Boiler Electrics Blow

1) In our Liverpool homes, we have many different systems that work in harmony with one another, day after day, year after year and normally without any issues whatsoever.

In fact, we rarely question if everything is ok and just live our lives. 

When things go wrong, things can go wrong. When water leaks from pipes or boilers, it can enter the electrical system in our homes and wreak havoc upon the place. One of the main causes of boiler electrics blown is water entering the electrical system through a pipe leak or internal boiler leak. Components can fail inside boilers and require replacement or repairs. 

If you find that your boiler is blowing the electrics then you may need an electrician to investigate the reason for this. Electrical faults can be traced and the issue narrowed down to wiring, boiler components or electrical accessories within the home by your local fault-finding electrician. 

2) What are common problems for boilers & heating systems that blow electrics? 

There are several components within a gas, electric or combined heating system that can fail and cause the electrics to blow in your home.

3) Immersion Tanks♨️

These tanks house a reserve of hot water. They heat the water and store it until it is needed. Commonly in larger homes where a combi gas boiler may not be sufficient, these tanks typically sit in cupboards on the landing or up in the loft. These immersion tanks contain a powerful electric heating element which can occasionally go wrong and cause problems. Immersion elements draw a lot of electrical current and this can cause connections to overheat and burn out. When this happens, the electrics will often blow and cause a major headache until the problem is solved. 

The other issue that can happen is the electrical element itself can often fail causing the electrics to blow in your home. Heating elements are not designed to last forever and will eventually fail. Where water and electrics mix, there will eventually be problems. 

4) Gas Boilers🔥

Gas boilers also require an electrical supply in order to perform their functions. Granted, they do not require much power but they do have a multitude of electrical components inside that are controlled by delicate electronics. Any one of these components can fail without warning causing short circuit, wiring faults and electrics to blow or switches to trip in the consumer unit / fuse box. Often, Gas Engineers may struggle to diagnose the issue without sufficient electrical knowledge and electricians may not be able to legally work on the boiler without the relevant Gas Safe qualifications and registration. 

Gas Boilers contain a PCB (printed circuit board) that controls all the functions within the boiler, ensures that all components are operating correctly and makes sure that in the event of a faulty component that the boiler will not continue to operate. 

5) System Valves🌡️

There are often a number of valves external to the boiler and tank that operate to move water around the heating system and keep our homes warm and water hot. When these valves fail, they may or may not show signs of failure. Occasionally a valve will stick, let water in or the electrical connections inside may just go bad. On occasion, we will be able to see water leaking from the valve or onto the valve from another component but in any case, an electrician specialising in electrical testing and fault finding will be able to narrow down the cause and trace the fault to a valve or other component within the heating system. When you find that your boiler electrics blown it could be that there is an issue with a valve so it is a good idea to visually check them for leaks. 

6) Faulty electrical switches in system or consumer unit⚠️

Occasionally, electrical switches can go faulty causing havoc in a heating system and with your home electrics. We can diagnose and repair most switches, trip switches and consumer unit parts on the same visit. Occasionally, where a consumer unit / fuse box is old, there may be a waiting period for parts to arrive or be sourced but we will keep you informed every step of the way and if an alternative, safe repair is possible then we will tell you. 

7) How much does this type of problem cost to fix?💷

In order to locate the source of the electrics blowing, your local specialist will need to carry out some investigation. Most investigations take around an hour and after this time, your specialist will be able to update you on what has happened, what needs to happen in order to put the problem right or give you a quote for further works / investigation if necessary. 

The time taken to find electrical faults in heating systems will depend upon several factors such as: 

• The size of the heating system 
• The access to all parts and components with the system and 
• The complexity of the problem. 

For instance, if there is faulty valve then the total cost could be around £200-300 including parts and labour. If there is faulty wiring in the electrical system then the cost could be £150-400 to put right. If a component in the boiler has failed then, depending upon which components and make of boiler, the costs could vary from £180 - £New Boiler money. 

There really is no one price fits all in these situations. One thing is for sure, investigation will need to be carried out in order to diagnose and pinpoint issues in these systems. 

8) How quickly can you help?⌚

We can attend same day on most occasions and out of hours calls can be attended to within 2 hours normally. Once you contact us, we will be able to confirm an estimate time of arrival and, once you have booked in with us, we will send a link so you can trace our trip progress right to your front door. 😊 Whilst we may not be able to fix every problem on the first visit if specialist parts are required, we do carry a lot of spares on board and in stock so most issues can be repaired. We can also recommend other trades if further works may be required. 

If you have blown boiler electrics do not sit and worry, we are able to help. Give us a call today.