24/7 Commercial Boiler Breakdown & Emergency Repair

What to tell us (30 seconds)

Site name: the building, plant room or company.
Town or postcode, so we can tell you when an engineer can attend.
Fuel: gas, oil or LPG.
The fault: no heat, lockout, leak, no hot water, noise, or a smell of fumes.

Photos or a short video of the boiler display, the data plate and any leak, sent by WhatsApp to 07947 578332, help the engineer bring the right parts.

First, is it safe?

Smell of gas: leave the building, do not use switches, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Call us once the supply is safe.
Fumes, soot or a carbon monoxide alarm: switch the appliance off if it is safe to do so, ventilate, move people out and call us.
Water leaking in the plant room: if you can, switch off the boiler and isolate the leaking section or the cold feed, and keep water away from electrics.
Oil leak: switch off the boiler, close the oil supply valve at the tank and contain the spill.

What we treat as an emergency

Boiler lockout or no heat on commercial gas, oil or LPG plant, especially in care homes, schools and occupied buildings in cold weather
No hot water from commercial water heaters and calorifiers serving kitchens, washrooms and showers
Plant-room leaks: failed pumps, valves, heat exchangers and pipework, with make-safe first
Pressure loss that keeps locking the boilers out
Flue, fan and combustion faults that have shut the plant down
Commercial plumbing failures linked to the plant room, such as burst pipes or failed valves

Commercial boiler breakdown: how we respond

A commercial boiler breakdown is different from a domestic one. The building may be a school that has to open, a care home with residents to keep warm, or a warehouse where staff cannot work in the cold. That is why we treat every breakdown call the same way, day or night:

Triage on the phone. We ask for the site, fuel, boiler make, any fault or lockout code, and whether any other boilers or heaters are still running. That tells us whether the building has partial heat or none.
An ETA before anyone travels. You get an honest time based on where the site is and what is already booked, and the call-out rate is agreed up front.
Make safe first. If there is a gas, flue or water risk the engineer isolates and makes the plant safe before any fault-finding starts.
Get heat back where we can. On cascades and multi-boiler plant rooms we aim to get the healthy modules running while the failed one is diagnosed, so the building is not left cold while parts are sourced.
Fix or plan the fix. Common parts come on the van. If a part has to be ordered, you are told what failed, what it costs and when it can be fitted.

Breakdowns often trace back to a missed service. Once the plant is running again, ask us about commercial boiler servicing or planned maintenance. Local breakdown pages: Ipswich, Colchester, Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds.

What happens after you call

We take the details on the phone or WhatsApp thread, talk you through anything that should be switched off, and confirm when an engineer can attend. The engineer is Gas Safe registered (985448), and OFTEC trained for oil plant. On site they make the plant safe, find the cause and repair it where the part is available. If a part has to be ordered, we keep any healthy modules or boilers running where we can, so the building is not left cold while we wait. You get a written note of the fault and the work done.

The call-out rate is agreed when you call, and further work is quoted before it is done. Rates can be negotiated. Further afield than our usual area is possible if rates can be agreed.

Commercial boiler types we work on

Floor-standing commercial boilers, including pressure-jet and atmospheric burners in older plant rooms
Wall-hung modular and cascade condensing boilers, where several modules share a header and a sequence controller
Condensing boilers with their condensate traps, neutralisers and pumps
Oil-fired commercial boilers, worked on by OFTEC trained engineers
LPG commercial boilers on sites with no mains gas
Direct-fired water heaters and calorifiers serving kitchens, showers and washrooms
Warm air, radiant and unit heaters in workshops, warehouses and halls
Plant-room equipment: pumps, pressurisation units, expansion vessels, low-loss headers, valves and controls (see plant room repair)

We work on the common commercial makes, including Hamworthy, Ideal Commercial, Remeha, Baxi and Potterton Commercial, Worcester Bosch and Vaillant, as an independent engineer. We are not a manufacturer's appointed agent, so plant still under warranty should go to the manufacturer first. Full list: commercial boiler brands we work on.

After the emergency

Once the building has heat again, it is worth looking at why it failed. We can follow up with a commercial boiler service, a gas safety inspection, or a PPM schedule for larger sites. If the plant is at the end of its life, we will say so and quote for replacement. For the full repair guide, see commercial boiler repair.

