When your heating system fails unexpectedly, the first thought is often panic. But it can be helpful to work out if this a true heating emergency, a safety risk, or a super simple fix. Use this essential guide to get clued up so you can quickly define the threat and protect your home.
Life-threatening: Call the authorities first
These situations are non-negotiable emergencies. You must prioritise the safety of your household before seeking repair.
- Suspected gas leak: If you smell gas (often described as rotten eggs or sulphur), this is a critical emergency. Natural gas is highly explosive.
- Immediate action: Evacuate the property immediately. Do not use light switches, light a match, or use a mobile phone until you are outside. Call the National Gas Emergency Service (0800 111 999 in the UK) from a safe location.
- Carbon monoxide (CO) alarm: Carbon monoxide is an odourless, tasteless, and invisible gas produced by faulty combustion. If your CO detector sounds, this is a life-threatening scenario.
- Immediate action: Evacuate the property immediately. Seek medical attention for anyone experiencing symptoms like headaches, dizziness, or nausea. Once safe, contact an emergency Gas Safe registered engineer.
True property or health emergencies (call a 24-hour engineer)
These problems require an immediate response from an engineer because they pose a direct, significant risk to your property or the health of the occupants.
1. The boiler leak emergency
A slow drip can potentially wait, but a severe leak needs immediate attention from a professional. This is a true boiler leak emergency if:
- It’s a major or rapid leak: If your boiler is gushing water or leaking at a fast, continuous rate that risks flooding your home and causing extensive water damage.
- Water is near electrics: Any leak where water is running onto or near the boiler’s internal wiring or electrical components must be treated as critical due to the risk of fire or short-circuiting.
2. Complete heating failure in cold weather
A total loss of heating and hot water becomes an emergency based on external factors:
- Freezing temperatures: If your boiler completely fails to provide heat during freezing or near-freezing weather, an immediate call is necessary. This prevents pipes from freezing and bursting—a costly and destructive event.
- Vulnerable occupants: If the house includes infants, elderly people, or those with underlying health conditions, loss of heating is a significant health risk and warrants an emergency call, regardless of outside temperature.
3. Electrical issues
If you see sparks, smell burning, or the boiler is tripping your home’s main fuse box, turn the power off at the isolation switch immediately and call an emergency engineer. This indicates a serious internal electrical fault.
Urgent, but not always emergency
For these issues, assess whether you can safely wait until the morning or the next working day:
- No hot water emergency call out (heating still works): If your heating is working fine but no hot water emergency call out is generally not required, especially in mild weather. While inconvenient, it may not be an emergency.
- Low boiler pressure: If the boiler pressure gauge drops below 1 bar, it will eventually stop working. However, homeowners can often repressurise the system themselves. If the pressure drops continually, it suggests a small leak that requires urgent investigation.
- Strange noises: Banging, rumbling, or gurgling sounds (often called kettling) indicate a serious problem, like sludge or limescale buildup. While this needs fixing urgently to prevent long-term damage, it does not usually require an immediate, middle-of-the-night call.
Essential boiler breakdown advice: Your immediate action plan
To manage the situation safely and efficiently before an engineer arrives:
- Check the obvious: Before calling for help, ensure the gas supply is on, the electrical switch is flipped, and your thermostat is set correctly.
- Note the code: Write down any error or fault code displayed on the boiler’s screen. This is the single most useful piece of information you can provide to the engineer.
- Shut it down: If you have a leak or suspect an electrical issue, turn the boiler off at the isolation switch and turn off the water supply valve.
- Stay safe: Always ensure that any engineer attending your property is registered with the Gas Safe Register (or OFTEC for oil boilers). Never allow an unregistered tradesperson to work on your gas appliance.
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