FAQ's
Most machines have a timeclock or isolator switch either on the machine itself or placed on a wall or in a cupboard. Turn all the sections to OFF. (In the case of a Rayburn GD80 that is on permanently 'low' shut off the gas supply 1.5 hours prior to service.) Turn cooker and boiler thermostat dials to OFF. You can shut off the electricity supply but most programmers have a back up battery which may suffer as a result of prolonged shutdown. Vaporizing pot burners must be shut off at the oil metering valve or the oil supply. Consult your Users Manual for details.
If your programmer has gone blank and the machine is dead it may have overheated and shut off to protect itself. This normally means that a pump or valve has failed or the system is out of water. (Pressure gauge or header tank) Check for these problems before resetting.
RESET BUTTONS - Alpha Cookers in the centre of the control panel; Stanley Cookers - Superstar between the oven and boiler dials - Twin Brandon on the kickboard - under screw off black caps - Rayburn marked as reset or high limit. Consult your manual.
Rayburn - some models with conventional flue and the 400G Powerflue - also include a flue spillage thermostat which shuts the machine off in the case of combustion products not being taken away correctly.
Sometimes when a motorized valve or a pump fails or becomes waterlogged or water drips into the system electrics the fuse will blow. Only replace with a low amperage fuse. It may be the appliance at fault but it is more frequently something outside the appliance itself.
Normally this will be indicated by a lockout light. Consult your manual for instructions. Generally there are lockout reset buttons located on the kickboard or behind the burner door. Press to reset. If the lockout persists call an engineer. In the case of a TWIN BURNER OIL appliance if both burners are failing at the same time it is normally oil starvation. Do not keep restarting as this will draw air into the oil line and may cause problems later. Check the oil tank (don't necessarily believe the level indicator) and refill before restarting.
Unless otherwise stated in the manufacturers instructions all gas and oil burning appliances should be serviced annually. In the case of vapourising pot oil burners and Rayburn Oil Nouvelle this should be every six months
Normally this will be stated on a databadge inside a door or on a panel somewhere on the machine. Most manufacturers have a website that will give you information that you may be missing and pictures of your machine.
Normally this is a problem with a motorized valve failing or a pump failure. Sometimes it is possible to manually open the valve with a slider on the side. This may allow limited operation until an engineer arrives. It may also be either the thermostat on a wall or hot water cylinder.
Make sure that you have a working 'immersion heater' for hot water backup before the winter starts.
We cannot guarantee same day response to breakdowns. To help you cope in the event of range cooker or heating failure make sure that you have emergency heating and your back up hot water immersion is working (periodically replace) and you have an alternative cooking appliance such as a microwave or an electric kettle/ring.
You can call the National Grid they have a FREE 24/7 365 day emergency service to make you safe until an engineer can attend.
