Boiler repair in Perry Barr, B42
Perry Barr is best known for the Alexander Stadium, rebuilt as the centrepiece of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and for the new homes that followed the Games nearby. Around them are long streets of 1930s semi-detached houses and post-war homes. Whatever the age of the house, one kind of fault catches people out more than most: the boiler that is simply dead, with no lights, no display and no sound. Often the cause is electrical, not gas, and some of it you can check safely yourself. Send an enquiry with your postcode and what is happening, and we arrange one of our local Gas Safe registered engineers who covers B42.
Why would a boiler have no power?
A gas boiler still needs electricity to run its controls, fan, pump and ignition. It is usually supplied from a fused spur, a switched outlet with a small fuse near the boiler, or sometimes a plug and switched socket.
The switch is off. Spurs get knocked off during decorating or by mistake.
A fuse has blown. The fuse in the spur protects the boiler. A blown fuse may follow a power surge, a failed component or water getting into the boiler.
A breaker has tripped. Your consumer unit may have tripped the circuit that feeds the boiler.
A fault inside the boiler. A failed printed circuit board, a shorted pump or a damaged lead can blow the fuse repeatedly.
What can you check safely?
- Check other lights and sockets work, so you know the house has power.
- Check the boiler spur switch is on, and the timer or controls are powered.
- Look at the consumer unit for a tripped switch and reset it once.
- Replace the spur fuse once, with the power off and the correct rating.
- If it trips or blows again, stop. Repeated tripping means a fault that needs an engineer.
Never remove the boiler casing or work on its wiring.
What if the boiler has power but will not run?
If the display is on but the boiler will not light, work through our guide to a boiler that won’t fire up. If it lights and then stops, see boiler keeps switching off.
Fan faults. Before a boiler lights, it checks the fan is clearing flue gases. If the fan is failing, the boiler refuses to start. On an older Glow-worm this shows as F2. A fan that whines, rattles or roars is worth reporting before it stops altogether.
Pump faults. A pump that has seized or lost power leaves the boiler hot but the radiators cold. See cold radiators for the other causes.
What happens next?
Send the form with your Perry Barr postcode, the boiler make and model, and what you have already checked. We pass it to a local engineer who covers B42, who arranges a visit, finds the fault and gives a price before starting. All gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers; check the engineer’s ID card on the Gas Safe Register when they arrive.
Which nearby areas do we cover?
From Perry Barr we cover Great Barr, Kingstanding, Birchfield, Handsworth, Witton and Aston, plus the rest of north Birmingham.
Servicing and costs
An annual boiler service includes checks of the boiler’s controls and safety devices. For typical UK prices on fans, pumps and circuit boards, see the cost guide.