Emergency Boiler Repair and Installation Guide, Costs & Timeline

Did your boiler suddenly stop working and you’re not sure how to proceed? No problem. There are various Gas Safe registered companies throughout the UK that offer emergency boiler repairs and replacement.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through your options for both emergency boiler repairs, and getting a new boiler quickly installed when your old one has stopped working.

Don’t want to wait for multiple installers to give you on-site quotes? You can get a new boiler booked in now and fitted by tomorrow, using Heatable.

Having worked with the most reputable boiler manufacturers, Heatable’s emergency boiler installation prices are about as good as it gets. For a small to medium sized property, you could be looking at prices in the low £2,000s — and that’s for a premium brand, like Worcester Bosch. You can get your own quote using this clickable form.

But, what is an emergency, how much is an emergency replacement going to cost, and how quickly will the job get done?

Safety Concerns With Emergency Boiler Repair

First up, let’s talk about safety issues.

If you smell gas, this is an immediate safety concern.

Here’s what to do:

1. Turn off your gas.
2. Don’t turn on/off any switches (lights etc).
3. Do not smoke or use naked flames.
4. Call the SGN Emergency Gas number (0800 111 999).

When to Choose Repairs Over Replacement

If your boiler has stopped working, the first thing you may hope for is that simple repairs will fix the issue. In some instances, that’s all it will take — a visit from a Gas Safe engineer, and, perhaps, a new boiler part replacing a faulty old one.

However, in some situations, repairing your appliance is only a temporary fix, and it makes far more sense to get a new boiler altogether.

When Boiler Repairs Make Sense

If your boiler is relatively new and under warranty, attempting repairs should be your first order of business if it stops working.

Likewise, it’s wise to try fixing your boiler if the faults are minor. For instance, a faulty fan, diverter valve, ignition leads, and timer are all worth fixing if the boiler is in otherwise good working order.

If you’re not sure whether boiler repairs are worth it, you can ring up your local heating engineers’ customer service team and describe your issue. They will recommend the best course of action.

When to Replace Your Boiler Instead of Fixing It

It may be a good idea to replace an older boiler (8+ years), one without warranty coverage, or a boiler that suffers frequent breakdowns.

In all 3 of these situations, investing in boiler repairs will only prolong your and your boiler’s mutual misery, and you’ll still need to replace the appliance in the end.

You can get an instant, online replacement quote from Heatable — this way you’ll know whether a new boiler is worth it, or you’d rather stick with boiler repairs for the time being.

Is Your Boiler Installation an Emergency?

An emergency boiler replacement is going to cost more than a typical installation. There are various engineers that work on 24-48 hour timelines for repairs & installs.

To be able to service jobs this quickly, they have to charge more than they would for a typical installation.

We’d expect an emergency installation to cost 20-30% more than a standard installation.

That said, an average installer will be able to complete a site visit and give a detailed quotation within 24 working hours.

Typically, you’d not expect them to start the installation within the same working week, but within 7-10 days of initial enquiry is a reasonable guestimate.

Whether you need an emergency installation, or have a looser timeline, you can start right now by getting your fixed price online using Heatable.

Emergency Boiler Repair and Installation Costs

The next question: if your boiler replacement is an emergency, how much is it likely to cost?

No replacement is the same, as there are variables including:

• Moving a boiler to a new location
• Size of the boiler (smaller boilers are cheaper)
• Brand of boiler and its warranty (and therefore, cost)
• Gas main upgrades to be inline with Gas Safe standards
• Type of flue
• Boiler type and fuel: combi, system, regular; gas, oil, or LPG?
• Heating pipework installation, upgrade or repairs
• The list goes on…

So, even from a “typical” perspective, boiler fitting costs range from £2,100 to £8,000.

A standard installation might consist of a 30kW Ideal boiler — powerful enough to a supply a 3-bed semi that has reasonable hot water demand and just one shower. And for a boiler like this, you should expect quotes in the £1,900 – £2,500 range. Again, this depends on many of the variables mentioned above.

Alongside this, remember that labour rates will vary throughout the country.

For example, in London, an emergency boiler fitter might charge £100 per hour, with someone in Birmingham charging around £75 per hour, sometimes as low as £50 per hour further up North.

