There are few things worse on a cold West London morning than waking up to icy radiators and a freezing shower, especially during the festive season, when you want your home to feel warm, comfortable and inviting. The panicked realisation that you have no hot water or heating can be incredibly stressful, and your first instinct is often to immediately pick up the phone for an emergency heating repair.

At West London Gas, we pride ourselves on being responsive and reliable when our customers in Ealing, Chiswick, and Richmond need us most. As we head into the colder months and Christmas approaches, we know how important it is to keep your home warm and running smoothly for family, guests and those quiet winter evenings indoors.

However, we also believe in honest service. We don’t want you to pay for an emergency heating callout if the issue is something simple you could fix yourself in five minutes.

Sometimes, a “broken” boiler is just a simple setting that’s slipped or a minor issue easily rectified. Before you book a professional boiler repair, run through this quick checklist. You might just save yourself time, money, and a lot of shivering — and keep the festive season cosy and stress-free.

A Crucial Safety Note Before You Start

While these checks are safe for homeowners to perform, never attempt to remove the boiler casing or interfere with the gas supply yourself.

If you smell gas, evacuate your home immediately and call the National Gas Emergency Service. For anything beyond the external checks below, you must always use a qualified, Gas Safe registered engineer.

1. Check Your Thermostat and Controls (A Common Winter Culprit)

It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how often a “boiler not working” callout turns out to be a thermostat issue, particularly at this time of year when heating schedules change and systems work harder.

Is it turned up? Someone might have bumped the dial down. Make sure the target temperature is higher than the current room temperature.

Are the batteries dead? If you have a wireless room thermostat, check the display. If it’s blank or showing a low battery icon, swapping in fresh batteries might resolve the whole issue.

Check the timer: Have the clocks gone back recently? Is the heating accidentally set to ‘off’ or ‘away’ mode instead of ‘timed’ or ‘constant’?

2. Check the Power Supply

Like a computer, sometimes your boiler just needs to be switched on.

Your boiler will usually have a fused spur switch on the wall nearby (it often looks like a light switch with a fuse compartment). Make sure it hasn’t been accidentally switched off.

Check your main consumer unit (fuse box). Has a trip switch flipped? If it has, try resetting it once. If it trips again immediately, do not keep trying—this indicates an electrical fault that needs professional attention.

3. Check the Boiler Pressure (Very Common in Cold Weather)

Low pressure is one of the most frequent reasons modern combi or system boilers stop working.

Look at the pressure gauge on the front of your boiler. If the needle is below the green zone (usually under 1 bar), your system pressure is too low for the boiler to operate safely.

You can usually top up the pressure yourself using the filling loop beneath the boiler. Consult your manual for instructions. If you find yourself having to do this frequently, however, it suggests a leak that requires a professional boiler repair.

Also, if the pressure rises higher than 2.5 bar when the heating is on, don’t worry, give us a call; this may indicate that the boiler is due for a service.

4. Look for Fault Codes (Your Boiler’s Way of Sending a Message)

Modern boilers are clever. If something is wrong, they will usually tell you.

Look at the digital display on the front of the boiler. Is it showing an error code (usually a mix of letters and numbers, like E119 or F75)?

Make a note of this code. You can look it up in your manual to see what the issue is. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make much sense, that’s what we’re here for. Give us a call, and we can often talk you through or arrange a call-out if needed.

5. Check for a Frozen Condensate Pipe (A Classic Winter Issue)

If it’s freezing outside and your boiler is making gurgling noises before cutting out, your condensate pipe may be frozen.

Locate the external pipe. If it’s safely accessible on the ground floor, you can try pouring warm (never boiling) water over it to thaw the ice block. Once thawed, you may need to reset your boiler.

If this does not work, it may be blocked for some other reason. Give us a call.

When You Need to Call a Professional (Staying Safe and Warm This Winter)
If you’ve gone through the basic checks above and you still have no hot water or heating, it’s time to call in the experts.

Do not try to force the boiler to work. You need an emergency heating repair if:

• There is no power to the boiler despite checking the mains.
• You have persistent low pressure or visible leaks.
• The boiler is making loud banging or whistling noises.
• There is a faint smell of gas (call emergency services first).
• You are elderly, vulnerable, or have young children at home during severe winter weather—don’t take the risk of waiting.

Fast, Reliable Boiler Repairs in West London (Keeping You Warm This Festive Season)

When simple checks don’t fix the problem, you need a team you can trust to arrive quickly and fix it right the first time.

For over 25 years, West London Gas has been the go-to choice for reliable boiler repairs in Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, and beyond. Our Gas Safe registered engineers carry common parts in their vans to try to get your heating back up and running in a single visit.

Don’t suffer in the cold. If these checks haven’t worked, contact us immediately to book an emergency heating repair and let our experts restore warmth to your home.