heating not working

[ladybird69]

hi my gch isn't working. the boiler is on and hot water is fine. someone told me to run a tap last year and it worked but that trick doesn't seem to be working. any other ideas before I have to call plumber out (I'm beyond skint)
tia

What pressure is the gauge at? You might need to repressurise it.

What kind of boiler do you have?

Find the heating pipes that lead from your boiler/hot water cylinder. Are they hot at all? Hot half way? Might be a blockage you see. If they're hot halfway, bang with a hammer at that point - might be a build up of silt in there and if you bang them, it moves it, and then the hot water can flow round your radiators again... If not hot at all, try banging at the start of the pipe system if that makes sense to see if you can dislodge anything. I did this once years ago and it worked.

Worth a try anyway before you call a plumber.

Could thermostat have been turned down? Turn it up and see if boiler clicks on. Could try bleeding the air out of the radiators? In sure a plumber did something to mine along the lines of turn all upstairs rads off and force through an airlock (or something)...
If nothing's doing then it could be the pump since all the other bits are working.

thanks alicemalice where would I find the pressure gauge? on the boiler?

Yes it will show on front of the boiler. It should be around 1.5 but may have dropped. If it drops really low, sometimes the heating won't fire up.

The thermostat also a good check.

I just had to increase the pressure on mine today ask was below one. Rads all roasting now

Though none working sounds a bit suspect

Have you tried bleeding your radiators?

oh wow thanks for replies. I've played around with thermostat and can't hear it click the pipes are cold all the way up and down. I'd be frightened to hit it with a hammer could just imagine if I had a leak too. the boiler is a glo worm space saver looks like its original so 1979!
I'm not cold but house is beginning to feel damp with all the rain.

off to look at pressure gauge

brb

Is it a boiler with separate hot water tank?

Could be the pump. I had to replace several over the years due to my ancient heating system being installed backwards, so the pumps were always upside down. They only ever lasted 2 years tops. My boiler was from 1974 and a Gloworm, probably similar to yours.
I finally took advantage of a free boiler scheme and got a new one last December. It's great.
If your water is hot the fault is likely to be the heating rather than the actual boiler. It's also going to be a plumber job unless you're very handy with spanners. You could try bleeding the radiators but if they're all cold the problem is likely to be further up the system.

looked at boiler all I can see is a dial saying max which I'm taking is the hot water. but I heard a dripping sound and I've found a leak in the garage right underneath the bathroom so could that cause the heating not kicking in? (big stain and dripping for a while I should think )
unfortunately im disabled so I can't bend/kneel to bleed rads.

Yes, a leak can make the pressure drop.

You need to fix the leak first. Maybe you do need a plumber after all.

Harriet what was that boiler scheme pls?
I think it's dead
the rads are decades old too and there is low water pressure in first floor.
anyone got any wine

oh crap
thanks tho AM

start looking into all the heating grants available see if you qualify, I think they relate to income benefits and who is in the family?

thanks Random I'll contact my local benefits office on Monday and see if they can help point me in the right direction and my friend just said maybe house insurance can help with the leak? thanks.

Hi ladybird. Go onto npower.com, Home energy saving schemes. Check my eligibility. This scheme is basically for low income families and also people that qualify for government benefits. I don't know if you fall into this category but worth a try for you.
I've just had a new boiler installed through npower. The whole process took six weeks and was thorough, painless and the work was carried out to the highest standard.

There are four main stages:
You do the online eligibility questionnaire
They send an independent company to check the energy efficiency within your house (boiler, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation etc) and your benefit documentation and mortgage papers. You then receive a letter detailing the findings of the visit and advisory info.
They then arrange for an inspection of required work. Guy comes round, checks everything out, says what he recommends and reports back to npower.
Npower advise you what you have to contribute financially, if anything and arrange an installation date.

Hope this helps you. Good luck.

What kind of thermostat do you have for the boiler? Is it a remote control thing on the wall? The batteries needed replacing in ours and the heating wouldn't come on until we did it