How Long Emergency Boiler Installation May Take

In the example above (30kW boiler for a 3-bed semi), assuming there are no complications, the boiler should be replaced within 1 working day.

For installations that have additional requirements (for instance, extra pipework, or upgrading a regular boiler to a combi), you should plan to have your heating and hot water off for 1.5-2 working days.

So, with an emergency boiler fitter, you’d expect the job to be completed within 2-3 days from initial inquiry date/time.

That said, Heatable can fit your new Worcester Bosch as soon as next day. You can use their online quote form to get the ball rolling right now.

FAQs About Emergency Boiler Repairs and Installation

As we conclude the post, we’d like to address a few queries we often hear about emergency boiler replacement and repairs.

Is a broken boiler an emergency?

A broken boiler should be treated as an emergency in the following circumstances:

1. The outdoor temperatures are well below zero, and the home’s insulation will not be able to maintain safe indoor temperatures for long. In this situation, prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can pose a serious threat to the health of humans and pets. You should request emergency boiler repair services and get your central heating system up and running as soon as possible.
2. The boiler stopped working due to a gas-related issue. This could be caused by a faulty boiler part, lack of gas supply, or an issue with the burner. In either situation, only Gas Safe boiler engineers should be inspecting and attempting to repair your appliance.
3. You smell gas. If this happens, turn off your gas; don’t smoke, use open flames, or turn on your lights; call the SGN Emergency Gas number (0800 111 999). Once the immediate threat is no longer there, you can get a Gas Safe engineer to come and investigate the fault.

What to do if a boiler stops working?

It depends on the cause — something you should be able to figure out based on the fault codes the boiler is showing.

If the problem is minor enough, you may have luck troubleshooting the issue yourself; however, in most cases, you’ll need to get a Gas Safe engineer to perform repairs. If the issue is serious and repairs are likely to be expensive, you might want to consider getting a replacement boiler altogether.

DIY-type fixes can involve topping up or relieving water pressure, resetting the boiler after a power outage, or bleeding a radiator. Any other faults, particularly those that affect boiler components, should be performed by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

And if you’re noticing that your old boiler is breaking down often and the repair bills are starting to pile up, replacing your boiler may be the most cost-effective path forward.

Can plumbers fix boilers?

Plumbers can fix your radiators, towel rails, pipework, and other parts of the central heating and domestic hot water system; however, they cannot work on boilers unless they have registered with Gas Safe. Only Gas Safe registered heating engineers can perform repairs on the boiler itself.

So, if you suspect that the issue you’re dealing with relates strictly to the central heating system — for example, if your radiators don’t heat up at the bottom, or you’ve got a burst pipe — you can call a plumber. On the other hand, if a boiler component fails, you’ll need to get your boiler serviced by a Gas Safe engineer.

How long do boilers last?

A boiler model from a quality brand, like Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, or Viessmann, can last 15 years or more, given regular service and proper maintenance. Even budget brands can have quality appliances that survive over a decade.

A good way to tell how long the boiler will function without developing faults is to look at the warranty that comes with the boiler. Shorter warranties typically mean that the manufacturer expects some faults to appear at the end of the coverage period, whereas longer warranty terms indicate a higher level of confidence in the appliance on the manufacturer’s part.

How quickly does a landlord have to fix a boiler?

If your boiler requires emergency repairs — i.e. you’ve got no heating or hot water — your landlord is required to fix the appliance within 24 hours of being notified. Most landlords have a boiler cover plan for such emergencies, in which case you shouldn’t have to wait long to get the boiler up and running again.

However, note that the landlord is only responsible for repairing the appliance if you didn’t cause it to break; for example, if you attempted to make changes to, or replace the boiler components, the responsibility for repairing any  consequent damage would fall on your shoulders.

What’s more, performing any type of DIY fixes — apart, perhaps, from topping up the boiler or bleeding a radiator — would also void the warranty, something your landlord wouldn’t appreciate.

To summarise — if your boiler breaks, or you suspect that it’s faulty, contact your landlord right away.

What’s Next?

Thanks for reading our 3-minute guide to emergency boiler installation costs and timelines.

Got a question? Leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.