Cold weather and frozen condensing boiler advice

What to do if your heating fails

Try to find the cause, then call us.
Close internal doors to minimise heat loss and movement of warm air around your home.
Draw curtains and blinds to minimise heat loss through your windows.
Put on extra clothing, including a warm hat. Many layers are better at keeping you warm, rather than a single thick layer.
Beware of unventilated fires/heat sources - CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING KILLS. Cardon monoxide is odourless, tasteless and can only be detected with functioning and correctly sited alarms.
Eating hot meals and drinks will help keep you warm and maintain your morale.
Be a good neighbour - check that your neighbours are OK, particularly if they are elderly.

Frozen condensate advice

Condensate pipe Problems due to freezing and blockage of the condensate discharge pipe will usually be indicated by a fault code on the boiler’s digital display, a loud banging noise from the boiler or by some other alarm signal (check your boiler's operating manual for advice on this).

If you feel able to, there are a few things that you can do to fix the problem:

Locate the blockage - the pipe is likely to be frozen at the most exposed point (outside) or where there is an obstruction to flow (the open end of the pipe or at a bend in the pipe).
Thaw the frozen pipe - the pipe can be thawed by applying a hot water bottle, a microwaveable heating pack (the sort used for muscular aches and pains) or cloths soaked in warm water to the exterior of the pipe, close to the point of blockage. Warm water can also be poured onto the pipe from a watering can or similar container. Do not use boiling water. You should not attempt to thaw a condensate drain pipe which cannot easily be reached from ground level. Be aware that any water used can quickly freeze if it falls on pathways – causing a possible slip hazard.
Re-set/re-start the boiler - once the blockage has cleared, consult the boiler operating instruction, or check the manufacturer’s website for guidance on any action needed to clear the fault code/alarm and re-start the boiler. If this does not work a competent engineer should assess the situation and take further action if required.

How to prevent freezing - the following actions may help prevent freezing in severe weather conditions:

During a cold spell, it may help to set the boiler thermostat (not the room thermostat) to maximum. Turn back to the normal setting once the cold spell is over.
It may also help to temporarily set the central heating timer/room thermostat controls to continuous (24-hour) mode, setting the room thermostat overnight to around 15 degrees centigrade. Again, return to normal settings once the cold spell is over.

There is also a video on you tube giving advice which you may find useful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cggwnZhvTPk (external link)

Preventing burst pipes - winter care

If a burst pipe leaks and water comes gushing through the ceiling, it can cause real damage to your home and it's contents. You can try to avoid this kind of damage by preventing burst pipes and leaks in the first place by following these tips:

If you are going to be away from your home for any length of time, then ask us to drain your system - this is a free service. You can contact us on your return and we will refill the system and make sure the heating and hot water are working.
Make sure you know where your stop tap is, and check regularly that you can turn it off easily in an emergency. It's handy to label it so you remember where it is in a panic.
In very cold weather the heating will need to be on low (around 10 degrees centigrade), or set to come on a couple of times a day, especially if you're going away.

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Document Created: 03/01/2012 10:18 , last modified: 03/01/2012 10:48