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Emergency boiler repair in Edinburgh

No heating, no hot water, and you need somebody today. The call-back request goes straight to a vetted local Gas Safe registered engineer covering Edinburgh and the Lothians, including evenings and weekends.

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Is it an emergency, or can it wait until morning?

A boiler that has stopped completely in winter is an emergency. So is a boiler that is leaking water, one that smells of fumes or shows a flame-failure fault, and any failure in a household with a baby, a disabled or older resident, or someone whose condition the cold makes worse.

What is not an emergency: a boiler that still heats the house but is noisier than it was, a slow drip from a valve, a radiator that is cold at the bottom, or a fault code that comes and goes. Those matter, but they can be booked into a normal working day at a normal rate.

Two minutes of checks before you call anyone

These fix a real share of winter call-outs, and they cost nothing:

  • Read the pressure gauge. A combi usually wants 1.0 to 1.5 bar when cold. If it is at zero, there is a leak or a failed relief valve and topping it up will not fix it.
  • Look at the condensate pipe. The white plastic pipe running outside freezes in a hard Scottish frost and locks the boiler out. Pouring warm water along it often restores things in minutes. Never use boiling water.
  • Check the thermostat and programmer. Batteries, a switched-off timer and a schedule that has reset after a power cut account for more "broken boilers" than you would think.
  • Try the reset button once, following the manual. If it locks out again immediately, stop pressing it and call someone.
  • Check the hob. If that lights normally, gas is reaching the property and the fault is the boiler, not the supply.

Smell gas? Do not touch electrical switches and do not use a phone indoors. Open the windows, turn the gas off at the meter if you can reach it safely, leave the property, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside. That line is free and answered 24 hours a day. It is the national emergency line, not our number.

What happens when you ask for a call-back

You leave a phone number and what the boiler is doing. That goes to a vetted local Gas Safe registered engineer, who rings you back, asks a few questions to work out how urgent it is, and tells you their soonest realistic slot and their out-of-hours rate. You agree the price with them before any work starts, and you are free to say no.

Emergency work is usually more expensive than the same job booked for a weekday, and it is fairer to say that up front than to let it come as a surprise. If the fault turns out to be something you could have fixed yourself — a frozen condensate pipe is the classic — a good engineer will tell you so rather than charge you for the privilege.

While you wait

If the heating is off in winter, keep the property above freezing. Leave a tap dripping slightly so the pipes do not freeze, close the doors on the rooms you are not using, and keep one room warm with a safe electric heater if you have one. Do not use an oven or a barbecue indoors for heat, and do not run a portable heater unattended.

If you are a landlord and the boiler has failed, the repair is your responsibility, and how quickly you must act depends on what your tenancy says and on whether the property is left without heating or hot water. Tenants should be told what is happening rather than left to chase.

Questions

Is my boiler problem an emergency?
If the boiler has stopped and the house has no heating or hot water in winter, treat it as an emergency, particularly if there is a baby, an older person, or anyone whose health the cold makes worse in the property. A boiler that still heats the radiators but is noisy, or one that is dripping slowly, can normally wait until the next working day.
What should I check before I call anyone?
Four things take two minutes and fix a surprising share of winter call-outs: the pressure gauge, the condensate pipe, the thermostat batteries, and the boiler's own reset button. Details are on this page. If none of them brings the boiler back, get an engineer.
My condensate pipe is frozen, is that an emergency?
It is a genuine no-heat failure, and often the answer is a jug of warm water rather than a repair. The pipe is usually the white plastic one running outside to a drain. Pour warm water — never boiling — along its length, then reset the boiler. If it does not come back, the boiler needs an engineer.
How quickly can an engineer get to me?
Nobody honest will promise a time before they know the fault and where you are. The call-back reaches a vetted local Gas Safe registered engineer covering Edinburgh and the Lothians, and they will tell you their earliest realistic slot when they ring you.
Does an out-of-hours call-out cost more?
Usually, yes. Evening, weekend and public holiday rates are higher than weekday rates, and that is standard across the trade rather than something to avoid. Ask the engineer for their out-of-hours rate on the phone, before they set off, so there is no surprise.
I can smell gas — is that the same thing?
No, and it is more serious. Do not use this form and do not wait for a call-back. Open the windows, do not touch electrical switches, turn the gas off at the meter if you can reach it safely, leave the property, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside. That line is free and answered 24 hours a day.

Need an engineer today?

Leave your number and the fault. We pass it to a vetted local Gas Safe registered engineer, who calls you back to arrange the work.

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