Top tips for checking your pipes ahead of freezing weather

While we are still experiencing milder weather, it’s important to be prepared well ahead of the temperatures starting to drop.

Boiler condensate pipe

In particularly cold weather and mostly at night, your boiler’s condensate pipe may freeze, which can lead to a blockage, causing the boiler to shut down. You may find this running outside of your property from where the boiler is located inside to a drain or rainwater pipe and will generally be made of a white plastic tube.

Symptoms of a frozen condensate pipe include:

• Error codes or warning lights on your boiler’s display
• A bubbling or gurgling sound emanating from the condensate pipe or the boiler itself.
• Icicles hanging from the end of the pipe

If the condensate pipe is frozen it’ll need to be thawed. The easiest way to deal with a frozen condensate pipe is to use warm water. Pour a couple of jugs of warm (but not boiling) water over the exterior of the pipework.

Increasing the temperature within the pipe can melt the ice blockage. Boiling water may cause the pipe to crack.

If the fault signals are still present, check your boiler instructions, or give us a call on 020 7922 5300..

General heating

If we experience very cold weather we recommend, where possible, to not turn your heating off completely. If it gets extremely cold water within the pipework of your home could freeze which may cause pipes to split and water to leak. If you’re going away then we recommend leaving the heating on but turning the room thermostat down to 5 degrees Celsius.

If you have any questions then please get in touch by calling the service hub on 020 7922 5300.

While we are still experiencing milder weather, it’s important to be prepared well ahead of the temperatures starting to drop.

Boiler condensate pipe

In particularly cold weather and mostly at night, your boiler’s condensate pipe may freeze, which can lead to a blockage, causing the boiler to shut down. You may find this running outside of your property from where the boiler is located inside to a drain or rainwater pipe and will generally be made of a white plastic tube.

Symptoms of a frozen condensate pipe include:

• Error codes or warning lights on your boiler’s display
• A bubbling or gurgling sound emanating from the condensate pipe or the boiler itself.
• Icicles hanging from the end of the pipe

If the condensate pipe is frozen it’ll need to be thawed. The easiest way to deal with a frozen condensate pipe is to use warm water. Pour a couple of jugs of warm (but not boiling) water over the exterior of the pipework.

Increasing the temperature within the pipe can melt the ice blockage. Boiling water may cause the pipe to crack.

If the fault signals are still present, check your boiler instructions, or give us a call on 0333 400 8222.

General heating

If we experience very cold weather we recommend, where possible, to not turn your heating off completely. If it gets extremely cold water within the pipework of your home could freeze which may cause pipes to split and water to leak. If you’re going away then we recommend leaving the heating on but turning the room thermostat down to 5 degrees Celsius.

If you have any questions then please get in touch by calling the service hub on 020 7922 5300.