Makes we repair
Which Classic do you have?
An older Ideal Classic is Ideal's wall-hung regular boiler, made from 1991 to about 2011. Ideal built it for a heating system with a hot water cylinder and a tank in the loft. A Classic's controls sit behind a door at the bottom of the front, under a small round window that shows the flame. On an LX, a glass fascia lifts up over them. These are the ranges, by the letters and size in the model's name:
Classic RS and NF (RS30 to RS60, NF30 to NF80)
Made
Up to about 1994
How to tell it
RS or NF and the size in the model's name
Still made?
No longer made
Classic RS 2 and LX RS (RS230 to RS260, and the RS245P and RS255P for propane)
Made
Up to about 2001
How to tell it
No fan, and a pilot flame that stays lit, lit by hand with a gas knob and an igniter button. On an LX, a glass fascia that lifts up over the controls
Still made?
No longer made
Classic FF2, LX FF and FF2 Slimline (FF230 to FF280, and the FF2 100)
Made
Up to about 2001
How to tell it
A fan and a fanned flue, and it lights itself. On an LX, the glass fascia
Still made?
No longer made
Classic M (M3050 and M5080)
Made
Up to about 2001
How to tell it
A fan, and it lights itself with a spark
Still made?
No longer made
Classic FF3 and FF3 Slimline (FF330 to FF380 and the FF3100, and the long-flue FF340LF to FF360LF)
Made
Up to about 2003
How to tell it
A fan and a fanned flue, and it lights itself
Still made?
No longer made
Classic RS 3 (RS330 to RS360)
Made
Up to about 2003
How to tell it
Room-sealed, with no fan
Still made?
No longer made
Classic SE FF and SE FF Slimline (SE9 to SE30 FF, and SE9 to SE18 FF Slimline)
Made
About 2003 to 2011
How to tell it
A fan and a cast iron heat exchanger, and it lights itself. Some come in a silver finish, the Silver Effect
Still made?
No longer made
Classic SE RS (SE9 to SE18 RS)
Made
About 2003 to 2005
How to tell it
A balanced flue and no fan, and it lights itself
Still made?
No longer made
Classic HE (HE9 to HE18, and the HE15P and HE18P for propane)
Made
About 2005 to 2011
How to tell it
The condensing Classic, with a fan and a white plastic condensate pipe at the lower right rear
Still made?
No longer made
Not the old Classic? Ideal used the name again for combis:
- the Classic 24, 30 and 35, the first made in 2014
- the Classic 2, which the government's boiler database lists as still made
A combi gives hot water straight from the boiler, with no cylinder. The older Classic heats a cylinder, with its controls behind the door at the bottom. See how a regular boiler differs from a combi.
Every Classic the government's boiler database lists hangs on the wall and is room-sealed, and none is a back boiler. Not a Classic? Try every Ideal boiler and how each shows a fault, or every make we repair, by type.
Sources: Ideal's user guides and installation manuals for the Classic ranges, its consumer cards, a press release of 2005, its parts site, and the government's boiler database.
Ideal Classic faults, by what you see
An older Ideal Classic shows no fault codes and no fault lights. Its faults show by what the boiler does. On an SE or an HE, two small lights on the main board, inside the control box, are for the engineer with the case off:
- I3 shows the board has power.
- SG1 flashes while the spark works, stopping once the flame is found.
The first seven panels below are the faults Ideal's user guides explain to owners, each with the engineer's checks in the manuals' order. The last panel holds the rest.
A Classic that won't come on at all
What it means: A Classic that won't come on gives no heating and no hot water. The manuals' fault chart starts with whether the main board has power.
Possible causes, as the manuals list them:
- the electricity supply or a fuse
- the programmer, or the room or cylinder thermostat, not calling for heat
- the plug and socket
- on an HE, the condensate pump and a blocked condensate pipe
- a tripped or failed overheat thermostat
The next checks are for an engineer:
- the fan
- a sensor
- the fuse on the main board
- the pressure switch's leads
- the limit thermostat
- on an HE, the flue protection thermostat
What you can do:
- See that the boiler's on/off switch is on. An SE RS has no switch, so turn its thermostat up.
- See that the programmer and thermostats are calling for heat.
- Press the overheat reset button, once.
- On an HE, look at the condensate pipe outside.
If the fault comes back, or none of that brings the boiler on, ring us. Ideal's guides say a boiler with a known or suspected fault mustn't be used until it is put right. We'll ask which Classic you have.
