How To Deal With A Broken Boiler In Freezing Conditions

In a life where boilers play a vital and inevitable role, waking to a broken boiler vessel and ice cold water could be a nightmare. But such conditions come unseen and sudden with no warnings that it might seem helpless. To avoid such conditions and anxiety of living with freezing cold water, one doesn’t have to be a professional in handling one’s own boiler.

Perhaps a few techniques and quite a good knowledge of the basics would be enough to keep them under function. In any case, under such an unfortunate course of events, one may not find a plumber or servicer or even a local engineer during such weather

There are some common reasons why the boiler breaks down and causes trouble. These could be easily checked for easy and quick fixes without much ado and could be done without having an Engineer on call.

Here we have routed through some common grounds under which a boiler breaks down and what could be done to avoid such situations.

A . Frozen Condensate Pipes ?

What could be done under such situations?

This is one probable and high change reason under which your boiler may suddenly break down. But it should be noticed that one should only opt to work on the condensate pipe, if he / she can accurately locate the position of the pipe.

In any case the pipe seems confusing with other pipes or in situations where it seems far out of reach, it is highly advised to patiently wait and not experiment with it.

Avoid risk and try fixing only if you are quite versed with the basics and the manual of your boiler.

Now, if you seem to know your condensate pipe and recognise the fault with your boiler,

Then , try following these steps :

1. Turn off the boiler
2. Try and locate the condensate pipe  (should be coming out from the same wall your boiler is mounted on)
3. Once located, take a look at the end of it to see if it is frozen.
4. Try removing the insulation around the end of the pipe to check if it has frozen or not.
5. If frozen ,

1. Bring warm water and try pouring it over the condensate pipe to heat up the pipe and unfreeze the pipe.  Try this using hot  water.
   1. When trying this method, make sure you do not use boiling water. The water needs to be warm.
2. Once the pipe has defrosted, turn ON the boiler.

B.   Bursted Pipes ?

During freezing cold, pipes may break or burst due to icy coating.

What happens then ?

Yes, a fix is possible. But unfortunately the fix isn’t as simple as it seems.

Let’s take a look at the steps to follow when having a broken pipe.

1. Try finding the stopcock and turn off the mains water supply immediately.
2. Stop more water from getting into the pipe
3. Now turn OFF your boiler
4. Drain out all the water  from pipes and flush out water from the system.
5. Switch OFF the electrical points if any, situated near the boiler or broken pipe
6. Cease any leakage of water if any, using PTFE tape as a temporary solution until it is ready to be fixed by a service centre.
7. Try dialling a nearby service centre or an engineer under these conditions to avoid further risk.

What not to do ?

• Never use a blowtorch, propane or kerosene heaters, a charcoal stove or any other open flame device to thaw your frozen pipes. That would pose to be a severe fire hazard. You should also avoid using a space heater unless you are sure the area is clear of any flammable material. Again, never leave the space heater unattended.

Weather cannot be controlled, but pipes can be taken care of !

There are some things that can be done to prevent the pipes from freezing.

• Drain water from pipes that are prone to freezing. This includes your swimming pool and sprinkler water supply lines.
• Disconnect hoses from the outside of your home, drain the hoses .Make sure to close the indoor valves .
• Make sure your boiler is serviced annually by a registered heating engineer.
• If you are away this winter and your home is going to remain unoccupied, leave your heating on low. You can ask a friend or family member to keep an eye on your home until you return. Setting your heating on a constant low temperature is also a good idea when you’re not at home.
• Seal any wall cracks. Be sure to pay careful attention to the areas around utility service lines.
• Keep your thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Do not let it fall below 55 degrees Fahrenheit when you leave your home.
• Place a 60-watt bulb in areas where you’re concerned about pipes freezing.
• The moment you spot a dripping tap, get it fixed. You may not know this, but a leaking tap can actually lead to frozen pipes.

What not to do?