Hot Water Repairs
No hot water, lukewarm taps, or hot water that runs out after one shower. We find the actual cause across combis, cylinders and immersion heaters, then repair it properly.
Hot Water Repairs in Folkestone
"No hot water" is a symptom, not a fault. Depending on what system you have it can mean any one of about eight different things, and the fix ranges from adjusting a setting to replacing a cylinder.
We work through it in order rather than swapping parts until the symptom disappears, which is how people end up paying for components that were never the problem.
You have heating but no hot water
On a combi boiler this usually points to the diverter valve, the component that decides whether hot water goes to your taps or your radiators. When it sticks in the heating position you get warm radiators and cold taps. It is a common failure and a straightforward replacement.
On a system or regular boiler with a cylinder, the same symptom normally means a motorised valve or the cylinder thermostat rather than anything wrong with the boiler at all.
No heating and no hot water either
That points at the boiler or the controls. Before booking anyone, check the programmer is switched on and the clock is showing the right time, because timers reset after a power cut and this catches people out constantly. Check the boiler pressure gauge sits between 1 and 1.5 bar. And note down any fault code before you reset it, as it narrows things down considerably.
See why your boiler keeps losing pressure and boiler repair.
"Boiler lost pressure suddenly but Damian was nice enough to come in an hour and sorted it out instantly, gave lots of information and advice too. Would highly recommend as reliable and speedy."
Alika Rai, Google review
Hot water runs out too quickly
Almost always the cylinder rather than the boiler, and there are three quite different causes.
If you have a vented cylinder with immersion heaters, the lower element may have failed while the upper one still works. That leaves you heating only the top third of the tank, which is precisely the "runs out after one shower" complaint.
If the coil inside the cylinder has scaled up, it transfers heat poorly and takes hours to recover between uses. The water across Folkestone and Hythe is hard, so this is common here.
And if the cylinder was sized for a smaller household than you have now, no repair changes that. A house built for two people with one bathroom, now with four people and an extra shower room, needs a bigger cylinder.
See when to replace a hot water cylinder and our hot water cylinder page.
The water is lukewarm and never gets properly hot
Start with the cylinder thermostat, which should be set to 60 degrees. Below that you get tepid water and, over time, a bacterial growth risk in stored water. A failed thermostat gives you either lukewarm water or a boiler that never switches off.
On a combi, lukewarm water at every tap with otherwise good flow usually means a scaled plate heat exchanger. Depending how far gone it is, that is either descaled or replaced.
Hot water pressure is poor but the cold is fine
You almost certainly have a gravity fed system with a cold water tank in the loft. The pressure comes from the height of that tank above the outlet and nothing else, so it is normal behaviour for that system rather than a fault.
This is very common in the taller properties along the Folkestone Leas and up the hill in Sandgate, where the top floor sits a long way below the tank in useful terms.
The two real fixes are a shower pump or an upgrade to an unvented cylinder, which delivers mains pressure to every outlet. See what causes low water pressure at home, why is my shower pressure so low and shower installation and pumps.
Water discharging from a pipe outside
If you have an unvented cylinder and water is running from the discharge pipe outdoors, that is almost always an expansion vessel that has lost its air charge. It should not be ignored, and it is the single most common fault we find on unvented systems.
These need an annual service by law under Building Regulations Part G, and it requires a G3 qualification. See unvented cylinder servicing.
The immersion keeps tripping the electrics
The element has failed and is leaking to earth. Please do not keep resetting it. Replacement is straightforward, though a heavily scaled element in an older cylinder can be seized in place.
Off grid properties
Plenty of properties around Lyminge, Elham, Sellindge and out across the Marsh at New Romney have no mains gas and heat their water by oil or LPG.
Both are different disciplines with different qualifications, and hot water faults on them often trace back to the tank rather than the boiler. See oil and LPG boiler service and repair.
How we work
We establish what system you actually have, test the components in a logical order, and tell you what has failed and what it will take to put right before any work starts.
Where the fault turns out to be a setting rather than a component, we will tell you that too rather than finding something to replace.
"He explains all the options, pricing etc and doesn't just go straight for the usual 'Mmm, you're going to need a new one of those' line but instead will try and repair what you've got if he can."
Tim Hack, Google review
Getting more from your hot water long term
Correct cylinder sizing, a thermostat set properly, an annual boiler service and a magnetic filter on the heating side between them prevent most of the faults on this page.
Our guide on how to improve hot water reliability covers what makes the biggest difference, and the annual plumbing maintenance checklist covers the rest of the property.
Where we work
Hot water repairs across Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate, Seabrook, Saltwood, Hawkinge, Capel-le-Ferne, Lympne, Lyminge, Elham, Sellindge, Dymchurch, New Romney, Dover and Ashford.
If you have no hot water in cold weather and someone elderly, very young or unwell is in the property, that comes under our 24 hour emergency service.
Common questions
My hot water works but only for one shower. Is the boiler failing? Unlikely. That pattern almost always points at the cylinder, usually a failed lower immersion element or a cylinder that is simply too small for the household.
What temperature should my cylinder be set to? 60 degrees. Lower risks bacterial growth in stored water, higher wastes energy and scales the cylinder faster.
Can you fix it the same day? Usually, for the common faults. Anything needing a part we do not carry may take an extra day.
Should I repair the cylinder or replace it? If it is undersized for your household, replacement is the only answer. If it is the right size and a component has failed, repair almost always makes sense.
Why does my hot water take so long to come through at the tap? Usually a long pipe run rather than a fault, though a scaled coil or a failing pump can make it worse.
Call +44 7915 255984 for hot water repairs in Folkestone.
