• Contact us
Living - Your Home, DIY and Life by HomeServe
  • Seasonal
  • How-to guides
  • Lifestyle
  • Rooms & Spaces
  • TEA with HomeServe
  • Cover from HomeServe
No Result
View All Result
Living - Your Home, DIY and Life by HomeServe
No Result
View All Result
Home Heating and cooling

My boiler pressure is too high- how do I fix it?

Andy Floyd by Andy Floyd
13/05/2020
in Boiler guides, Heating and cooling, Home heating guides, How-to guides
22.5k 696
0
A boiler with high pressure. This is being shown by the bar measuring in the red zone on the boiler pressure display.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

If you find that your boiler pressure is too high, this guide will explain how to reduce boiler pressure yourself and lower it to the correct setting. 

What pressure should my boiler be?

Your boiler’s pressure is usually displayed on the built-in pressure gauge.

It should read around the 1 bar mark when you’re not running any hot water and the heating isn’t turned on. This means 1 bar is a low-pressure setting.

When the heating is turned on, your boiler pressure should be between 1.5 and 2 bars. Most boilers will highlight this area in green on the pressure gauge, clearly showing you that the pressure setting is correct.

If the boiler reading is outside of these numbers, this indicates that the boiler pressure is either too low or too high.

Why is my boiler pressure too high?

Once the boiler begins to heat water, the heated water expands and causes the pressure gauge to increase. With an expansion vessel, boilers are usually able control these quick leaps in pressure so you don’t need to worry if the boiler shows a higher pressure than you expected when you are both using the central heating and running hot water.

Is high boiler pressure dangerous?

In most cases, high boiler pressure is not dangerous if the boiler has a working PRV (pressure relief valve). When the pressure becomes too high, the boiler will either turn itself off, or the PRV will successfully control the boiler pressure which will prevent it from being too high.

However, you shouldn’t rely on the PRV. As soon as you notice your boiler’s pressure is too high, follow the steps below to fix it as soon as possible.

How to reduce your boiler pressure in 6 steps

  1. Switch off your boiler and wait for the heating system to cool
  2. Identify and check the boiler pressure gauge
  3. If it’s above 2 bars, you’ll need to reduce the pressure
  4. Ensure the filling loop or relief valve is tightly closed
  5. Bleed your radiators to release trapped air from the heating system
  6. Check to see if the boiler pressure returns to its correct setting

Is your boiler pressure too low?

If your boiler pressure is too low (anything below one bar), you may need to bleed your radiators – or that there may be a leak in the heating system.

Low boiler pressure may result in no heating or hot water, meaning that your central heating system will have to work harder and ultimately use a higher amount of energy.

Find out exactly what you’ll need to do by reading our useful guide on how to repressurise a boiler with low pressure.

Boiler pressure still too high?

If you’ve tried everything and your boiler pressure is still too high, there could be one of two issues:

  • The expansion vessel needs repressurising
  • There’s a fault with the filling loop

As this is not something you can fix yourself, you will need to call a Gas Safe registered engineer who can come and diagnose the issue for you. 

Related posts

  • Why is my electric bill so high?
  • How to test water pressure
  • How to fix a dripping tap
  • How do I fix a leaking washing machine?
  • Top 5 plumbing problems and how to fix them
  • How to fix a leaking radiator
Tags: Boiler switch onRadiators and Heating Help
Previous Post

Should I turn off my boiler overnight or when I go on holiday?

Next Post

How to fix a cold radiator

Andy Floyd

Andy Floyd

"Alexa, who is Andy Floyd?" Andy is a passionate creative writer, film buff, and smart home enthusiast. He's HomeServe's very own smart assistant, here to answer all of your home and lifestyle questions.

Next Post
how to fix radiators

How to fix a cold radiator

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Recent Posts

  • What to do if you’re an accidental landlord
  • Is gas cheaper than electricity?
  • When to put the heating on
  • What is the ideal room temperature?
  • How to replace an outside tap: Complete step-by-step guide

Related posts

  • Why is my electric bill so high?
  • How to test water pressure
  • How to fix a dripping tap
  • How do I fix a leaking washing machine?
  • Top 5 plumbing problems and how to fix them
  • How to fix a leaking radiator

Want to ensure that your home is always running smoothly?

Get cover through HomeServe
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Pinterest
Living – Your Home, DIY and Life by HomeServe

Living is your place to learn and explore. Whether it's inspiration for your new kitchen, how to bleed a radiator - or even a few things to keep your little one's busy. Living is here to keep your life moving!

Recent Posts

  • What to do if you’re an accidental landlord
  • Is gas cheaper than electricity?
  • When to put the heating on
  • Privacy and Cookies
  • Read our Disclaimer

© 2019 HomeServe.

No Result
View All Result
  • Seasonal
  • How-to guides
  • Lifestyle
  • Rooms & Spaces
  • TEA with HomeServe
  • Cover from HomeServe

© 2019 HomeServe.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.