No heating or hot water? Quick checks before you call
Before you assume the worst, run through these five checks — a good number of "boiler's broken" call-outs turn out to be something you can sort in a couple of minutes.
Quick answer
Check the thermostat, check the pressure gauge, check for a frozen condensate pipe, look for a fault code and try resetting once, and check nothing's tripped on the fuse box. If none of that fixes it, message Ash with what you've tried and what the boiler's showing.
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Check the thermostat first. Sounds obvious, but it's the most common cause. Make sure it's switched on, the temperature is set above room temperature, batteries (if it's wireless) aren't flat, and it hasn't been accidentally knocked to "off" or a very low setting on a schedule.
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Check the boiler's pressure gauge. It should read between 1 and 1.5 bar. If it's low, most boilers will lock out and refuse to heat until it's topped up — see our guide to boiler pressure for how to do that safely.
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Check for a frozen condensate pipe. In cold weather, the white plastic pipe that runs from your boiler to an outside drain can freeze and block, which triggers an automatic shutdown. If you can see the pipe outside and there's visible ice, pouring warm (not boiling) water over the frozen section can clear it. If it's not accessible or you're not sure, this one's worth a call rather than guesswork.
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Look for a fault code and try the reset button once. Most boilers show a code or symbol on the display when something's wrong — a quick search of your boiler's make and model plus the code will usually tell you what it means. Pressing reset once is generally fine; if the fault comes straight back, stop resetting it and get it looked at instead of repeating the reset.
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Check the power supply. Look for a tripped switch on your consumer unit (fuse box), and check the boiler's own fused spur switch (usually a switch with a neon light near the boiler) hasn't been knocked off. Worth checking after any power cut too, since timers and programmers sometimes reset to a default schedule.
If you smell gas
Stop what you're doing and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 immediately, then get in touch with Ash for the follow-up repair once it's safe to do so.
Nothing worked?
If you've been through all five and it's still not playing ball, send Ash a message with the boiler's make and model, any fault code showing, and what you've already tried — it saves time on the day and often means a faster fix.
Still no heating or hot water?
Message the number above with what's wrong — no heating or hot water is usually treated as a priority.