The Classic's overheat cut-out keeps tripping
What it means: The Classic's safety cut-out has shut the boiler down because it got too hot. On an RS230 to RS260, the cut-out puts the pilot out too.
Possible causes, as the manuals list them: the engineer resets the cut-out, sets the boiler's thermostat to its highest and lets the boiler heat up. If it trips again, the water leaving the boiler is measured:
- above 90 degrees points to the boiler's control thermostat
- below 90 points to the overheat thermostat, which is also replaced if it won't reset once cold
On a sealed system, the guides pair low pressure with the overheat reset.
What you can do: let the boiler cool and press the overheat reset button, once. Then light the boiler again by the user guide's steps, in the reset and lighting section below.
If it trips again, turn the boiler off and ring us. Never hold the button in, wedge it or get round it. A safety device put out of action is classed Immediately Dangerous.
A Classic that tries to light, but won't fire
What it means: A Classic that won't fire goes through its lighting, with the fan and the spark, but no flame comes. Or, on a Classic with a pilot, the pilot lights and the main burner doesn't.
Possible causes, as the manuals list them:
- no gas
- a blocked pilot injector
- the pilot's and the main gas valve's leads crossed
- no power reaching the pilot's gas valve, or a fault on the main board
- a spark that carries on once the pilot is lit, from the live and neutral or the ignition lead
- a main burner that won't light from the pilot (the power at the main gas valve, its injector or its solenoid)
- on a Classic with a fan, the pressure switch's sensing pipes, the S trap or the fan
What you can do: see whether another gas appliance, such as the cooker, works. If none does, Ideal's guides say it is the gas supply, not the boiler, and send you to your gas supplier. A pilot that is lit, with the igniter still sparking and no main burner, is a wiring fault, not a boiler fault. The guides put it down to the live and neutral crossed in the supply.
If the gas is on and the Classic still won't fire, ring us.
Losing pressure, on a Classic with a sealed system kit
What it means: A Classic with a sealed system kit has a pressure gauge. A reading that has fallen below its set point, or keeps falling, means a leak. Most Classics have no gauge at all, Ideal's consumer card shows. They run on an open system with a tank in the loft.
What you can do: the gauge should read at least 1 bar. If it is lower, top up at the filling loop to 1 bar, turn the filling loop's tap off, then press the overheat reset button. Never run the boiler if the pressure has fallen to zero.
If you can't top it up, or the pressure keeps dropping, ring us. We'll ask what the gauge shows.
Short bursts of firing with the pump running: an air lock (SE FF and HE)
What it means: The fan and burner on a Classic SE FF or HE come on for short spells while you can hear the pump. That is an air lock. Air in the boiler or the pipes makes the interrupter thermostat keep shutting the boiler down.
What you can do: bleed the radiators, and open every thermostatic radiator valve, as Ideal's guides say.
If the air lock won't clear, ring us.
A Classic HE's condensate pipe, blocked or frozen
What it means: A Classic HE, the condensing Classic, drains water from its flue gases through a plastic pipe. Debris or ice in that pipe can shut the boiler down by itself.
What you can do: if the pipe outside is in reach, pour hot water over it, never boiling. Clear any blockage from its end, as the user guide says. Never change or block the condensate drain.
If that doesn't free it, or you can't reach the pipe, ring us. See the safe checks for a boiler that won't fire up.
The pilot keeps going out on a Classic RS230 to RS260
What it means: On a Classic RS230 to RS260 or LX RS, the pilot flame stays lit all the time to light the main burner. When the pilot goes out, the boiler stops. The overheat cut-out puts the pilot out too, when it trips.
What you can do: ring us, as relighting a pilot is a gas step for a Gas Safe registered engineer. See how the pilot is lit, further down this page.
If the pilot keeps going out, turn the boiler off and ring us. The Health and Safety Executive lists pilot lights that often go out among the signs of a boiler burning badly, which can make carbon monoxide. A pilot like that needs an engineer, not relighting again and again. If you smell gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, don't relight anything. Ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
MoreEvery other sign on a Classic, and the lights inside it
The other signs on a Classic come from the troubleshooting tables in Ideal's user guides. These cover the HE, the SE FF, the SE FF Slimline and the SE RS. The two lights on the main board come from their installation manuals. The lights are inside the control box, for the engineer with the case off.
