Your Guide to Thawing a Condensate Pipe on a Frozen Boiler

A frozen boiler is a big danger posed by winter in the UK. The problem is thatwe are never quite sure in the UK whether we are going to have a cold or a mild winter, so we never prepare for them. The biggest problem is the condensate pipe. If your boiler freezes, this tends to be the heart of the problem. A blocked condensate pipe can leave you without any heat at all.

Electrical Heating Supplies always recommends finding a professional engineer to help you with this. Thawing the pipe yourself can lead to cracking and splintering, which is far more expensive to repair. If you feel you can do it yourself, you do it at your own risk.

What is the Condensate Pipe? : Let us begin by discussing what part of a heater the condensate pipe is. Most modern electric heaters have this pipe, which helps transport water away from the boiler itself. The boiler takes away the energy from the flue gasses to increase efficiency. This waste gas cools and leaves some acidic water behind. The condensate pipe is responsible for taking this acidic water to the drain.

You have to check that your boiler actually has one of these pipes. Not all modern electric boilers have them. These pipes are about 2cm wide, white, and plastic. If the rest of the pipes are metal, this is almost certainly the condensate pipe.

As a final check, see if the pipe runs into the drain. If it does, you have a condensate pipe.

Why Does the Condensate Pipe Freeze? : Simple! It is the only part of the boiler outside your home. It cannot drain the water without exposing itself to the outside elements. Acidic water is prone to freezing. When it freezes, the pipe is blocked because the water from the boiler continues to be sent down the pipe. Luckily, modern boilers have a special automatic switch to turn everything off to prevent the entire system becoming flooded.

How Do You Thaw the Pipe? : You have two possible ways of thawing the pipe. To start with, you can get some hot water and apply it to the outside of the pipe. The water should never be boiling or it can cause the material to crack. Warm water works best. Drop the water across the frozen section slowly and deliberately.

Another option is to use a heat wrap or hot water bottle. Wrap it around the pipe and hold it. The water should begin to flow again.

If you do not feel confident in your ability to do this, call a professional. The treatment sounds simple, but it is easy to go wrong. If the water is slightly too hot, you could damage the pipe beyond repair. Always start with lukewarm water and work your way upwards.

Overall, you cannot do much about this problem. It is impossible to prevent completely because the pipe is exposed to the cold air. Thankfully, UK winters are not as long as they used to be. They can often unfreeze themselves as quickly as they freeze themselves, so it is not a problem to fret over.

Vertical or Horizontal Electric Radiators - What Are Best?

There are two main types of electric radiator - vertical radiators or horizontal radiators. By far the most common type of radiator is the horizontal one. If you are thinking about installing new radiators in your home, you are probably wondering what's best for your house.

In this article, we are going to look at the pros and cons of each type of radiator. Thankfully, they operate using the same electric boilers, so if you are replacing one type of radiator with the other it will notaffect your choice of boiler.

A Crucial Difference and Something You Didn't Know : Vertical and horizontal radiators are exactly what you would expect. Horizontal radiators have a bigger width than they do height and vertical ones have a bigger height than they do width. It's easy, right.

Something not many people know is that you do not always have to have the long rectangular radiator style. The truth is you can have your radiators custom-made to suit your home. Whatever the dimensions of the room, you can have a radiator crafted to suit that specific shape.

If you have precise needs, it might be worth looking into getting a custom-built radiator, as the standard sizes might not work for you. Take note: a custom radiator will cost significantly more than a standard ‘off the shelf' radiator.

Energy Usage : Both types of radiator come in electric and steam models. You will have to consider the type of energy you want to use before choosing between the two.

Steam radiators will use pipes to carry water from the boiler to the heating elements within the radiator. This creates steam, and therefore heat. Electric radiators use electrical wiring to create the same effect.

Vertical radiators do not require a boiler to function correctly. This can help to reduce the costs of installation, which is ideal if you are running to a strict budget.

Aesthetics : The real difference is in the aesthetics of each type of radiator. Many people prefer horizontal radiators because these can be hidden behind sofas and other objects. Vertical radiators are much more intrusive and cannot be hidden. You will have to have a specific idea in mind if you want to go with these ones.

Location Issues : Consider each type of radiator based on the layout of your room. A vertical radiator will work better in a smaller room where you do not have the wall space for a horizontal radiator. On the other hand, a hallway area might work best with a horizontal option.

This is where Electrical Heating Supplies (EHS) recommends calling in the help of a professional engineer to help deal with concerns relating to space. They will be able to give you an idea of how the installation will work, as well as being able to provide you with some recommendations.

Overall, there is little functional difference between the two types of radiator. Instead, they give you the flexibility needed to organise your home in the way you see fit. They allow you to have a comprehensive central heating solution in every room.

How to Repair an Electric Radiator When the Heat Disappears

Electric radiators are amongst the most reliable heating implements in the world. They rarely break and it’s only when they lose out in efficiency to newer models that they need replacing. One of the most common complaints when something does go wrong is a lack of heat. It is also one of the most difficult problems to diagnose. The problem is that no heat can be caused by a variety of issues. It is not as easy as simply spotting the problem and fixing it in a few minutes.

In this article, we will give you an in-depth look into what can cause the heat to disappear and how you should go about fixing it.

What Causes a Lack of Heat? : Electric radiators often lose their ability to produce heat for a number of reasons. Most of the time, you can put the problem down to the following things:

- loose or disconnected wires 

- tripped circuit breakers 

- blown fuses 

- wrong thermostat setting 

- defective heating element 

- obstructed airflow.

As you can see, there are many potential problems and many potential repair options. Unless you are a professional, we always recommend contacting the experts at Electric Heating Supplies (EHS) for help with it. You do not want to cause further damage through a botched repair.

The Easy Fix : To start with, look at the thermostat setting. You’d be surprised at how many people call out a repairperson when the only problem is they have not had the thermostat switched on. Make sure you have not made this common mistake.

Another easy fix is with disconnected wires. These wires connect the unit to the central system. It might be a case of the wires simply coming loose. Turn off the heating system and power, and put the wires back in. It doesn’t take an expert to be able to do this.

Electrical Problems : In the case of a tripped circuit breaker, you have to reset the circuit breaker. To do this, you will have to find your electrical service panel, which could be under the stairs. You’ll see that one of the switches is now in the ‘Off’ position. Switch it back on again to solve the problem. If it keeps tripping, this represents a deeper electrical problem, for which you will have to call a professional to sort out.

A blown fuse sometimes goes hand in hand with a tripped circuit breaker. You will need to replace the fuse with the right one. Unless you know about the appropriate fuse, call someone to help you.

Defects and Positioning : Electrical heaters work by drawing air into the heating element. If there are any obstructions, you can starve it of the air it needs. Make sure curtains and other nearby objects are not obstructing the openings in the radiator. It might be a matter of simply removing the obstruction.

If none of the above works, you could have a defective heating element. You will need to replace the heating element, which is a big job and requires the touch of a professional.