Boiler breakdown: first aid for no hot water

If the heating or hot water cuts out, first check a few things yourself. Look at the water pressure on the boiler: if the needle sits too low, you can top up with the filling valve to the figure given in your manual (on most boilers around 1.5 bar) — the boiler often restarts after that. If an error code is shown, note it down; most manuals explain per code whether it's about pressure, ignition or a sensor.

If topping up or a reset doesn't help, or the fault quickly returns, you need an engineer for a boiler breakdown. Don't keep resetting endlessly: with an ignition or flue fault, repeated restarts can do more harm than good. If you smell gas, don't switch any lights or appliances on or off, close the main gas tap, open windows and doors, go outside and call the Dutch national gas number 0800-9009.

Then decide whether it's really urgent. No heat in winter or no hot water with a family counts as an emergency; a boiler that fails in summer can usually wait safely until the next working day. Waiting saves the emergency surcharge on the hourly rate and gives you time to compare rates.

If you do call with urgency, keep the brand and error code to hand and ask on the phone for the hourly rate, call-out costs and surcharge before the engineer sets off. A reliable company quotes those figures without hesitation.