It is essential to be prepared when an unlikely event like boiler overheating occurs. You should be well informed of the signs and causes of boiler overheating and how to fix them. Boiler overheating is a serious problem that poses a risk of explosion. Modern boilers are safer as they are fitted with safety measures that lock out the boiler before it overheats. Below are the causes of boiler overheating and how to fix them.
Blockage in the system
If your boiler system is blocked, it will be indicated by strange sounds in the central heating system. There will also be signs of excess air in the radiator as it is not heating up thoroughly. Your boiler can be blocked by debris, lime scale, or rust. To fix a blockage in your boiler, you will require a heating engineer to perform a power flush or have a magnetic filter fitted to collect debris and rust. Power flush is a cleaning process that the engineer performs in the central heating system to remove any debris, lime scale, or rust causing the blockage. After a power flush, hot water will circulate freely in the radiators heating the space efficiently.
Failure of the thermostat
A thermostat is responsible for monitoring the water temperature to allow the Printed circuit board determine whether to increase or reduce the temperature. If the thermostat fails, it might result in the PCB increasing the water temperature too high leading to overheating. The thermostat can only be fixed by replacing it, and only a fully qualified heating engineer can replace the thermostat to prevent other issues from arising. Visit https://www.mechanicalcontrol.co.uk/ for more information.
Build-up of limescale
Limescale build-up is more presentin areas using hard water for domestic use. Limescale build-up is called kettling as it causes sounds resembling kettle whistles. If you hear such sounds in your boiler, you should contact your heating engineer to flush out the system and clear any building-up limescale. Limescale build-up in the heat exchanger restricts the flow of water preventing cooler water from being heated and circulated in the radiators. This reduces the lifetime of a boiler and causes overheating. You can consider installing a scale reducer to prevent more limescale from building up.
Fault with the pump
The pump is responsible for circulating water around the central heating system. If the pump fails to circulate the water, the hot water will not be able to leave the boiler and will continue being heated over and over again in the boiler, which will lead the unit to overheat. A heating engineer might be able to fix the pump, but it is best if you replace it to avoid faults with the pumps in the future.
If your boiler begins overheating, it will lock out and display an overheating error code. If overheating is not fixed at the earliest opportunity, the boiler might catch fire and explode. You should have an annual boiler service with a qualified and registered heating engineer to ensure your boiler runs safely. If you live in a hard water