It goes without saying that it’s never a reassuring sign to see confusing flashing lights on a crucial appliance in your home! So, if your boiler warning light does go off, it can cause a lot of stress.
However, the good news is that understanding what the warning light on your boiler is telling you is not as complicated a task as it may seem.
An overview of modern boilers
There are typically three types of boilers available, namely combi, heat only, and system boilers.
Otherwise known as conventional or regular boilers, heat only boilers work alongside a hot water cylinder. For more modern homes that have an unvented cylinder, this will commonly be a job for a system boiler. On the other hand, combi boilers produce hot water instantly.
These boilers can be powered by gas, oil, or energy harnessed from solar panels. Indeed, solar panels are not only compatible with most (if not all) boilers, but they can also be used alongside a ground source heat pump.
Ground source heat pumps do the exact same thing as a boiler, except that they use electricity to run, and use the natural heat found underground to heat up water. They are a more renewable alternative to the traditional boiler, which might lead you to contact our ground source heat pump installers in Essex, so that you can upgrade your traditional boiler to an option that is more carbon neutral and eco-friendly.
Now that you know the different types of boilers that are used in homes, let’s take a look at what your boiler warning light could be indicating to you.
What is a boiler warning light and what does it mean?
Depending on your boiler’s manufacturer, you may see a red, green, or blue flashing light, which might also be accompanied by a fault code. This is the warning light, which tells you there is a problem with the boiler and so it has shut down. The fault code will indicate more on what problem has been sensed.
Once the boiler has detected a problem and stopped working, it will need to be reset.
What can cause a boiler warning light?
There are many reasons for the boiler warning light to appear, thereby indicating that the appliance needs to be reset. When the warning light goes off, this could indicate an underlying problem with your boiler. The most common underlying problems that can cause a boiler warning light are:
- Overheating
- A fault or problem with the ignition or pump
- A blockage, either in the heat exchanger or causing the flue to take in insufficient air for ventilation
- Low pressure
- Faulty or old parts
- Leaking components
How to reset your boiler
To reset your boiler, first locate the reset button, or the place on the dial clearly labelled ‘reset’. If you struggle to find it, check your manual. Press the reset button once (and once only), or move the dial to the reset position, holding it for three seconds.
If this does not solve the problem, in which case the boiler warning light is still on or turns back on after resetting, you should always contact a professional as soon as possible. If the problem cannot be resolved by a quick reset, the problem might be a symptom of a larger, more complicated issue.
So, there you go – everything you need to know about your boiler warning light, what it might mean, and how to reset it. Just remember, if you are ever in doubt, simply call up a professional so that they can take a closer look at your boiler, and give you
