Lots of people experience central heating problems and unfortunately they often create a great amount of frustration and inconvenience, which can lead to very cold winter nights and freezing showers.

Finding out what is causing your heating system to not work properly involves some investigation. Your first point of call should be the pilot light in your boiler. Most gas boilers have a little window so you can see the pilot light if this little flame is out this could be the cause of your problems.

A thermocouple is a sensor which delivers an electrical current this holds the solenoid valve open so the gas can flow. If the thermocouple is allowed to cool the electricity stops and the valve closes. As your boiler ages the thermocouple produces less electricity and eventually becomes so worn it shuts down your boiler. Fortunately it is relatively easy and cheap to fix and should cost no more than £50.00-£70.00 including parts and labour, depending on who you use.

Another problem which can involve the thermocouple is the appearance of a very small pilot light which can even go out at times. This can be caused by a gradual deposit build up

If you live in a house and the radiators upstairs do not heat up when the heating is turned on this could mean the pump is either broken or not working properly. The pump ensures the water can circulate upstairs by providing pressure.

A common issue many people suffer is the clock timer is set incorrectly, perhaps by mistake or due to a power outage. Sometimes the clock can be working correctly but the thermostat can be on too low.

If you here loud banging coming from your system it is probably time to bleed your radiators. You can usually pick a radiator key from most good DIY stores for a couple of pounds.

Another cause of banging noises can also be low amounts of water in the central heating system and either tightly or loosely fitted pipes banging as they heat up.

If your gas boiler is making a weird humming noise this could be due to the pump not being securely fitted.

Ideally your thermostat should be placed in a cold part of the house. However, if it is positioned near a hot electrical appliance it can make the thermostat think the temperature is warmer than it actually really is. In this case you might have to adjust your controls accordingly.

With regards to banging or popping noises in your gas boiler, this is usually caused by lime scale and corrosion debris becoming baked onto the inside of the heat exchanger. This is another common problem with low-water content wall-mounted gas boilers over about 10 years old. The problem is fixable and in some cases you can get a few more years out of an old boiler.

It is highly advisable to seek professional assistance where heating systems are concerned only employ a Gas Safe registered engineer to fix your problem.