Commercial gas safety

If you smell gas

Open doors and windows to let fresh air in.
Do not operate electrical switches (on or off), use naked flames or smoke.
Turn off the gas at the meter or emergency control valve (ECV) if it is safe to do so. In a plant room this may also be the emergency isolation button or valve by the door.
Get people out of the area, then call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 (24 hours, free).
Once the supply has been made safe, call us on 0800 0996 007 to find and repair the fault.

Carbon monoxide in boiler rooms and plant rooms

Carbon monoxide (CO) has no colour, smell or taste. We recommend an audible CO alarm (BS EN 50291) in or next to every boiler room and plant room, and in occupied rooms with gas appliances. Larger plant rooms often have a fixed gas and CO detection system linked to an automatic gas shut-off valve; it should be tested as part of the service.

Signs of CO to act on: headaches, dizziness, nausea, tiredness, confusion or breathlessness that ease when people leave the building; yellow or orange flames instead of blue; soot or staining around a boiler or flue; a pilot light that keeps going out. If you suspect CO, switch the appliance off if safe, ventilate, get people out into fresh air, seek medical advice, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Servicing, Gas Safe and records

Commercial gas boilers should be serviced at least once a year, ideally before the heating season. Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer and check their ID card: the back shows which types of gas work they are qualified for, including commercial (non-domestic) categories. Our Gas Safe registration number is 985448.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require employers and people in control of premises to keep gas appliances safe, and landlords of let residential accommodation (for example flats above shops or staff accommodation) to have an annual gas safety record. For commercial sites we record checks on the industry forms used for non-domestic work, such as the CP17 gas safety inspection record, and the CP42 for commercial catering kitchens. See our commercial gas safety inspection and commercial boiler servicing pages.

Compliance and paperwork

All gas work is carried out under our Gas Safe registration, number 985448. You can check any registration on the Gas Safe Register website. For commercial gas plant the work follows the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, which expect gas appliances at work to be kept in a safe condition, and the industry procedures for commercial installations (such as IGEM/UP/10 for flues and ventilation and IGEM/UP/1 for tightness testing on larger pipework).

After a visit you get a written record: what was found, readings taken, what was done and anything still outstanding. Where it is needed we issue commercial gas safety paperwork (often called CP15, CP17 or a landlord gas safety record) through our commercial gas safety inspection service. Oil-fired plant is handled by our OFTEC trained engineers. Risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) can be provided before work on sites that require them, such as schools, care homes and managed buildings.

Who we work for and where

Fast Commercial Boiler Help is commercial only. We look after plant rooms and heating for schools, care homes, offices, hotels, pubs and restaurants, factories and warehouses, churches and community halls and buildings run by landlords and managing agents. We are based at 4 Market Hill, Clare (CO10 8NN), with a team of over 10 local engineers to call on, and we cover Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, the wider East Anglia region including Norwich and Peterborough, and East London on a call-first basis. Further afield is possible if rates can be agreed, so call 0800 0996 007 with your postcode.

Questions we get asked

Are you really available 24/7?

Yes. Calls to 0800 0996 007 and WhatsApp messages to 07947 578332 are answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How quickly can an engineer attend?

It depends on where the site is and what is already booked. When you call, we tell you when an engineer can attend so you can plan around it.

Do you cover oil and LPG emergencies as well as gas?

Yes. Gas and LPG work is done under our Gas Safe registration 985448, and oil plant is handled by OFTEC trained engineers.

What does an emergency call-out cost?

The call-out rate is agreed on the phone before anyone travels, and parts and further work are quoted before they are done. Rates can be negotiated.

Do you attend domestic boiler emergencies?

No. We are commercial only: plant rooms, commercial boilers, water heaters and commercial heaters.

I can smell gas. Should I call you?

Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first and leave the building. Once the supply is made safe, call us on 0800 0996 007 for the repair.

What should I do while I wait for a commercial boiler breakdown engineer?

Note any fault or lockout code on the display, check whether other boilers or heaters are still running, and make sure the engineer can get into the plant room. Do not keep resetting a boiler that keeps locking out. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999 first.

Can you keep part of the building heated during a breakdown?

Often, yes. On cascade and multi-boiler plant rooms we try to get the working boilers running while the faulty one is repaired, so the site keeps some heat while parts are on order.

24/7 emergency commercial boiler repair: call 0800 0996 007 now