Looking after your home

Sometimes resetting your boiler is all it takes to get it working again.

How to reset your boiler:

1. Push the reset button for up to 10 seconds
2. Wait 2-3 minutes for the boiler to start back up
3. Repeat it twice if the first go fails
4. If it still fails to fire up on the third go, double-check the gas supply is on.

Struggling to understand your boiler? Find the manual here. Boilers can stop working if the pressure is too low. If the pressure gauge reads below one you’ll need to repressurise it. This YouTube video explains how to do this.

If resetting and repressurising the boiler doesn’t work, you need to contact us to report a repair. The boiler will show a fault code on the display screen, make a note of this so you can let us know what it says. 

You shouldn’t have to reset or repressurise your boiler often, so if it keeps going off get in touch to report a repair.

1. Make sure that the electricity is turned off first – just flick the switch on the fuse box to ‘off’.
2. Let the bulb cool before touching it.
3. Take the bulb out of the socket and carefully fit the new one in. Depending on your fitting it might be a screw bulb, bayonet cap or a G9 or GU10 bulb. Most lightbulbs have instructions in the box if you’re not sure how to fit it.
4. Once it’s fitted, flick the fuse box switch back to 'on' and test your bulb.

If your toilet seat is broken, cracked or feels loose, then you can change it. All you need to do is:

1. Remove the bolts that hold the toilet seat to the actual toilet and lift the seat away – you’ll need to unscrew them with a screwdriver.
2. Line up your new seat and attach the seat to the toilet with the new fittings and slot the bolts through the toilet fixture holes. You might need some pliers to do this.

Prefer to watch a video? This handy video walks you through what to do.

You need to bleed your radiators if you notice any of these common problems.

• The top is cold
• The entire radiator is cold
• They’re rattling or making gulping and gurgling noises

If your radiators are working, it’s still a good idea to bleed them once a year to prevent any problems.

What you’ll need:

• Radiator key
• Bucket or mug
• Old cloth or towel
• Safety gloves

How to do it:

1. Start with the radiator on the lowest floor and the furthest away from the boiler.
2. Pop your radiator key in the valve at the top of the radiator. Hold your old cloth or your bucket/mug just under this and slowly turn the key anti-clockwise until you hear a hissing noise.
3. When the hissing stops and it’s just water coming out, tighten up the valve again by turning the key clockwise.
4. Repeat on all your radiators.
5. Turn the central heating back on and check to make sure that each radiator has heated up evenly.
6. Check your boiler pressure as sometimes bleeding your radiators can make the pressure drop. If you need to repressurise your boiler, you can follow these instructions.

Watch this handy video on how to bleed a radiator.

Understanding how your heating system, boiler or solar panels work can be tricky. Find the user guides and manuals here.

If you've got an air source heat pump in your home, you shouldn't need to make any tweaks, but you can find the user guides in one handy place here. 

Head to our health and safety area to find out more about how to stay safe at home. We’ve got lots of info on gas, water, electricity, asbestos and fire safety.

Kitchens – every 20 years

Bathrooms – every 30 years

Boilers – every 13 years

Windows – every 40 years

Fencing – every 15 years

We also refurbish roofs, doors, paths and radiators too.

If you have any minor cracks and holes, then they’re your responsibility to repair as part of general preparation for decorating.

If you think the cracks are more serious, get in touch and we’ll chat to you about what happens next. We could send a surveyor to inspect the condition of the walls and advise what needs doing.

Draughts can make your house feel cold and you could end up spending more on heating. There are a few quick and easy things you can do to keep draughts out.

First of all, find where the draught is coming from. Usually, you’ll find draughts around your doors, letterbox, windows or loft.

Cover the gaps and openings to the outside.

• For windows, you can use self-adhesive foam, metal or plastic strips.
• For doors and letter boxes, you can use internal brushes. Draught excluders are another option for doors too (and you can get some really cute designs from snakes to foxes!).

Your house does need some air flowing through to stop it from getting damp so make sure you don’t block:

• Ventilators
• Extractor fans
• Chimney openings
• Trickle vents to windows, where fitted

And, don’t draught-proof rooms where there’s:

• Already condensation and mould growth
• A gas cooker or fuel-burning heater.