“Help! I’ve got hot water but no heating – What do I do?”

It’s that classic ‘don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone’ sort of moment. We get so used to having hot water and heating, that we only really realise how important it is when it’s not there! Cold water, cold radiators – All of a sudden, we notice how much we rely on hot water and effective heating.

Most homes have their domestic hot water and heating provided by their boiler. In today’s blog we’re going to run through a scenario where the hot water is coming through the taps, but there’s no central heating.

What could the problem be?

You’ll be pleased to know that there are some solutions to this issue that don’t require a professional.

When you’ve got hot water but no heating, the first thing to do is check that the thermostat is working correctly.

Thermostats let you control the temperature of the room as well as the time the heating should come on. Has the heating not come on at the expected time? Check the settings are correct, and if not amend the timings.

If you can’t see a problem with the thermostat, check the boiler pressure – It may be too low.

Boiler pressure refers to the pressure of the hot water running through the heating system. If the boiler pressure drops too low, the central heating won’t work.

Again, adjusting the boiler pressure is something you can do yourself. Each boiler is slightly different, so we won’t give you instructions here. The best thing to do is check your instruction manual. Usually, there will be a key or a valve that will allow you to put more water in to increase the pressure.

If you are at all unsure about how to do it, call a professional. All our local heating engineers are Gas Safe registered and happy to help get your heating back on.

What if it’s not the thermostat or boiler pressure?

This is where you are likely to need to call in a heating engineer to diagnose the problem. If you’ve got hot water, but no central heating then there are more issues it could be if it’s not the thermostat or the boiler pressure.

Common reasons for this particular fault are broken diaphragms and airlocks, or a motorised valve failing. These issues will need a professional heating engineer to come and fix or replace the faulty part.

Got a Combi Boiler?

If you have a combi boiler, then the problem could be a diverter valve. Combi boilers provide your home with hot water and heating on demand. The diverter valve directs the hot water to where it needs to go – Either the hot water outlets like your taps, or the radiators.

If the valve gets stuck, then you either get central heating and no hot water, or the other way around.

Again, this kind of fault will need a qualified Gas Safe heating engineer to identify the fault and make a repair or replacement to get your central heating working again.

Here at Aura Heating, all our expert engineers are Gas Safe registered. If you have any problems with your boiler or central heating, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can see if we cover your area with our handy postcode checker here.

If you’re one of our Care Plan customers, then a callout is included in your monthly fee. If you’re not yet a Care Plan customer, you can find out more information here. Prices start from just £7.50 per month and include parts, labour and your annual boiler service.