The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Low Boiler Pressure and Boiler Repair

During the cold winter months, boilers play an important role in keeping your home clean, safe, and cozy. Issues with hot water supply can have a big impact, not just on your levels of comfort and quality of life, but even on your hygiene, sanitation, and health as well.

Low boiler pressure can affect the capacity of your boiler to heat and distribute water. Read on to find out what https://247boilerrepairman.co.uk/ has to say about low boiler pressure, and everything you need to know about this problem.

Why is boiler pressure important?

You need to make sure that your boiler system is working properly and that the pressure levels are just right because it’s what keeps the hot water flowing around your home. As water becomes hot, it expands and takes up more space. A faulty pressure gauge is problematic because you cannot determine whether your water is heating up, or if it’s reaching all the water sources it is connected to. In the long run, issues with boiler pressure can affect the performance of your boiler as a whole.

Where can I find the boiler pressure gauge?

For most combination and traditional boilers, the pressure gauge can be fond on the front of the equipment or behind a control panel. However, if you have an older boiler system, then it may be underneath, as part of the pipework. If you have a copy of your instruction manual, it is best to refer to it so that you know exactly where to look.

What is the ideal pressure reading for my boiler?

Look for a dial that shows a scale from zero to four, with the word “bar” in print. This is what the boiler gauge looks like and bar is the unit that is used to measure pressure. If your boiler is cold, then the gauge should fall somewhere between the digits 1 and 1.5. The optimal pressure is likely to be 1.3, but consult your manual to verify this.

When your boiler is warming up, the pressure should increase gradually. Once it finally starts generating hot water, the boiler pressure will reflect a 0.3 to 0.5 bar increase. As a result, your boiler gauge should probably fall between 1.8 and 2 bar.

My boiler keeps losing pressure!

If you own a modern boiler system, the good news is that they do not need a lot of attention. It may only require an annual maintenance check at most. One way to tell if the boiler pressure is correct is be checking the temperature of the water in your home. 

A sudden drop in pressure is a sign that there is a leak in the system. Check the base of your boiler for small drops of water. This is the most obvious sign that something is wrong. In addition, you could also check for damp patches along the pipework because you may be experiencing a problem with the pipes as well.

Once your boiler pressure starts dropping below 0.5 bars, you need to act quickly. At this point, you are at risk of being locked out of your system. This means that your boiler may stop working and will need to be reset. 

As is with most cases, it is easier and cheaper to be proactive than reactive.So here’s a quick list of steps you can take to try and remedy the situation yourself, before consulting a professional.

1. Try resetting the boiler, which is really just turning it off and switching it on again. All boilers have a reset button for this purpose. Its exact location differs from one model to another, so make sure you consult the manual.
2. Look for the control panel and try pulling down the cover flap. There, you may find instructions on how to re-pressurize your boiler. If it looks like a complicated process or you need to use tools to remove the control panel, then it’s best to leave this step to an engineer.

In general, repressurizing entails adding more water to the system through the filling loop. Here’s an overview of the entire process. Keep in mind that there may be extra steps, depending on the model and make of your boiler.

First, switch off your boiler and give it time to cool down. Check and ensure that both ends of the filling tube have been attached securely before you open both valves. This allows cold mains water to enter the system and it will make an audible running sound.

Wait until the gauge registers 1.5 bar before closing the valves. From here, turn the boiler on and press the reset button. You can now remove the filling loop.