Heating works, but no hot waterA control isn't calling for hot water
What Ideal's papers give
The programmer's hot water setting, then the cylinder thermostat, turned fully up to test it. If nothing happens, ring us
Hot water works, but no heatingA control isn't calling for heating
What Ideal's papers give
The programmer's heating setting, then the room thermostat, turned fully up to test it. If nothing happens, ring us
The pilot is lit, the igniter keeps sparking, and the main burner won't lightThe live and neutral are crossed in the boiler's supply
What Ideal's papers give
Not a boiler fault, Ideal's guides say. The wiring is put right
Light I3, on the main board inside the control boxThe board has mains power
What Ideal's papers give
The engineer's first check. If it isn't lit, the supply and fuses, the programmer and thermostats, the plug and socket, then the overheat thermostat
Light SG1, on the main board, flashingThe spark is working, and the flashing stops once the flame is found
What Ideal's papers give
With SG1 sparking but no spark at the burner, the electrode's gap, the electrode and its lead. With no spark from SG1, its connections, then the main board
Each panel's causes follow the manuals' order, and aren't ranked by how often they happen.
Sources: Ideal's user guides and installation manuals for the Classic ranges, from 1999 to 2005, from archived copies of Ideal's own site, read on 11 and 12 October 2026, with the gas industry's unsafe situations procedure and HSE's guidance on carbon monoxide.
How do you reset a Classic, and light it again?
A Classic is reset with its overheat reset button, then lit again by its user guide's steps, which differ by range. Reset once.
The overheat reset: let the boiler cool and press the overheat reset button behind the controls door. Then light the boiler again as below. If it trips again, turn the boiler off and ring us. Never hold the button in or get round it.
A Classic that lights itself: these steps are for the SE FF and SE FF Slimline and the HE. They also suit the FF230 to FF280 and the FF330 to FF380.
- With the electricity to the boiler off, open the controls door. On an LX, lift the glass fascia and rest it on its catch.
- See that the gas tap to the boiler is open.
- Press the overheat reset button, where one is fitted.
- Set the on/off switch to off.
- Switch the electricity on, with the programmer and thermostats on.
- Then turn the thermostat knob to 6 and the switch on.
- About 15 seconds later the boiler lights by itself, and the flame shows in the window.
- Set the thermostat, and close the door.
An SE RS has no on/off switch, so turn its thermostat to 6.
The pilot on a Classic RS230 to RS260 or LX RS is lit by hand, by the user guide's steps. Those steps include a 3-minute wait after the gas is turned off. Relighting a pilot is a gas step, so ring us, and a Gas Safe registered engineer will relight it and find why it went out.
If the pilot won't stay lit, or the boiler won't light, ring us. What to try when a boiler won't fire up lists the safe checks.
Pressure belongs to a sealed system kit. Most Classics run on an open system with a tank in the loft, and have no pressure gauge. Where yours has one, it should read at least 1 bar. If it reads less, top up at the filling loop to 1 bar, turn its tap off and press the overheat reset button. Never run the boiler at zero, and ring us if the pressure keeps falling.
If you smell gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, don't relight anything. Ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
Sources: Ideal's user guides for the HE, the SE FF and SE FF Slimline, the SE RS, the LX RS and RS 230 to 260, and the FF2 and FF3 ranges, with its consumer cards.
Is a Classic worth repairing?
An older Classic can be worth repairing. Age alone doesn't settle it. These three things do:
- if the part can be had
- the repair's rate, set against a new boiler
- how often the Classic has failed
The choice is yours.
Age: the last Classic regular boilers were made in about 2011, so the newest is about 15 years old. An RS 2 or FF2 is about 25. Ideal says a regular boiler that is well looked after generally lasts 15 to 20 years.
Parts: Ideal's own parts site has withdrawn key Classic parts:
- the heat exchangers of every range, between 2016 and 2020
- control boxes, burners and casings
- in February 2026, the main board, with no replacement
Other parts, such as the gas valve and the ignition electrode, are still listed. Ideal's guides ask for spare parts to its own specification, never reconditioned or copied parts it hasn't authorised. The engineer tells you whether a genuine part can be had before any repair is agreed. We're an independent firm, and have no connection with Ideal.
The other road is a new boiler. We fit new boilers too, sized with a heat loss calculation, and quote from photos of the old boiler or after a free survey visit. What a new boiler includes, and how the day goes is set out in full. Ideal says moving from a regular boiler to a system or combi boiler usually reuses most of the pipework. Still weighing it up? We'll ask what your Classic is doing when you ring.
