What does Ideal boiler status 0 mean?
When ‘0’ is displayed on the boiler screen, it means that the boiler is in standby. This simply means the boiler is not receiving a demand for hot water or central heating, so it is in standby mode to save energy.
Demand for hot water or heating is received when the central heating system sends a message to the boiler to heat water. This is usually done by manually adjusting the temperature on the room thermostat, or automatically by the thermostat's timer setting.
Ideal boiler status 0 problems are rarely a cause for major concern, so it is extremely unlikely that it will result in a boiler replacement, but if your boiler is often in standby mode when there is, or should be, a demand for hot water, it will need further investigation.
If there is a demand, or there should be according to the thermostat or timer, and you still have an Ideal boiler status 0, then here are a few steps you should take before considering a boiler repair.
What should I do if I have an Ideal boiler status 0 issue?
Check if your boiler is working properly
If you’re receiving an Ideal boiler status 0 message, the first thing you should do is check if your boiler is actually working. To do this, manually turn on the central heating by increasing the temperature on the thermostat or by running a hot water tap. Doing either of the two should switch on your boiler and, in turn, take it out of standby mode. Wait a while and see if your radiators and hot water are heating up. If you have done so and there is no hot water or heating, then there may be an issue with your boiler that will need to be inspected by a boiler engineer.
Avoid unexpected costs.
With a Smart Plan cover policy, you can rest easy knowing if there's an issue with your boiler, we'll usually have you back up and running within 48 hours.
Check your thermostat is turned on
If you're receiving an Ideal boiler status 0, you should check that your thermostat is turned on. During the summer months, we often turn off our thermostats as central heating is rarely needed. By the time winter comes around again, you may be expecting your heating to turn on at a certain time but forget that you turned off the thermostat a few months ago.
Check your thermostat's temperature settings
If your thermostat is on and you’re still seeing an Ideal boiler status 0, the next thing you should do is check the temperature on your thermostat. Your thermostat needs to be set at a high enough temperature in order to send a demand for heating to your boiler. If the temperature in the room is higher than what the thermostat is set to, then there won’t be a need for it to request the boiler to heat water for your radiators. Turn up the thermostat and see if your boiler turns on and goes out of standby mode.
Check your thermostat's time and timer settings
Your thermostat may be set to activate the boiler at a certain time of the day. If that time has come and your boiler is still in standby mode, then maybe the time or timer settings have been changed.
Go through your thermostat’s settings and check if the time is set correctly and if the timer settings are what they should be. If not, change them accordingly.
If you or nobody else in your property adjusted the time or timer settings, then here are two common reasons why they may have changed:
1. The power has been turned off and back on again
If your thermostat is connected to your property’s mains electricity supply, and a power cut occurs, it will reset the time on the thermostat, which in turn will reset all the timer settings. This also applies if your thermostat is battery powered; the batteries may have been knocked out slightly and then knocked back in.
The thermostat will not automatically instruct the boiler to heat up water until you set the time and timer again.
2. British Summer Time has began or ended
At the end of British Summer Time (BST), the clocks go back an hour. If you haven’t adjusted the time setting on your thermostat accordingly, then it will demand hot water an hour later than you expect. Always remember to change the time on your thermostat at the start and end of BST.
Reset your boiler
If you have tried the above methods and are still having an Ideal boiler status 0 issue, reset your boiler and see if this resolves it.
Boilers are controlled by a tiny computer that sends signals to other parts of the boiler to carry out different functions. Sometimes, the computer in the boiler can crash and may need to be rebooted in order to work correctly again. To do this, you will need to reset your boiler.
Here's how to reset different Ideal boiler models
| Ideal boiler model | How to reset |
|---|---|
| Ideal Logic | Turn the knob to the marked reset position |
| Ideal Logic+ | Press the reset button once |
| Ideal Vogue and Ideal Vogue Max |
|
| Ideal Mexico HE | Press and hold the reset button for 2 seconds and release |
| Ideal Isar | Press and hold the reset button for 2 seconds and release |
| Ideal Icos | Press and hold the reset button for 2 seconds and release |
| Ideal Mini | Press the reset button once |
What should I do if I still have an Ideal boiler status 0 issue?
Have your boiler serviced
Annually servicing your boiler will highlight issues that may cause an Ideal boiler status 0 to display when it should not.
Even if you do not have any apparent boiler issues, you should always get an annual boiler service as it will help to prolong the life of your boiler, keep it running safely and improve its efficiency. Having an energy efficient boiler will lower your heating costs over time as it’ll cost less to run.
A faulty boiler can be incredibly dangerous, so during a service, the engineer will carry out a safety check to spot any potential hazards and give homeowners peace of mind knowing that their boiler is safe to operate.
Servicing your boiler once a year is also a requirement if you want to keep your Ideal boiler warranty valid.
For more information on Ideal boilers warranties, click here.
Give your boiler a service.
Make sure you don't invalidate your warranty. Call Smart Plan to get a boiler checkup to see if everything is in good working order.
If your boiler is still under warranty, contact Ideal boilers
If you have tried everything listed in this article and you still have an Ideal boiler status 0 issue, and your boiler is still under warranty, you should contact Ideal boilers. If you have complied with the terms and conditions, they will send out an engineer to deal with the issue and fix it free of charge.
Call a Gas Safe registered engineer
If Ideal boiler status 0 issues are still happening and your boiler isn’t under warranty, there may be a fault inside the boiler that only a Gas Safe registered engineer will be able to find. Gas safe engineers are the only people that are legally permitted to carry out boiler repairs on a gas appliance such as your boiler. A GSF engineer will be able to get to the bottom of the problem and suggest the next course of action to rectify the issue.
Click here for a look at other Ideal boiler fault codes and how to resolve them.
