Boiler breakdowns

What is the worst thing that could happen in the cold weather?  Yes- your boiler breaks down!  Just the thought of it sends a shiver down your spine (quite literally!)  Having the best curved radiators in the world will not keep you warm if your boiler is on the blink!  

If you have a modern condensing boiler, one of the most common causes of it breaking down during the freezing weather is due to the condensate pipe freezing.  

As an inbuilt safety feature this then causes the boiler to shut down.  The condensate pipe will be on the outside of the property, directly behind the boiler.  It is normally a plastic pipe which should be lagged. (Although the lagging sometimes can and does come away).  To get your boiler going again, just boil some water in a kettle and pour it over the pipe (being careful of not splashing yourself).  This will melt the frozen water inside and allow your boiler to continue providing warmth when you need it.

To stop the problem reoccurring, just get some pipe lagging and cable tie it around the whole pipe- from the point it comes out of the the wall to where it enters the main drain.