Heating Hot Water Boilers Tips for Troubleshooting

These easy to understand troubleshooting tips are for common issues that any homeowner can check before making an appointment for service or repairs and to help understand what may be wrong. Please do not perform these tips if you are not comfortable performing them. Electricity is dangerous and can cause serious injury or death, always assume electrical power is on unless you have checked it with an appropriate electrical meter. Ameri-Serv, Inc. assumes no liability for the use of the information provided on this website. Before beginning please read the following article. Understanding Electrical Circuits and Standard Household Voltages


Checking your Control Thermostat

    * Is the thermostat's system selector switch in the "heat" position if applicable?
    * Is the thermostat's temperature set point at least three degrees higher than the temperature inside?
    * Is your thermostat electronic? Some electronic  thermostats operate from batteries and if they are okay the LCD display should be visible. Many times if the LED display is not visible this may also indicated that the power to the boiler is off (see below). If you think you have a thermostat that runs off of batteries you can usually change the batteries by carefully removing the thermostat from the wall mount as the batteries are generally located inside the thermostat.
   
Checking your Power or Electrical

    * Your boiler system may have a power switch. In most homes in the power switch looks just like a regular light switch or is a control switch on the boiler itself and is generally located right on or beside the boiler. Make sure the switch is on as indicated above.
    * Some boiler systems have another hidden switch that shuts off your boiler if the front service panel. Make sure all the service panels are on and secure.
   * If the boiler still does not operate check to see if any electrical panel circuit breakers are tripped. Usually if a circuit breaker has tripped it will not be fully in the "on" position. To reset the circuit breaker turn it off all the way and then back on.
   * Almost all heating hot water Boilers have circulating pump, the pump is normally powered by the same circuit as the boiler, check to make sure this pump turns on upon a call for heat as this is the first thing that must happen before the boiler can operate.


Checking your Gas Boiler Ignition

   * If your boiler system is an older gas boiler (usually 10 plus years old) it may have a standing pilot light like a water heater, if this is the case carefully follow the instructions on the boiler to light the pilot.
    * Some models have an intermittent pilot light and you can usually hear the system try to light the pilot flame with a spark (makes several clicking sounds).
    * Most newer boiler systems these days have a hot surface ignitor which will glow red hot when the system is trying to light the main burner flames. The hot surface ignitor looks like a very small electric oven heating element and they are fragile and easily crack and break over time.

In all cases if your boiler fails to light the pilot, the pilot will not stay lit or the main burner flame does not ignite you should shut off your boiler and contact a qualified service company to inspect your system. If you smell gas open an outside door and/or windows and exit the area immediately.


Other Common Gas Boiler Issues

    * Is the boiler full of water, many boilers have safety switches that will turn off the boiler if it is low on water.
   
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