Plumbing · Croydon, London
Central Heating Repair in Croydon
When the heating fails, the fault is rarely where you first assume. [Proper Plumber Croydon](/) takes your call on 07898 116196 at any hour and sends central heating faults to an independently owned local partner company, who work down the system in order, from the controls to the pump to the radiators, and tell you what they found before they quote.
That order matters because the symptoms overlap. A radiator that stays cold at the bottom points to sludge; one cold at the top points to trapped air; a whole circuit that never warms can be a seized pump or a motorised valve that has stuck shut. Replacing a part on a guess is how a £150 job becomes a second visit.
Published London prices give a feel for scale. Valve, thermostat and pump work typically falls between £120 and £280, a replacement circuit board between £200 and £450, and a straightforward fault-find with a minor fix often sits at £80 to £150. These are published ranges, not our quotes, and the partner company confirms the real figure in writing after looking at the system.
Croydon's water sets the background. Thames Water's Croydon East supply was 308 mg/l as calcium carbonate in 2025, very hard, so scale and magnetite build up in older circuits faster than in softer parts of the country. In the Victorian terraces around Addiscombe and Woodside, original pipework and decades of corrosion products are often the reason a circuit has gone sluggish.
A heating fault is also the right moment to ask whether the system is still worth repairing. Where the circuit is clean and the boiler sound, a repair is the sensible spend; where it is full of sludge, a proper flush protects whatever comes next.
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What We Do
Heating Faults We Trace and Fix
Most no-heat calls fall into three families, and the diagnosis is what tells them apart.
Cold Radiators and Uneven Heat
A radiator cold at the bottom is usually sludge, one cold at the top is trapped air, and one that heats only in the middle has a blockage forming. Bleeding is the free first step; a power flush or chemical clean to BS 7593 is the lasting one when the water runs black.
Pumps, Valves and Zone Controls
The pump moves the water and motorised valves decide which zones receive it. A seized pump hums without circulating, and a stuck valve leaves an upstairs or hot-water zone cold while the boiler fires. Both are common in hard-water circuits and are repairable parts, not reasons to replace the boiler.
Thermostats, Timers and Boiler Locking Out
A dead thermostat, a failed programmer or low system pressure can make a healthy boiler look broken. The partner company checks the controls and the pressure gauge first, because repressurising or replacing a thermostat costs far less than a boiler part.
The Benefits
How a Heating Fault Is Properly Diagnosed
Working in the right order saves a second visit and an argument about the bill.
Controls First, Then the Circuit
The visit begins at the thermostat and programmer, then checks pressure, pump and valves, then tests each radiator for temperature. That sequence isolates the fault without removing anything unnecessarily.
A Plain Account Before a Quote
The partner company tells you what failed, what they believe caused it and what the options are. A written quote follows, with the part, the labour and any flushing listed separately so you can see where the money goes.
Repairs Built to the Standard
Parts are fitted to the manufacturer's instructions, and any cleansing follows BS 7593 with inhibitor added afterwards. Work on the boiler itself keeps to the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and efficiency controls keep to Part L.
Good to Know
Heating Symptoms Worth Reporting
Telling us what you see makes the first visit shorter.
Signs of a Failing Circuit
Any of these warrants a call.
- Radiators cold at the bottom or in patches
- Black water when a radiator is bled
- Boiler firing but the house not warming
- Kettling or banging noises from the boiler
- Pressure dropping week after week
What to Check Before You Call
These take two minutes.
- Is the thermostat set above room temperature
- Is the programmer on and showing the right time
- Does the boiler pressure gauge read about 1 bar
- Are the radiator valves open on every floor
- Is there a fault code showing on the boiler
Why Us
Heating Help From East Croydon to Shirley
One line for every kind of heating fault, whatever the hour.
Terraces With Original Pipework
Victorian terraces around Lower Addiscombe Road and Woodside Green often carry pipework laid or altered across several decades. That makes sludge and weak circulation common, and it is why a diagnosis comes before any decision to replace radiators.
Interwar Semis and Their Tanks
The 1930s semis of Shirley and Monks Orchard commonly have a feed-and-expansion tank in the loft, which can freeze or overflow. The partner company checks it as part of the visit rather than leaving a ticking fault in the roof.
A Number That Stays on the Job
We text you the partner company's name before they arrive. They quote, repair, invoice and take payment directly, and if the fault returns you ring us and we chase it up.
If the diagnosis points to a failing boiler rather than a failing circuit, the page on emergency boiler repair covers what happens next, and boiler installation and replacement explains the larger decision. A leak found while bleeding radiators links to leak detection and repair, and a sudden loss of pressure with water on the floor is a burst pipe. We cover Addiscombe, South Norwood and Shirley. See all services.
What Central Heating Repair Covers
Central heating repair is the diagnosis and fixing of faults anywhere in a wet heating circuit apart from the boiler's own sealed gas components: the pump, motorised valves, thermostats, programmers, radiators, pipework, the expansion vessel and the feed tank in a tank-fed system.
Work on the boiler itself follows the manufacturer's instructions and the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. A smell of gas is a different matter entirely: call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and leave the property.
