Resources
Guides to the problems that produce the most calls
Written by the people who go out to fix them, to help you work out what is going on before anyone arrives, what you can safely do yourself and what to expect when an engineer comes. No dates, no news, no padding.
What readers who became customers said afterwards
Most heating and plumbing calls start with a question: why is the boiler losing pressure, why is the radiator cold at the bottom, where is the water coming from. The guides here answer those questions properly, at the length they need, with the checks you can do yourself and the point at which it becomes an engineer's job. They sit alongside the service pages, which describe what the engineer then does, and the areas covered, which describe the London housing the problems occur in. The approach behind all of it is on the about page, and a question the guides do not answer can be sent through the contact page.
Boilers
Why is my boiler losing pressure? Causes, fixes and when to call an engineer
Low pressure is the most common reason a combi shows a fault code. Most of the time it is a small leak or a tired expansion vessel, and here is how to tell which.
Covers: What the pressure gauge should read / How to top the pressure up yourself / The usual cause: a leak too small to see / The other usual cause: a tired expansion vessel
Radiators
Radiator cold at the bottom but hot at the top: what it means and how to fix it
Bleeding fixes a radiator that is cold at the top. Cold at the bottom is a different problem, and here is what is actually sitting in there.
Covers: Cold at the top or cold at the bottom: two different faults / Where the sludge comes from / What sludge does to the rest of the system / The fixes, from cheapest to most thorough
Leaks
How to find a hidden water leak in a London flat, and what to do first
In a flat, the leak is often not yours. How to work out whose it is, what to isolate, and what a leak detection visit actually involves.
Covers: The first ten minutes: stop the water, not the panic / Reading the clues: where and when it is wet / In a flat, whose leak is it? / Tests you can do yourself
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Read enough to know it needs an engineer? Get it priced
Send the symptom through the form and an engineer comes back with a price and a time.
FAQ
Questions about the guides
Are these guides advice for my own boiler or heating system?
They describe what is generally the case and what an engineer looks for. They are not a survey of your installation, and anything involving gas must be done by a registered engineer. Use them to understand the problem, then get it looked at.
Can I do the checks in the guides myself?
The ones described as homeowner tasks, yes: reading a pressure gauge, topping up a sealed system, bleeding a radiator, the meter test for a leak. Anything that involves opening the boiler or working on gas is not.
Will more guides be added?
Yes. The archive grows as new questions come up from the work. The three here cover the problems that produce the most calls.
Can I ask a question that is not covered?
Yes, through the form on any page. Describe the symptom and an engineer will answer it, and if it is a common one it may become the next guide.
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