When your boiler stops working, your natural inclination is to be alarmed; no one likes to spend time in a house with no heating or hot water. However, prepping for an emergency will help you to stay calm and solve the problem more swiftly.

To begin, if you have home insurance that covers your boiler, call your insurance company as soon as it breaks down. They will be able to locate an engineer to come out and repair it for you, as well as cover (at least a portion of) the expense.

If your boiler is comparatively new, it may well be covered by the manufacturer’s guarantee. If this is the case, contacting the manufacturer should be able to assist; however, the amount of assistance provided may differ from case to case and manufacturer to manufacturer.

Alternatively, you might contact a Gas Safe qualified engineer as your first step. Because broken boilers can be hazardous, search for businesses that have emergency experts on call. Remember that not all emergencies are the same, so be careful to inform the heating engineers about your issue in as much detail as possible so that they can adequately prepare to repair your boiler or even quote you for a boiler installation to replace it.

After calling your engineer, make sure the house is still safe to live in until they come, particularly if your boiler needs many days of service. Make plans to stay with friends or family until your house is ready for you to return if you need to go elsewhere.

Although it’s true there are some quick fixes that you can do (such as increase or lower the water pressure and relight the pilot light) for your boiler, if it’s anything more complex, booking a heating engineer is the best course of action.