It’s true that boilers do turn on from time to time during the night. Combi boilers work best when the heat exchanger inside is kept warm, so it will need “topping up” a few times overnight to make sure you have instant hot water when you need it.

Why does my boiler start up randomly?

When the water pressure in your central heating system is too high, it can cause damage to system components, and the boiler will shut down for safety reasons. Once the coast is clear and the water pressure has dropped, the boiler will fire up again and initiate the pre-heat cycle.

Why is my boiler short cycling?





Boiler “short cycling” occurs when an oversized boiler quickly satisfies process or space heating demands, and then shuts down until heat is again required. Process heating demands can change over time.

Why does my boiler keep switching on and off?

If you have a combi boiler and it turns itself off every now and then, it’s probably the boilers ‘pre-heat’ function. This is perfectly normal and doesn’t indicate a fault with your boiler, your boiler is just turning itself on to pre-heat water so that it’s ready on demand when you need it.

How often should boiler cycle on and off?

On average, furnaces should kick on and turn off anywhere from three to eight times per hour. However, if your furnace turns on and off more frequently, don’t assume the furnace is short cycling just yet.

Why does my combi boiler keep coming on?

If you have a combi boiler, it will regularly turn itself on and off, especially in the winter. That’s because it provides hot water on demand, rather than overnight as with conventional boilers. So if the central heating thermostat tells the boiler to start up, it will.

Why does my heating come on when it’s switched off?





Radiators coming on when thermostat is off. If the anti gravity valve is broken or blocked and is not doing its job of stopping the natural convection process, it means heat will rise through your central heating system. Your radiators will be on, even though your thermostat is off.

How do you stop a short cycling boiler?

Adding thermal mass to the heating system will decrease the burner short cycling and this can be done by adding water volume to the system. A relatively easy way to add thermal mass is adding a “Buffer Tank”. A “Buffer Tank” is simply a tank of water.

How do I stop short cycling?

How To Stop and Prevent Short-Cycling

  1. Check your air filter. Believe it or not, a clogged air filter can cause a wide variety of air conditioning issues. …
  2. Check your thermostat placement. …
  3. Check your air conditioner’s refrigerant levels. …
  4. Replace the low-pressure control switch. …
  5. Check the compressor.

What is considered short cycling?



The phrase short-cycling itself comes from what people in the HVAC field call an air conditioner or heat pump system that becomes stuck in the start-up cycle, and turns on and off rapidly, without ever completing a full cooling cycle.

How often should boiler kick on?

3-8 times per hour

On average, furnaces should kick on and off anywhere from 3-8 times per hour. However, if your furnace does so more frequently, don’t assume it’s short cycling just yet.

How many hours a day should a boiler run?



A 24 kW boiler will use 24 kW of energy per hour. If your boiler is on for a total of five hours per day, your daily usage should be around 120 kWh. But if you’ve noticed an increase in your gas bill recently, your boiler could be using more gas than it should.

How long should my boiler run?

How long should a boiler run before it cycles off? And how long should it stay off before it cycles back on? The answers to these questions will of course vary from system to system. As a general rule, the combination of boiler run time and off time should never be any less than 10 minutes.

Why is my hive heating coming on at night?

First, this has been going on for longer than a year and faults are numerous. Second, valves need to be recalibrated when Hive issues an update, which takes up to four hours and the heating needs to be switched on. ‘Finally, the valves call for heat when they’re not supposed to – often in the middle of the night.

Why does my Vaillant boiler keep coming on?

This could be due to the comfort feature being active. This is displayed on the screen with a c symbol. Just turn the hot water control all the way to 0 then back to your desired temperature. The c symbol should now of disappear.

Why does my Vaillant boiler keep turning itself on and off?



There can be a number of reasons why your Vaillant boiler keeps turning off. It could be due to low water pressure, a faulty thermostat, a faulty water pump, air in the system or frozen condensate pipes. One of our engineers will be able to find the issue and quickly apply a solution for you.

Why does my Worcester boiler keep firing up when heating is off?

An Oversized Boiler –
If your boiler is too powerful for the demand your home puts on it, then you’ll likely notice it firing up and turning off frequently. The reason an equality between power and demand can cause boiler short cycling is because the boiler will produce more steam than it can condense.

What are common boiler problems?

10 Common boiler problems

  • Leaking.
  • Low boiler pressure.
  • No heating or hot water.
  • Frozen condensate pipe.
  • Radiator faults.
  • Boiler not responding to thermostat.
  • Gurgling, banging or whistling noises coming from your boiler.
  • Pilot light keeps switching off.

Can a boiler explode?

While historically, boilers would over-pressurise and explode with alarming regularity, modern boilers are manufactured to be able to withstand excessive pressure, and can typically handle an operating pressure of 20 PSI. When pressures increase beyond this level, the boiler can fail, which can lead to an explosion.

Why does my boiler fire up then cut out?



Your combi boiler firing up then cutting out is nothing to worry about. It is usually the result of its ‘preheat’ function. Basically, it’s a way of ensuring that hot water is ready to be used in the taps throughout your home.