No hot water or heating after an electrical fault
Quick answer
When hot water or heating stops after an electrical fault, the usual cause is a tripped circuit feeding the immersion heater or boiler. Check the fuse board and the switched spur near the appliance, reset once, and if it trips again call an electrician on 07703 295654.
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Why it has stopped
Immersion heaters and boilers sit on their own circuits, and both are common casualties when an RCD trips or a fuse blows. The heating element itself can also fail and take the circuit down with it, which is why the trip often comes back when you reset it.
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What is safe to check
Look at the fuse board for a breaker that is off, often labelled immersion, water heating or boiler, and reset it once. Then find the switched spur near the cylinder or boiler, a small wall switch usually with a neon light, and make sure it is on.
Gas boilers still need electricity. If the display is dead, the fault is electrical even though the boiler burns gas.
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When to call an electrician
Call us if the circuit trips again after one reset, if the spur or its faceplate smells hot or is discoloured, or if the board shows nothing wrong but the appliance is still dead. A failed immersion element leaks current and will keep taking the RCD down until it is disconnected.
Do not keep resetting and never bypass anything to get the water hot. A cold shower is cheaper than a rewire.
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What we do when we arrive
We test the circuit, isolate a failed element or repair the wiring fault, and get the rest of the house stable. If a new element or a heating engineer is the real fix, you will know before you spend anything more.
Related questions
Why has my immersion heater stopped working?
Most often the element has failed or its breaker has tripped. If resetting the breaker trips the RCD again, the element is likely leaking to earth and needs disconnecting and replacing.
Can an electrician fix a boiler?
We fix the electrical supply to the boiler: the fused spur, the wiring, the controls wiring and the circuit. Faults inside a gas boiler are for a Gas Safe engineer, and we will tell you which one you need.
I live in an all-electric flat with no heating or hot water. Is that an emergency?
For many people, yes, especially with children, elderly relatives or in winter. Call us: we can usually isolate the fault and restore heat or hot water the same visit.