Vello » Boilers https://vellolondon.com All Round London Fri, 16 Jun 2017 11:26:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2 Frozen condensate pipes https://vellolondon.com/frozen-condensate-pipes/ https://vellolondon.com/frozen-condensate-pipes/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2014 16:56:30 +0000 http://vellolondon.com/?p=1528 Over the last few years, the UK has experienced some prolonged spells of cold and icy weather. This has resulted in a rise in the number of calls to heating engineers from householders with condensing (high efficiency) boilers, where the condensate drainage pipe has frozen and become blocked with ice. If this happens, the boiler will shut down and display a fault code. In the vast majority of cases, such problems occur where some of the condensate drainage pipe is located externally to the building.

There are various products on the market, ranging quite substantially in price. Some are fitted in place permanently, measuring the ambient temperature and delivering heat when needed to keep the pipe from freezing. Or you can simply use good quality foam lagging to cover the exposed pipe and secure it with zip ties.

  • Locate the frozen section by feeling with your hands for the coldest part.
  • Slowly poor warm water from the kettle over the pipe. Do not use boiling water, as this can crack the pipe – and/or scald you.
  • Once the frozen section has cleared, check the manual and restart the boiler. If it does not re start correctly, you will need to call out a gas safe registered boiler engineer.
]]> https://vellolondon.com/frozen-condensate-pipes/feed/ 0 Why Do Boilers Break Down? https://vellolondon.com/why-do-boilers-break-down/ https://vellolondon.com/why-do-boilers-break-down/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:43:14 +0000 http://vellolondon.com/?p=761 Modern boilers are in general very reliable things, capable of quietly going about their business discretely and efficiently for many years. But they are also complex, engineered products and deserving of some care and attention.

Like a car, boilers should be serviced every year to ensure everything is as it should be. Not only will this allow any issues to be pre-empted, saving the heartache and inconvenience a breakdown can inevitably lead too,but a correctly operating boiler is an efficient boiler too, saving money off energy bills. And if your boiler is still under guarantee, an annual service is usually part of the terms and conditions.

Age is a common reason for a boiler to breakdown; quite simply, it’s reaching the end of its useful life. If your boiler is more than 10 years old, it therefore might be time to upgrade to a new model. A modern high efficiency boiler, as well as being more reliable and quieter in operation, can shave as much as 30% off your gas bills.

Many breakdowns are caused by something within the system itself (i.e. the pipes and radiators connected to the boiler), usually dirt or air. Air can stop the water within the system from circulating properly, while dirt can foul parts within the boiler itself. For this reason, manufacturers always recommend a central heating system is flushed before fitting a new boiler, and a filter is then fitted to protect the boiler from any dirt that might then build up within the system over time.

If you are worried about your boiler. Give us a buzz, and we will have one of our engineers inspect it for you.

Call 020 3741 8018 NOW!

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