It’s every householders nightmare – it’s freezing outside and the heating hasn’t come on. Many things could cause this, but if you have a condensing boiler it is worth checking to see if the condensate pipe has frozen.
This small pipe usually runs from the boiler to a drain (sometimes outside of the property), and if it the condensate gets frozen it will most likely stop your boiler from working. Condensate pipes that are installed outside of the property can be prone to freezing and should be insulated to help to prevent this from happening. Warning signs may be error codes or flashing lights on the boiler’s display unit.
If your condensate pipe freezes, defrost the condensate pipe with warm (not hot) water and then reset the boiler to see if the boiler fires. If that hasn’t worked, you’ll need a qualified professional to have a look at it.
Danny Davis, Operations Manager at the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) says:
“Prevention is always the best course of action. Householders usually insulate the pipes in the loft, but forget about the condensate pipe. If you live in a property and your condensate pipe has frozen in previous years and no further action other than defrosting has been taken, now is the best time to either insulate, or possibly look at having the pipe relocated internally if possible.”
Danny added:
“To make sure you are getting the best out of your heating system, it’s worth bleeding the radiators if they are not heating up to the correct temperature. It’s quick and easy to do and can make a big difference. However, if you have a combination boiler or a boiler installed onto a ‘sealed system’, don’t forget to top up the pressure in the system, as the resultant pressure drop from bleeding radiators can be enough to prevent the boiler from firing.”