Temperatures are expected to plummet all across England as a freezing cold front sweeps across the country.
Lower temperatures mean that your boiler is at a higher risk of malfunctioning or breaking down. During periods of extremely cold weather, your boiler's pipes could freeze up.
Fortunately, heating engineer at Seven Heating, Lorenzo Giove, explains that there is an easy DIY fix for this situation which could cost you less than £1. He also explains that if the pipes are already frozen over, there's an easy way to solve it without needing an engineer.
Read more: Snow forecast to fall across Greater Manchester TONIGHT as cold snap continues
Lorenzo explained: "During the cold weather in December, I was called and texted nearly 100 times by customers with the same issue - frozen condensate pipes. The condensate pipe is the external pipe which carries acidic water waste from the boiler out of the house to an external drain. When it becomes blocked with ice, your boiler stops working.”
He stressed that prevention is the best way to solve this issue. He added: "In the first instance, the easiest way to prevent a frozen condensate pipe is to lag the pipe. It’s a cheap and easy way of preventing issues when the weather really starts to bite. With particularly cold weather expected until Thursday this week, I’d recommend doing this as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson from Toolstation also explains how easy and affordable it is to do this. They said: “Pipe insulation can be purchased for less than £1. A metre length of our most affordable insulation wrap costs just 99p and its thick foam cuts heat loss by up to 70%, protecting against frost and freezing.
"All you need to do is wrap some insulation around the pipe. You may like to use cable ties to ensure it’s fastened on tightly.”
If it’s too late though and your pipes are already freezing up, a kettle should be all you need. As Lorenzo explains: “Generally speaking, a boiler will flash up a fault code if the condensate pipe has frozen and caused an issue.
"Head outside and locate the waste pipe coming from the exterior wall. Cover the pipe in something like a tea towel and pour over several rounds of boiling water.
"The towels will help retain the heat from the hot water and you will start to hear the cracking of the ice. Hopefully, all being well, it will get things moving and working again.
"Hot water did the trick for most people who contacted me when it was cold in December.”
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