247 Rapid Response
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247 Rapid Response engineer attending an out-of-hours boiler callout from a branded van

Boiler repair & heating

No hot water from a combi boiler across London

The heating still warms the radiators, but you turn the tap and get nothing but cold water from your combi boiler. Across London and the M25, our Gas Safe registered engineers trace the fault, whether a stuck diverter valve, scaled heat exchanger, or failed flow switch, and aim to reach urgent jobs in 30 to 60 minutes.

30 to 60 min target response12-month guaranteeGas Safe Registered
30-60 MINResponse time
12 MOWorkmanship guarantee
FULLYInsured & accredited
24/7365 days a year

No hot water from a combi boiler that is otherwise running heating fine? The fault is almost always inside the appliance, the DHW plate heat exchanger, the diverter valve, or the flow switch. We carry the parts and the diagnostic kit to fix it the same visit.

A combi produces hot water on demand by sensing flow at the cold inlet (flow switch or turbine sensor), opening a diverter valve to route primary water through a secondary plate heat exchanger, and modulating the burner. When any of those three components fails the symptom is the same: heating still works, you turn the tap and get cold. A Worcester Greenstar Sensor F.6 often indicates a stuck diverter motor, a Vaillant ecoTEC F.27 a failed flame-sensing relay that won't allow DHW priority, an Ideal Logic L9 a furred-up secondary plate restricting flow.

Our engineers carry plate heat exchangers, diverter valve assemblies, flow switches, turbine sensors, and descaling rigs for Worcester Greenstar, Vaillant ecoTEC, Ideal Logic, Baxi DuoTec, Viessmann Vitodens, and Glow-worm Energy combis. We confirm the failed component with a multimeter and live data, then quote in writing. Where the plate is heavily scaled, we offer a Kamco flush to restore performance.

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When We Use This

Where this service applies

  • Combi boiler with full heating but no hot water at any tap, bath, or shower
  • Hot water runs lukewarm at the kitchen tap (typical sign of a scaled DHW plate heat exchanger)
  • Tap runs hot for ten seconds then goes cold (failing flow switch or turbine sensor)
  • Worcester Greenstar EA on DHW demand, Vaillant ecoTEC F.27 or F.62, Ideal Logic L9
  • Diverter motor audibly cycling but no temperature rise at the tap (stuck mechanical diverter)
  • Hot water only works at full flow, drops to cold at low flow (flow switch threshold drift)
  • Hard-water London postcodes (E, EC, SE, SW) where DHW heat exchangers scale faster
  • Boilers fitted without a scale reducer or Sentinel ProTec dose
Our Process

How we deliver

No surprises, no upselling. The exact path every job follows.

  1. 1
    Symptom and code capture
    We confirm whether heating still works, what error codes are stored, and whether the issue affects every tap or just one. That alone narrows the cause by more than half.
  2. 2
    Cold inlet flow check
    Bucket-test the cold supply to the boiler, typically 12 to 18 litres per minute. Low mains flow can mimic a flow-switch fault.
  3. 3
    Flow switch and turbine test
    Multimeter on the flow-switch terminals during a DHW demand. Verifies whether the boiler PCB is even seeing a tap-on signal.
  4. 4
    Diverter valve operation
    Listen and feel for the diverter motor stroking. If the motor moves but no temperature swap occurs, the mechanical diverter is stuck and the assembly is replaced.
  5. 5
    Plate heat exchanger inspection
    Inlet and outlet differential temperatures compared. A scaled DHW plate often shows 30 to 40 C drop across it rather than the expected 5 to 10 C.
  6. 6
    Repair, descale, or replace
    Diverter and flow switch typically replaced in 1 to 2 hours from van stock. A heavily scaled plate is descaled with Kamco rig or swapped for an OEM replacement.
  7. 7
    Inhibitor and protection
    Sentinel X100 inhibitor topped up to BS 7593 dose. Sentinel ProTec scale inhibitor offered in hard-water postcodes to protect the new parts.
  8. 8
    FGA and DHW sign-off
    Tap-side temperature checked at full flow and trickle. Flue gas analysis recorded. Written hand-over emailed.
Frequently Asked

Your questions answered

Why does my combi do heating but no hot water?
Three usual suspects: a failed diverter valve (the boiler cannot redirect primary flow to the DHW plate), a stuck flow switch or turbine sensor (the boiler does not see the tap-on signal), or a scaled secondary heat exchanger (flow is too low to trigger DHW priority). All three are routine same-visit repairs.
How much does a diverter valve replacement cost?
Diverter valve replacement on Worcester Greenstar, Vaillant ecoTEC, and Ideal Logic is priced per our published rate card (see full pricing), with labour from £75 / 30 min (daytime) up to £147 / 30 min (nighttime) (see /pricing) and parts at trade cost plus 30%, itemised. That covers labour, parts, system refill, inhibitor dose, and FGA. Quoted in writing before we start.
Can the DHW plate heat exchanger be cleaned instead of replaced?
Often yes, particularly on Worcester Greenstar and Ideal Logic units where the plate is bolted on externally. A Kamco descale rig can recover most of the original performance in 2 to 3 hours. Heavily scaled or pin-holed plates are replaced rather than descaled.
Why is my hot water lukewarm at one tap but hot at another?
That points to a tap-side fault rather than a boiler fault, usually a failed thermostatic mixing valve, a partially closed isolator, or a blended supply through an old basin mixer. We diagnose both ends to be sure before quoting a boiler repair you do not need.
Will fitting a magnetic filter or scale reducer help?
An Adey MagnaClean Pro2 or Fernox TF1 filter protects the heating side of the boiler from sludge but does nothing for DHW scale. For DHW protection in hard-water London areas, a Sentinel ProTec polyphosphate cartridge or a Calmag electrolytic scale reducer fitted on the cold mains feed is the right answer.
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Need a 24/7 emergency engineer?

30 to 60 minute response across every London borough. Gas Safe registered. 12-month workmanship guarantee.

FAQ

No hot water from a combi boiler: your questions

How fast can you reach me for no hot water from a combi boiler?
Typical on-site time is 30 to 60 minutes across the M25, subject to engineer availability and traffic. Live dispatch, never queued. Times quoted are best-effort targets, not contractual guarantees.
What does no hot water from a combi boiler typically cost?
Labour is one flat rate across London and the M25, billed per 30 minutes: from £75 / 30 min (daytime) up to £147 / 30 min (nighttime), with a one-hour minimum then 30-minute increments. There is no callout fee. Domestic prices shown inc VAT, no hidden extras. Fixed-price conversion available on most jobs after diagnosis. Full rate card.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes. No hot water from a combi boiler carries the same 12-month workmanship guarantee as every other boiler repair & heating job we do.
Are you Gas Safe registered?
Yes. Gas Safe Register number 972173. Verifiable live at gassaferegister.co.uk before our engineer walks in.

Need no hot water from a combi boiler now?

30 to 60 minute response across every London borough. Gas Safe registered. 12-month workmanship guarantee.