Hi.
We've recently had a Worcester Bosch condensing boiler fitted by a friend who is a Gas Safe installer.
The 'condensate' pipe is a plastic pipe that takes disposes execess condensation outside the hous or in to drains in some case.
WB advice -
"You should only attempt to thaw a condense pipe that is at ground level and which is easily accessible to you. Under no circumstances should you attempt to thaw a condense pipe which is at height, without the assistance of a professionally trained engineer.
A hot water bottle or heat wrap (like the ones that can be used to ease muscle discomfort) would be a suitable and safe way of thawing the condense pipe. Hold the hot water bottle or warmed heat wrap around the condensate pipe to thaw it.
Once thawed, the boiler must be reset. This can be done by holding the reset button in for 10 seconds and then waiting 2 to 3 minutes for the boiler to refire.
If you are uncertain of what to do or require particular assistance then you could invite a neighbour/friend or family member to assist you. The person assisting you can, if required, contact our Technical Support Team for assistance.
Once thawed, you should still contact your installer in order to implement a permanent solution to the condense freezing."
"How can I tell if the boiler’s condense trap/discharge pipe has frozen?
Step 1 It’s possible that your boiler’s condense trap/discharge pipe has frozen if all 3 of these statements are correct:
- The outside temperature is or has been below freezing
- Your boiler is displaying either an EA fault code, a D5 code or is displaying a flashing blue light (for 26CDi boilers you may see a flashing red light instead)
- Your boiler is a Greenstar gas boiler, or a 26 CDi
Step 2 If all 3 statements are true, you should now try to reset your boiler. This can be done by holding in the ‘reset’ button (this can be found on the boiler control panel) for 10 seconds. Once you have released the button you should wait 2 to 3 minutes to see if the boiler re-fires.
Step 3 If the boiler does not re-fire and it is emitting a gurgling sound, then it is almost certain that your condense is frozen. If you cannot hear a gurgling noise you should still proceed to check your condense pipe.
Step 4 The condensate pipe is a plastic pipe (black, white or grey(some are clear plasti) ), coming from the bottom of your boiler. If this pipe is less than 32mm in diameter and runs outside of the property or through a non-heated area then it should be fully insulated with waterproof lagging. If it is not fully lagged and the 3 criteria (in step 1 above) apply then it is likely that it is frozen and needs to be thawed."
At our old house we had the same problem the engineer just used wife shair dryer on low heat as the frozen area was where it exited the house (not near boiler). It was then covered with water proof foam insulation.
Worcester Bosch's web site has excellent info, if you have a WB boiler their technical help desk staff are very helpful, they gave us very comrehensive advice on a difficult very long flue pipe design before we bought the boiler.
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