What Affects the Price of a Heating Repair
The Part and the Access
A radiator valve is cheap and quick; a motorised valve or pump behind a boxed-in run costs more in time. A written quote lists the part and the labour separately.
Whether the System Needs Cleansing
If the water is black, fitting a new part into a dirty circuit invites a repeat failure. Cleansing to BS 7593 and a magnetic filter add cost, but they stop the same fault returning within a season.
Keeping the Fault From Returning
A Filter and an Inhibitor
A magnetic filter on the return pipe catches the iron oxide that circulates in an old circuit, and inhibitor stops fresh corrosion starting. In very hard water they are a cheap safeguard, and a visit that clears a fault is the ideal time to add them.
Balancing and Bleeding
A system that heats unevenly may simply be out of balance, with the radiators nearest the boiler taking most of the flow. Balancing the lockshield valves on every radiator costs little and is often the whole cure for a cold back bedroom in a long Victorian terrace.
A Winter Habit
Check the pressure gauge monthly and bleed radiators when the heating first comes on in autumn. Noticing a slow pressure drop in October is far cheaper than discovering it on the coldest night.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does central heating repair cost in Croydon?
Published London figures put valve, thermostat and pump work at roughly £120 to £280, and a replacement circuit board at about £200 to £450. A simple fault-find with a minor fix often falls around £80 to £150. These are published ranges rather than our quotes, and the partner company gives a written price once they have found the actual fault.
Why are my radiators cold at the bottom but warm at the top?
That pattern normally means sludge has settled in the lower part of the radiator and is restricting flow. Hard Croydon water speeds up scale and magnetite build-up in older circuits. A power flush or chemical clean to BS 7593, followed by a magnetic filter and inhibitor, is the lasting fix, and the partner company will tell you if the radiator itself needs replacing.
Why is the top of my radiator cold?
Trapped air collects at the top and stops hot water filling the panel. Bleeding the radiator with a key releases it, and you should then check the boiler pressure and top it up to about 1 bar if it has dropped. If air keeps returning, there may be a leak or a corrosion problem that the partner company should trace.
My boiler is on but the house will not warm up. Why?
The usual causes are a seized pump, a stuck motorised valve, an air lock or a blocked circuit. The boiler is heating water but it is not reaching the radiators. The partner company tests the pump and valves before touching the boiler, so you do not pay for a part the system does not need.
Is a power flush worth it?
It is worth it when the system is full of sludge but the pipework is sound, and it is especially sensible before a new boiler goes on. It is not a cure for leaking or badly corroded pipework. The partner company should explain whether a flush is justified, quote it separately and follow BS 7593, including a filter and inhibitor afterwards.
How do I know whether I need a new pump?
A pump that hums without moving water, or radiators staying cold while the boiler fires, are the classic signs. Sometimes the pump is only stuck and can be freed; otherwise it is replaced. A pump swap in published London ranges sits inside the £120 to £280 band for pump and valve work. If the pump is only sticking, the partner company may free it and fit a new one only if that fails.
Why does my boiler keep losing pressure?
Falling pressure means water is going somewhere, whether through a weeping radiator valve, a leaking pipe joint, a faulty pressure relief valve or an expansion vessel that has lost its charge. Topping it up only hides the problem. The partner company checks each in turn and quotes in writing for the repair. Note how many days it takes to drop, since that rate helps the partner company judge how large the leak is.
Can you fix heating that only fails upstairs?
Yes. In a two-zone house, a stuck motorised valve, a failed zone thermostat or an air lock on the upper floor are the usual causes. In a Victorian terrace with extended pipework, a poorly balanced system can also starve the top radiators. The partner company diagnoses which it is before suggesting a fix. Ask them to balance the system at the same visit, because a correctly balanced circuit rarely starves the top floor again.
Will my old radiators need replacing?
Not necessarily. Many radiators can be flushed and bled back into good service. Replacement makes sense where a panel is badly corroded, leaking or too small for the room. A written quote lists any radiator replacement as its own line, so you can accept the flush alone if you prefer. A flushed and bled radiator often performs as well as a new one, at a fraction of the price.
Is heating repair covered out of hours?
The line is open 24 hours, so you can report a failure at midnight on a freezing night. The partner company may be able to attend out of hours for a no-heat emergency, and out-of-hours rates are usually higher. They confirm the charge in writing before starting, and we never promise an arrival time. Keep a note of the boiler fault code and the pressure reading, as that gives the partner company a head start.
Should I repair the system or replace the boiler?
Repair when the boiler is sound and the fault is a pump, valve or control. Consider replacement when the heat exchanger or circuit board has failed on an older boiler, or repairs keep recurring. The partner company will give an honest view, and the boiler installation page sets out what a replacement involves. Heating faults rarely justify a new boiler on their own, so the decision should rest on age, cost and reliability.
Do you work on underfloor heating or only radiators?
Radiator circuits are the core of the work, and the partner company can look at pumps, manifolds and controls on underfloor systems too. Buried pipework is a specialist matter, so the first visit diagnoses whether the fault is at the manifold, the controls or under the floor, and the quote reflects that. Be ready to say which rooms are affected and where the manifold is, because that narrows the search.
