Cold weather advice

Contact us if you have urgent problems because of the cold weather.

Frozen water pipes

If you are experiencing difficulties with frozen pipes:

• Turn off the stop tap (normally under your sink)
• Put your central heating on, applying a gentle heat.
• If you have frozen waste pipes (from your kitchen sink/bathroom), try pouring a kettle of warm water on the affected area

No heating? Your boilers condensate pipe could be frozen

Frozen boiler condensate pipes are a common problem during cold weather. The water in the pipe freezes and causes a blockage which makes your boiler cut out. If yours is frozen and your heating or hot water is affected, you can try to thaw it out yourself.

Most modern boilers have a condensate pipe that transports water away from the boiler. To improve efficiency, the boiler removes as much energy from the flue’s gases as possible. Some of this gas cools and turns into a small amount of water. The pipe transports this steady dribble of water away from the boiler and into a drain.

To check if your boiler has a condensate pipe, look underneath where there are lots of pipes connected. If one of the pipes is plastic (usually white and about 2cm in diameter) and the rest are metal, this is probably the condensate pipe. Find where the pipe goes outside of your home. It should run into a drain.

Be extremely cautious when attempting to identify and thaw the condensate pipe. You should only attempt to thaw a condensate pipe that is at ground level and which you can easily reach. Under no circumstances should you attempt to thaw a condensate pipe which is higher than you can comfortably reach without the assistance of a professionally trained engineer.

Thawing and clearing the pipe yourself

There are two ways you can try to thaw the pipe and clear the ice blockage. If you don't feel confident doing this, just get in touch and we'll get an engineer to come out and fix the problem.

Method 1: Pour hot (not boiling) water onto the frozen pipe

Heat the water using a kettle or a microwave if your boiler has stopped working, then allow it to cool slightly. Do not use boiling water, and take care whilst using any hot water.. Find the part of the pipe that is frozen and gently pour the hot water over the area using a kettle, jug or watering can.

Method 2: Place a hot water bottle or wrap on the frozen pipe

Use either a hot water bottle or a heat pad (like the ones you can get from a chemists for muscle pain) and place it around the pipe at the section where the water has frozen.

Remove any ice that comes out of the pipe. Once you think the pipe is clear, try restarting your boiler.

Once thawed, the boiler must be reset. Hold in the reset button for 10 seconds and then wait for 2 to 3 minutes for the boiler to refire.

How to repressurise a Vaillant ecoTEC pro Boiler

If your boiler has stopper working because of low pressure, it can be quite easy to fix yourself. It can save you time and get your heating working again in minutes. Here's a great "how-to" video from Vaillant that covers one of the most common boiler types in our properties (with a filling loop). Even if your boiler isn't exactly the same (e.g. a different display or pressure meter), the method for repressurising is the same.

If you don't feel confident in doing this don't worry, just get in touch with us.

Good practice during a bad cold spell

• Keep yourself warm!
• Try to keep your heating turned on. This will mean a greater cost of fuel, but it can stop pipes freezing
• Keep a supply of drinking water in bottles, and perhaps a bucket or two of water for toilet flushing
• Keep any temporary heating devices handy, you may need them if your boiler breaks down
• Keep an eye on neighbours to check that they are ok

We advise you have adequate home content insurance to cover you in case of emergencies.