Common Winter Boiler Enquiries

During periods of very cold weather we occasionally receive enquiries from customers whose boilers do not appear to be working. Sometimes this is down to the condensate discharge pipe freezing which can prevent the boiler from operating.

The following information will assist you in identifying whether you have such an issue with your boiler and what should be done about it.

How can I tell if the boilers condense trap/discharge pipe has frozen?

Step 1 It's possible that your boilers condense trap/discharge pipe has frozen if all 2 of these statements are correct:

• The outside temperature is or has been below freezing
• Your boiler is displaying a fault code you may see a flashing red light instead

Step 2 If all 2 statements are true you should now try to reset your boiler. This can be done by holding in the 'reset' button (this can be found on the boiler control panel) for 10 seconds. Once you have released the button you should wait 2 to 3 minutes to see if the boiler re-fires.

Step 3 If the boiler does not re-fire and it is emitting a gurgling sound then it is almost certain that your condense is frozen. If you cannot hear a gurgling noise you should still proceed to check your condense pipe.

Step 4 The condensate pipe is a plastic pipe (black, white or grey) coming from the bottom of your boiler. Check to see if you have a condense pump or if you have a external condense outlet to drain.

Step 5 If you do not have a condense pump you are to defrost the external condense pipe with hot water and a hairdryer can be used too.

Step 6 If you do have a condense pump and the pump is continuously running then the water has blocked the pump up. You are to remove the plastic pipe from the pump and this is to be put into a bucket. Also the clear tube pipe is to be removed from the pump.

Step 7 The pump should stop and then the hot water and the heating will then be in working order.

Step 8 Please ensure that the bucket is monitored as it may overfill.

Step 9 When the weather improves and there are no longer freezing temperatures you can then place the plastic pipe and the clear tube back into the condense pump.