Do you have hot water but no heating? Here's how to diagnose the problem

It’s only when your central heating starts playing up do you truly start to appreciate a fully functioning boiler. The second the heating goes off it makes you realise how important your boiler is for creating that comfortable atmosphere in your home.

But it can always be a confusing moment when you notice that you’ve hot water but no heating. What does this mean? Do you need to contact a professional? Luckily, it doesn’t always mean you need an engineer callout and may be a problem you can fix yourself. 

Check your boiler pressure

Checking your boiler’s pressure is always a good place to start when your heating stops working. Low pressure may be the cause of all your problems, so you’d need to top it up. Don’t worry, it’s dead easy. 

On the control panel, you should see a small pressure gauge. If the needle is anywhere in the red section then the pressure will need topping up. Depending on what type of boiler you have, topping up the pressure will be different. 

However, usually on more modern boilers, like a Worcester Bosch Greenstar, you simply need to gently pull the little blue tab underneath the boiler or twist the key filling loop underneath near where the pipes would be. Then, wait until the needle on the gauge reaches between 1.0 and 1.5 bar. Once your pressure is at a good level, your heating should be back on as normal. 

Cold radiators

Now, it’s best to have a quick feel around all your radiators. Found any cold spots? If you have, you should try giving your radiators a bleed. Give this video a quick watch; it’ll explain everything.

Another reason for no heat could be to do with your thermostatic radiator valves. They’re the valves at the bottom of your radiator. Try turning them all up to number 5 and wait a few minutes. If you don’t feel them warming up but you can hear the boiler working, they could be faulty, in which case you’d need to contact an engineer to replace them for you. If you rent your property, just give your landlord a ring, and they’ll take it from there. 

Thermostat problem

The reason for you not having hot water could be that your thermostat is faulty. For those with a Google Nest Learning Thermostat, try resetting it by simply holding down the screen ring until it turns off - then release. For further help, give the Google Nest support a call on, 0808 169 2307. They’ll be able to figure out exactly what the issue is. 

Otherwise, It may seem quite obvious but it’s easy to forget your thermostat is even there sometimes. No heating could be that your thermostat is on a low temperature, or if you have a smart thermostat it may have turned itself off.

Still no heating?

If you’ve done all of the above and your heating is still non-existent then it’s time to contact a heating professional. This could mean your boiler has one of a few things wrong with it: a broken diaphragm, airlock, or a motorised valve has failed. 

For reliable and expert help be sure to contact BOXT on, 0800 193 7777. We have some of the finest in house engineers who are waiting to share their boiler expertise with you. They’ll not only dish out some advice but also provide you with an action plan of what they recommend you do next. Problem solvers, as well as Gas Safe registered engineers.

If you don’t have time for a call, be sure to drop us a message on our Live Chat for an instant response.