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex towns.
Heating Controls Installation→Underfloor Heating Installation
Wet and electric underfloor heating installed neatly and tested properly, often alongside bathroom design and fit-outs.
Underfloor Heating Installation→Radiator Repair
Fixing cold, leaking or noisy radiators, from bleeding and valve repairs to flushing and full radiator replacement.
Radiator Repair→Radiator Valve Replacement
Seized, dripping or outdated radiator valves replaced and leak-tested, for homes across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex towns.
Radiator Valve Replacement→Underfloor Heating Repair
Diagnosis and repair of wet and electric underfloor heating systems, with minimal floor disruption, for homes across Brighton, Hove and Sussex.
Underfloor Heating Repair→Before you book
The things people usually want to know before we come out to a heating fault.
My heating has stopped working. What should I check first?
Why does my boiler keep losing pressure?
Only some of my radiators are cold. Is that a boiler fault?
Do you work on all makes of boiler?
Can you repair heating in a rental property?
Does a heating fault mean I need a new boiler?
How do I get a price for a heating repair?
Which areas do you cover?
Let's get your heating working again
Tell us what the system is doing and we'll work out what's behind it.
Call 01273 911551