When a boiler stops working in below freezing temperatures, there's a pretty good chance that your condensate pipe has frozen.
Thankfully this is a problem with a simple solution, meaning you'll be able to resolve it without the need for an engineer.
Is my condensate pipe frozen?
The condensate pipe is the pipe connected to your boiler that transports waste water, produced as a result of condensation, to the outside to be drained.
As it leads outside it will be exposed to freezing temperatures when winter is in full swing.
Therefore the wastewater it carries could freeze, which will stop your boiler from working.
If your boiler has a digital display, you may see an 'EA' error code to indicate this problem. Otherwise, you'll likely hear a gurgling noise from your boiler.
How to defrost a condensate pipe
Firstly, locate the condensate pipe - it's typically a white plastic pipe connecting to an external drain.
To defrost a condensate pipe you need to heat it up, but it's important you do so slowly.
One method we recommend is to pour warm water along the pipe. Never use boiling water as you'll risk damaging or cracking the pipe.
Keep pouring warm water over the pipe until the waste water inside has defrosted.
Finally, reset your boiler and everything should be working as usual.
Avoiding a frozen condensate pipe
Ultimately the best solution to a frozen condensate pipe is prevention: to avoid a frozen pipe in the first place.
Keeping the heating off for extended periods can cause frozen pipes. While it's tempting to avoid using your heating to save money, you should be putting it on regularly every day to avoid pipes freezing.
In the event of an emergency, serious damage could be inflicted to your rental home. You need to act, so we'd recommend taking a look at our guide on what to do in an emergency. You can also find out of hours emergency contacts if worst comes to worst.
Your Move E-Marketing Executive
