If you’re having issues with your boiler taking it’s time to heat water, or not at all, you may need to top up your boiler pressure:

• Check the front of your boiler for pressure gauge (may be a digital or an actual gauge)
• If this is at 0 then you need to top up the pressure
• This needs to be done when the boiler and radiators are cold
• Please check your radiators and pipework for any signs of water leaks before doing anything else
• If leaks are found, please book a repair immediately
• If not, find your filling loop - it is a silver metal hose connected to two pipes
• Open the valves one at a time. You will hear a whooshing sound as the fresh water enters your heating system and boiler
• Keep an eye on the pressure gauge and stop when it reaches 1.2 bar, then shut off the filling loop.

If the drop in pressure was not due to an ongoing component fault, the pressure should remain at the normal level. If the pressure continues to drop, then the system may have a leak somewhere and needs to be inspected by an engineer.

Resetting your boiler can be relatively simple, and may kickstart your boiler back into shape. In order to reset your boiler, please refer to your boiler’s manual (by finding your hardcopy of the manual, or a quick search online) to find the reset button.

Usually, you will have to hold the reset button for 10 seconds. After a few minutes, the boiler should start working again. If it doesn’t work the first time, you can attempt the reset for a second time. However, please refer to the manual before you do this.

If a radiator is not getting hot when the central heating is active, this may be a tell tale sign that your radiators need bleeding.

Due to the simplicity of bleeding a radiator, you only need a selection of household items before starting the process, such as a dry cloth and a large bowl. The only specialist kit that is required is a radiator key - a small and cheap tool available on Amazon or at most DIY stores. To bleed your radiator correctly, you just need to follow a few simple steps:

• If your radiator is hot at the bottom, and cold at the top, then it is most likely filled with air and needs bleeding.
• You can easily bleed the radiator yourself but will need the few basic items mentioned above
• Before doing this make sure your radiators and boiler are cold as hot water expands and will leave more air in the system
• The bleed valve will be at the top of the radiator, as air will rise to the top of the radiator
• Hold your cloth under the valve and insert your key into the square point
• Turn anti-clockwise and you will hear a hiss as the air is forced out by the water pressure
• Once water starts coming out, you can close the bleed valve.

After you complete these steps, we recommend that you check the pressure gauge on your boiler, as the process of bleeding radiators can cause pressure to drop. If this is the case, you can ‘top up’ the pressure (see above).

If your home feels too hot or too cold, there may be a problem with your thermostat. Take a look at the most common problems and their solutions below, to see if they help.

First, we recommend making sure your thermostat is sufficiently powered. If it’s battery-operated, you may find that the batteries need changing. You can usually tell if the battery is low as the LED screen will have faded and some of the info on the screen may be missing. Changing the batteries in your thermostat is very straightforward (depending on the model of your thermostat). In most cases, you will only need to remove the front cover and swap the old batteries for new.

Whilst in your home, our team will go through an online worksheet assessing the condition of your home.

They will check for things like:

• Signs of damp and mould
• Indicators of asbestos or other risk factors
• Whether there is a safe escape route in the event of a fire
• The condition of front and rear doors
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms – and the dates they were installed
• Toilet cisterns
• The condition of the flooring
• Bathroom sealant
• Cracks and damage to tiles which, if left untreated, could cause more serious issues.

Our experts will fix any issues they can there and then. If a return visit is required, they will arrange a suitable date before they leave.

The team can also remind you of useful information about your home, such as where your stopcock is located and how to use electric breakers on a fuse board. They can also pass on skills such as how to tighten door handles, if you need it.

Ultimately, it is to make sure your home is safe and secure.

It is also a good way to reduce the number of repairs we need to make and replace things before they go wrong.

In addition, Home MOTs also make things more convenient for you by reducing the amount of different appointments we need to make and you need to be at home for!

We will contact you when your Home MOT is due, but you can also contact us if you feel a Home MOT would be useful. Click here to get in touch. 

They are also carried out as part of the Mutual Exchange process (if you want to swap your home with another resident).

In addition, we may do a Home MOT if we are concerned about the overall condition of your home, or if you have made a particularly high or low number of requests to our repairs service.

Ahead of your Home MOT, please consider the following to ensure the appointment is completed as quickly and easily as possible:

• If you know where key service points are located – like meters and stop valves – please ensure access to them is clear
• Where possible, please try to keep pets out of the way whilst the team is working
• Please be aware that our team may need to take photographs of your home
• As outlined in your appointment confirmation, the Home MOT is likely to take two hours to complete, so please ensure this time is set aside
• Should you have a list of repairs, please have these available 
• It is possible that two Eastlight vehicles may need to attend your home for the Home MOT. If you can offer assistance with parking, that would be appreciated.