How to avoid a frozen condense pipe?

In the winter months, a drop in temperature (especially below freezing) can create issues within your heating system. One issue that we see quite often if not managed, is the condense pipe becoming frozen.

Not all condense pipes are fitted externally but if yours is located outside it will be prone to freezing over in sub-zero temperatures, if this happens it can prevent it from working and will have a negative effect on your boiler. The sole purpose of the condense pipe is to lead any wastewater away from the boiler which is then directed towards an external drain. The wastewater is acidic and is produced as the boiler recycles heat from the flue gases, which helps to keep your boiler running efficiently.
If you have had a new boiler fitted since April 2005 (when the regulations changed) then your boiler should have a condense pipe fitted as it’s now the law for all boilers to be condensing.

Tips to avoid a frozen condenser pipe
Here are a few ways to help avoid your condense pipe from freezing over. It’s always helpful to have these things in place before the temperatures begins to drop in the colder months:
•    You can use foam pipe insulation to prevent exposure to the cold temperatures
•    Leave your heating on overnight to keep the condense pipe warm
•    Have a heat track condense pipe kit installed (one of our engineers can install this for you) 

How would I recognise a frozen condense pipe?

If your condense pipe does become frozen the water in the pipe will freeze and form a blockage. Your boiler will then lockout to stop waste water from building up and flooding the boiler internally. 

Depending on the type of boiler, this will show as an error code or a flashing light.  The issue will then need to be rectified before the boiler can be reset (check boiler manual or online with boiler model and name to determine error code fault). It’s also worth knowing that if you hear a gurgling sound coming from inside the boiler or heating system, this could signify a fault or potential blockage.

If you find that you have had no recent issues with your boiler and the temperatures outside have dropped then there is a high chance that it could be your condenser pipe that has been affected.

Locating the condense pipe couldn’t be easier, it is the only plastic pipe that will be located at the bottom of your boiler. All other pipes from your boiler are metal.
The plastic pipe will usually go through the wall and come out of the wall on the other side and will be located externally right above a drain.

What should I do if my condense pipe becomes frozen?

Here is a few little tricks that we recommend to our customers to help unfreeze a condense pipe so they don’t have to contact a heating engineer.

Firstly, you will need to locate the blocked part of the pipe. This is so you can be sure that you are thawing out the right part of the pipe, most blockages are likely to be located on a bend or at a dip in the pipe.

Once you have found the blocked part, there are a few ways that you can unfreeze the condense pipe:

•    You can hold a hot water bottle, microwaveable heat pack or warm cloth around the frozen part of the pipe.
•    Or pour hot (not boiling) water over the frozen part of the pipe. Beware, if you use boiling water which is not advisable, as it could melt the plastic pipe.
•    Take caution and watch out for any water on the floor as it can quickly freeze and become slippery.

Once the pipe is unfrozen, you will need to reset the boiler or switch it off and on again. Some boilers will do this automatically, if you are unsure, it will probably be best to look at the manual for your boiler and check if there is anything else that you need to do. To prevent this happening again refer to our tips above on how to avoid your condense pipe freezing.
If at any point you have any doubts about what to do or don't feel confident enough to deal with a frozen condense pipe, then please contact us and we can advise accordingly.