Boiler problems

[Mr Smith]

Just had a problem with the com bi boiler cutting out and what seems to be happening because of the cold weather is that the expansion pipe from the boiler is freezing outside and consequently results in the boiler cutting out, solution is to de-frost the end of the pipe outside and if that IS the problem your boiler should then kick back in after it is reset,  :)

[Mr Smith]

[Jill]

Now glad we didn't go the combi route when we had a new boiler put in in September. :)

[Alimo]

This happened to my non combi  condensing boiler in January.

Luckily I googled it and found the problem so didn't have to call out a plumber/boiler man on a sunday.

Alison

[InfraDig]

One of my daughters has just had this problem. The pipe which takes the condensate into the waste system runs outside the house, and can freeze. On our condensing boiler the pipe joins the waste inside the house.

[Shirley]

This seems to be a common problem.  It is a fundamental design fault.  Some designers seems to live in a land where it is always warm and sunny!

[Trevor_D]

Ours is outside on the windiest corner of the house. So every day I get a step-ladder out, climb up and pour a kettle-full of boiling water down it until I hear the ice crack. Great fun in a snow-storm! But at least the house is warm!!

[tomatoada]

Please how does a combi boiler work.  Does it heat the water as needed, if so what about the heating? Iis there a separate part that is on all the time you want heating?

[tonybloke]

combi boilers have a heat exchanger to heat water (both for hot water and radiators) and usually are set to give priority to hot water.

[chriscross1966]

My condensate pipe froze and has burst in several places.... it must ahve been installed by a moron, it's 22mm, only had 9mm insulation on it and there's a coulpe of feet running horizontally.... I defrosted it, uprated the insulation to 19mm (all I could do in a hurry) and as soon as I can get to it in the daytime I've got the kit to uprate it to a 40mm pipe outside that will be at a 45 degree angle all the way down to the outside waste, plus I've got some 25mm insulation on order for it.... should fix the problem one and for all..... still expecting the house to be freezing come boxing day and might well try to make a break home BD morning to check it.... It had forced apart a joint inside the house which was dripping, though it stopped once I'd got the ouitside pipe defrosted.... I've put a bucket under it just to be safe....

chrisc

[Jill]

The solution I found to a frozen condensate waste was to have the washing machine waste flowing into it as well.  It's on every day with my sons home!

[Larkshall]

I scrapped our central heating and hot water system July 2009, it was propane gas. I changed to all electric, convector, oil filled radiators and fan heaters (for rapid circulation). Had instant water heaters installed and electric cooker.

The saving in cost for fuel over twelve months was nearly £500, the saving over NOT replacing the boiler etc. probably in the range of £1,000. In rooms that are not in use the thermostats are set to about 10 degrees centigrade, while rooms in use are set to about 20 - 25C.

[bionear2]

Ours is outside on the windiest corner of the house. So every day I get a step-ladder out, climb up and pour a kettle-full of boiling water down it until I hear the ice crack. Great fun in a snow-storm! But at least the house is warm!!

My wife calls this my "long lollipop patrol" - I use a garden pressure spray of hot water, to blast back up from the bottom of the pipe

[Shirley]

Interesting article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1342357/Central-heating-break-big-freeze-Heres-.html

[caroline7758]

Thanks for that, Shirley- I can stop thinking I should replace my old boiler for a "greener" one now!

[asj]

I'm glad you shared that, Shirley - my boiler (installed Dec 1992 and still working perfectly well) is going to be serviced next week, and I shall now resist all blandishments from the engineer to buy a new one! ;D ;D ;D

[Mr Smith]

I'm glad you shared that, Shirley - my boiler (installed Dec 1992 and still working perfectly well) is going to be serviced next week, and I shall now resist all blandishments from the engineer to buy a new one! ;D ;D ;D

            More than likely he might try and sell you the bit of kit they have brought out to get round the problem of boilers freezing, only £199.00

[chriscross1966]

My long term plan is to add a back-boiler kitted mutlifuel stove in the lounge and a couple of solar panels on the roof.... now that there's a  building regs bit to cover doing this with a combi it it shouldn't be so hard to explain to folks how to do it.... basically you have a big tank of water acting as a thermal store in a continuous circuit with the back boiler and it is vented and gravity fed (ie like an old fashioned cetnral heating system) , then you have the feed to the inlet side of the combi and/or the shower sat as a big coil in the tank and there's another coil that goes to the central heating system circuit of the boiler too with a bypass so that the combi doesn't have to try to heat the tank if you haven't got hot water in it.... finally there's a coil from the solar panels at the bottom of the tank...... you can also fit direct radiators on the tank as part of the circuit to the back boiler.... As long as you pick a sensible place for the tank then there's little messing around with current plumbing to be done. Mine should end up with an airing cupboard with the tank in it going into the biggest bedroom (the spare/guest/music room) as that gets the shortest path I can get for the shower which to me is the most important side of the hot water circuit stuff.... indeed I could easily see myself not bothering with plumbing a circuit into the hot water side of the combi boiler, just the heating

[asj]

I'm glad you shared that, Shirley - my boiler (installed Dec 1992 and still working perfectly well) is going to be serviced next week, and I shall now resist all blandishments from the engineer to buy a new one! ;D ;D ;D

            More than likely he might try and sell you the bit of kit they have brought out to get round the problem of boilers freezing, only £199.00

It doesn't freeze!!  But every year they try to persuade me that I need a new one !

[greenthing]

I've not had any problems with my pipe this year
here  is a link to tell you how your condensing  pipes should be installed
www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/cache/file/7/condensing-boiler-and-freezing-condensate-discharge-pipes.pdf
hope it helps