Taking a cold shower, washing dishes in cold water – these are not pleasant experiences. Your boiler was installed to make sure you have hot water when you need it, so if your boiler isn’t heating your water, it’s not doing much of anything. There are several different reasons why you might not be getting hot water from your boiler, so let’s start troubleshooting:
Turn it On
One of the most common solutions in tech support can help your boiler, too. No hot water? Your boiler might have no power. Check your circuit breaker and reset the circuit that runs to the boiler. If you have a fuse box, check to see whether or not the fuse needs to be replaced. Simple!
Be careful if your fuse keeps blowing or your breaker keeps flipping; it probably means there’s too much electrical load for your system.
Adjust Water Levels
This is a fairly unusual problem for boilers to have, but it does happen. Normally, there’s a pressure regulating valve that maintains water levels so your boiler can operate properly. When this valve isn’t functioning properly, you may end up with too little water in your tank, which can lead to little or no hot water flowing through your pipes. Those of you who have boilers with a pressure reducing valve may need to get the valve repaired. Those who don’t, can open the water feed valve until the pressure is appropriate (usually around 12 to 15 psi). Be careful not to overfill it.
Check the Thermostat
Mistakes happen, and it’s possible someone accidentally knocked your boiler’s thermostat into the off position. When that happens, the boiler doesn’t know to heat the water – this is a pretty easy fix. You might also opt to increase the temperature, but be very careful about this. Your boiler should still be producing hot water even at a lower temperature, and you don’t want to accidentally scald yourself.
Check the Ignition
There’s always the chance that your pilot light isn’t working – go ahead and relight it. Some boilers have electronic ignition, which isn’t an easy fix; if you think that’s the source of the problem, you’ll need a professional to check the ignition.
Flush the Boiler
Sediment can accumulate on your boiler’s heating element, which can reduce its capacity to heat water. Note that this won’t necessarily mean no hot water, but lukewarm or tepid water. You can flush your boiler to remove the sediment – your boiler should start functioning normally again.
These are just a few of the many reasons why your boiler might not be producing hot water. Some of the solutions are worth trying yourself if you’re comfortable with it. That said, boilers should not be tampered with aimlessly. When you’re not sure what you’re doing, call a professional. We do Winnipeg boiler repair, so when you need us, just call – we’ll be there quickly.