Sources: Ideal's parts site, the spare parts notes in its user guides, and its advice on when to replace an old boiler.
15% off a new boiler, fitted
The 15% comes off the price of a new boiler installation. We quote from photos of your old boiler, or after a free survey visit. Now is the time to replace an old or discontinued boiler.
Terms: 15% off everything in the price we quote for a new boiler installation. That means the boiler, its flue and controls, and the fitting. The offer is for installations booked by 31 December 2026. One offer per home, and not with any other offer.
Do you cover my part of London?
Yes: we travel all over Greater London, day and night, to repair older Ideal Classics in every borough, north and south of the Thames. We fit new boilers in their place too. Pick your side of the river to see the areas.
North of the river
Every borough north of the Thames: Barnet and Enfield at the top, Hillingdon in the west, Havering in the east, and central London in between.
South of the river
Every borough south of the Thames: Richmond and Kingston in the west, Bexley in the east, and down through Croydon to Sutton and Bromley.
Ideal Classic: your questions
Is my Classic the old regular boiler or a Classic 2 combi?
Your Classic is the older regular boiler if it heats a hot water cylinder. The older boiler's controls sit behind a door at the bottom of the front. The Classic 24, 30 and 35, and the Classic 2, are combis, giving hot water straight from the boiler with no cylinder. We repair both, and we'll ask which you have when you ring.
Does an Ideal Classic have fault codes?
No, an older Ideal Classic has no fault codes and no fault lights for its owner. Its faults show by what the boiler does, such as not coming on, tripping its overheat cut-out, or trying to light and not firing. Two lights on the main board, inside the control box, are for the engineer. We'll ask what the boiler is doing when you ring.
How do I reset the overheat cut-out on an Ideal Classic?
The overheat cut-out on an Ideal Classic is reset in three steps:
- Let the boiler cool.
- Press the overheat reset button behind the controls door.
- Then light the boiler again by its user guide's steps.
Reset once. If the cut-out trips again, turn the boiler off and ring us, and never hold the button in or get round it.
How do I relight the pilot on an Ideal Classic?
The pilot on an Ideal Classic RS230 to RS260 or LX RS is relit by hand, as its user guide shows. The guide has you wait 3 minutes after the gas is turned off. Relighting a pilot is a gas step, so ring us. A Gas Safe registered engineer relights it and finds why it went out. The SE, HE and FF Classics light themselves when switched on.
Is the Ideal Classic discontinued?
Yes, the older Ideal Classic is no longer made. Ideal's parts site gives the last ranges, the SE FF and the HE, as ending production about 2011. Ideal's literature page of 2017 grouped older Classic guides as discontinued. The Classic 2, a combi with the same name, is a newer boiler. Wherever the part can be had, we repair every Classic.
Can you still get Ideal Classic parts?
Ideal Classic parts depend on the part. Ideal has withdrawn key ones, among them the heat exchangers and, since February 2026, the main board with no replacement. Others, such as the gas valve, are still listed on its parts site. The engineer tells you which part has failed and whether a genuine part can be had. No repair starts until the rate is agreed in writing. We'll ask which model you have when you ring.
Is an old Ideal Classic safe to keep using?
An old Ideal Classic isn't unsafe because of its age. Gas faults are classed Immediately Dangerous or At Risk by what the engineer finds. Falling short of today's standards doesn't necessarily make an installation unsafe, Gas Safe Register says. Ideal's guides say a boiler with a known or suspected fault mustn't be used until it is put right. If yours has one, ring us. If you smell gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, don't relight anything. Ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
How much does a Classic repair cost?
The cost of a Classic repair comes down to the part it needs, how long the job takes and when it's done. We charge higher rates in the evening, overnight and at weekends. The rate is agreed in writing once the engineer has found the fault, before any work starts. See how our rates work.
Do I need to know which Classic I have?
No, you can ring without knowing which Classic you have. Say what the boiler is doing, and we'll ask the rest. The letters and size in the model's name help if you can read them, but finding the fault is the engineer's job.
Don't know what has failed? You don't have to.Ring and say what you can see or hear. Finding the fault is our job.
Calls answered 24 hours a day
A real person answers and gives you the rate on the call. No work starts until you say yes, and repairs are guaranteed for 12 months: parts, labour and any return visit.
