Boiler Problems during freezing temperatures? Read this

Some quick tips and information that will help with looking after your house over this cold snap and avoiding the dreaded burst pipe.

We've had several calls reporting problems with boilers, almost all of which are just a 5 minute fix that you can do to ensure you keep your house warm and prevent a burst pipe. Two key pieces of information: 1) If you get a boiler problem, like the E133 code (Ignition Error) on Main type boilers, then it is likely that the Condensate Pipe on the exterior of your property has frozen over. There are typically two pieces of plastic that come out from the exterior wall where your boiler is mounted, the highest one is normally the biggest one and this is where exhaust gases come out. There should also be a smaller plastic pipe, which is where water is ejected from the boiler as part of the Heat Exchange process - this is called the Condensate Pipe. When temperatures outside are consistently below 0 degrees, the water in this pipe freezes before it gets a chance to drip out of the end of this pipe. The ice builds up and blocks the pipe. The boiler senses the blockage and for safety reasons, shuts down - You'll then get no hot water and no heating.

Please follow the below 3 steps - you may have to do this several times during this cold period of time so please be diligent, especially to stop the house cooling down and pipes bursting causing flood damage. Solution: Step 1) Boil a full kettle of water

Step 2) Pour the hot water onto the exterior pipe - A tube of ice should slide out the end.

Step 3) Restart your boiler and it should ignite and start up

Step 4) Repeat this exercise to clear all ice from the Condensate Pipe

2) Keeping your house warm is essential to make sure you do not suffer a burst pipe. When water in a pipe freezes, it expands and this is what causes pipes to burst. Please re-familiarise yourself with where your water stopcock is, as it can save you thousands of pounds in damages should the worst happen - It is your responsibility to keep the building and contents safe, should the worst happen and a pipe burst, shut the water off straight away - Quick action prevents severe damage. If you have any emergencies during this time, please call the out-of-hours mobile number and leave a message which will alert us to a problem.