No Heating in Preston? 9 Checks to Try Before You Pay a Call-Out Fee
Waking up to a freezing house in the middle of a Lancashire winter is stressful, especially when the hot water has stopped working, too. If you live in Preston, Chorley, Leyland, or the surrounding villages, you know how quickly our homes get cold once the heating goes off.
But before you panic and search for an “emergency plumber near me,” there are a few safe checks you can try yourself.
Many boiler breakdowns in our area are caused by simple issues, like a frozen pipe or a tripped switch, that can be fixed in minutes without tools. Below are 9 checks you can safely do at home before calling a Gas Safe engineer.
1. Check Your Thermostat Settings
It sounds obvious, but this is the most common reason for “no heating” calls we receive in Preston and Fulwood.
- Is it actually on? Check the display hasn’t gone blank.
- Is the target temperature high enough? It must be set higher than the current room temperature to fire the boiler.
- Check the batteries: If you have a wireless thermostat (like a Hive, Nest, or Honeywell) common in newer homes in Buckshaw Village, the batteries may have died. Swap them out and see if the signal reconnects.
2. Look at the Boiler Pressure
Low pressure is a classic reason for boilers to stop working. Most modern combi boilers (like Worcester Bosch, Baxi, or Ideal) need to sit between 1.0 and 1.5 bar when cold.
How to check:
- Look at the gauge on the front of the boiler.
- If it is below 1.0 bar (in the red zone), your boiler may have “locked out” as a safety precaution.
- Locate the filling loop (usually a silver braid under the boiler) and slowly top it up to 1.2 bar.
- Important: Close the valves fully once done!
Tip: If you find yourself topping up the pressure every week, you likely have a leak in your system.
3. Has the Boiler Lost Power?
If the boiler display is completely blank, it’s usually an electrical issue rather than a gas fault.
- Check the main boiler switch on the wall (often a fused spur).
- Check your fuse box (consumer unit) to see if a switch has tripped.
- If you are on a prepay electric meter, ensure you have credit!
4. Try a Boiler Reset (Once Only!)
Modern boilers are essentially computers, sometimes they just need a reboot.
- Locate the Reset button on the front panel (sometimes marked with a flame and a cross).
- Press and hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Wait to see if the boiler fires up.
Warning: Do not keep pressing reset repeatedly. If it locks out again immediately, there is a genuine fault inside the boiler. Resetting it too many times can damage the circuit board (a much more expensive repair!).
5. Check for a Frozen Condensate Pipe (Common in January!)
This is extremely common during cold snaps in Chorley and Leyland, especially if your boiler is installed in a garage or the white pipe runs outside.
- The Symptoms: Gurgling noises or a “gurgling” fault code.
- The Fix: Locate the white plastic pipe outside. If it feels solid, pour warm (NOT boiling) water over it to melt the ice block inside. Once thawed, reset the boiler.
6. Are Your Radiators Cold or Patchy?
If the boiler is making noise but the house is cold, check your radiators.
- Cold at the top? This is trapped air. You need to bleed the radiator with a key.
- Cold at the bottom? This usually indicates “sludge” (magnetite) buildup. In Preston, while we have soft water, sludge is still a major killer of boilers. If your radiators are cold at the bottom, your system may need a Powerflush or a chemical clean.
7. Check the Gas Supply
If you have a gas hob or gas fire, try lighting them.
- If the hob lights: You have gas, so the issue is with the boiler.
- If the hob won’t light: You have a supply issue.
- Prepayment Meters: We attend many homes where the gas card ran out of credit overnight. Check your meter display first, it’s free to check, but costs a call-out fee for us to tell you!
8. Look for Boiler Fault Codes
Don’t ignore the screen! Most boilers will display an error code (e.g., E119, F1, EA).
- Write down the code.
- Google the code + your boiler make (e.g., “Baxi E119”).
- This will tell you if it’s something simple (like low pressure) or something technical (like a fan failure).
9. Check Heating Zone Valves
If you have a system boiler (with a hot water cylinder/tank):
- Is the hot water working fine, but the heating is stone cold?
- This often points to a motorised valve stuck in the closed position.
- This is a mechanical failure and will require a professional repair.
When to Call a Gas Safe Engineer in Preston
If you’ve tried the 9 checks above and you still have no heating, you likely have a faulty part that needs replacing.
Stop troubleshooting and call immediately if:
- You smell gas (Call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111999).
- There is water leaking from the boiler.
- The boiler is making loud banging or whistling noises.
Need Fast Heating Help?
At Croston Plumbing & Heating, we specialize in boiler diagnostics and repair. We serve homeowners across Preston, Chorley, Leyland, Penwortham, and Bamber Bridge. We carry common parts for major brands in our vans to get you warm again as quickly as possible.
Stay warm, Lancashire!
