Heating Help Please!!

[Smowball]

We’ve had no heating or hot water since yesterday and it’s -5 with snow too. Have rang and rang and rang our heating engineer guys but on constant hold. I’ve checked online and a common problem at the moment is the condensate pipe being frozen(??) and everyone’s days to go outside and pour hot water on it. Well that would be fine - but our boiler is in the loft!! I’ve reset it, turned it 9m and off, it’s sparked up a couple of times for about 2;mins and then straight off again. We are frozen solid - any brightnideas guys??

[Togo]

Is your boiler a condensing boiler? If so it is liable to be the condensing pipe frozen. This will have an outlet pipe that is discharged outside the house whether the boiler is on the ground floor or in the loft. Your boiler being in the loft means that you need to get in the loft and to get a ladder or means of access to the pipe outside.

[Islay]

hot water bottles over the pipes and wrap towels round them?
Electric blanket on low draped over it?
Pop a heater in the roof on low to bring the temp up slowly?

[bhg481]

I know nothing about condenser boilers, so I might be talking rubbish but, can you get to the condensate pipe to thaw it with a hairdryer? The ice will be on the inside, so it shouldn't make a mess.

[theshedman]

The pipe they say about is usually white plastic and anything in it empties into a hopper which is usually a lot lower. Can get to ours from a step ladder. The end of this pipe often gets water in it and will turn to ice in this weather. If there is ice there you may be able to get rid of it with warm water and if that is the problem it will fire up from there.

[Togo]

If you can see the outlet pipe outside you need to pour WARM water up and down the pipe. Any pipework in the loft, needs say a hot water bottle laying on it that will defrost it without water being poured in the loft and causing ceiling damage below.

[Smowball]

Excuse typos in post - hands are frozen! Ok guys - am going to go outside again. Sooo I’m a mid terrace. Boiler is in what was loft and is now a bedroom. It’s in what is a wardrobe which backs onto next door and I can see that all the copper pipes are running along the wall and into the eaves. So I’m looking outside for a white pipe??.

[Smowball]

Ok guys!! Wish I could post pictures! Right I’ve found a brown plastic pipe coming down roof , and there if a foot long solid icicle at the end of it. Is it that??

[melv16]

That's the pipe you're looking for by the sounds of it. Can you lean out of the window to pour warm water on it?

[anneasquith]

Be careful .

[Togo]

That sounds like it could be Smow. You are going to need to get rid of the icicle without damaging the pipe, and if you can pour warm water on the part of the pipe that you can access. When you try the boiler again just see whether there is any discharge from that pipe, either steam or water droplets.

[Smowball]

I’ve got the icicle off but you can see the pip is frozen solid with ice. And the only window the opens fully above it is so far above that I don’t think any warm water would even hit the pipe.....

[Togo]

Can you borrow a ladder Smow if yoU have not got one? Be CAREFUL.

[Tilly2]

Can you put some warm water in a spray bottle and reach it from the open window?

[Eleena]

Could you safely run hot water through a hosepipe over it?

[ummmm]

She hasn't got hot water.

[melv16]

She ain't got any hot water, eleena.

[Eleena]

Doh! Sorry! I have the same problem as Smow. How dozy.

[Tilly2]

kettle, funnel, hosepipe?

[bhg481]

Even cold water is above freezing - if you can spray it from a hosepipe it might start to thaw.

[melv16]

Do you know a builder or a neighbour who would go up a ladder? Don't ask Baldric, though:-)