Boiler stopped in freezing weather in Tipton? It is often the frozen condensate pipe outside. How to spot it, thaw it safely and keep it from freezing again.
A boiler that gives up on the coldest morning of the year has very often frozen its condensate pipe. That pipe carries a trickle of waste water from the boiler to a drain outside, and when it freezes solid the boiler cannot get rid of the water, so it shuts down. You may hear a gurgling from the boiler or the pipe as it tries to restart.
Tipton has a lot of Victorian and post-war terraces, and many boilers were moved into kitchens or back bedrooms over the years, which means long condensate pipes running along outside walls to a gully. Around Princes End, Ocker Hill and near the canals the air can stay damp and cold, and those long runs are the first to ice up.
Most of the time a little warm water on the frozen section and a reset gets you going again. If it keeps happening, the pipe needs a better route or some protection.
Usually yes, with warm water on the outside pipe and a reset. Do not open the boiler. Smell gas? Get everyone outside, leave switches alone and call 0800 111 999, the National Gas Emergency line. A code on the display is not a leak. A smell might be.
Thin pipes on long outside runs hold small amounts of water that freeze fast in a frost.
Then something else may be wrong. Ring us rather than resetting again and again.
Yes. Rerouting, lagging or fitting a wider pipe is a quick job.
A plastic pipe, usually white or grey, runs from the boiler wall outside down to a drain. That is the one.
Pour warm, not boiling, water along it, paying attention to bends and the end. A hot water bottle works too.
Use the reset button as your manual shows, then wait a few minutes for it to fire.
Gurgling in freezing weather nearly always means the condensate pipe is blocked by ice.
Lagging, a larger pipe or less pipe outside helps it survive the next cold spell.
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