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How to thaw a frozen condensate pipe

Follow these steps:

  1. Check that your condensate pipe has frozen
    Those who have a Vaillant boiler, look for fault codes (F28 or F29), and those that have a Worcester Bosch boiler look for a fault code `EA` digitally displayed. Additionally, you might hear a gurgling noise coming from the boiler.
  2. Locate the frozen blockage within the condense pipe
    Look for an Outdoor pipe (it is typically a white plastic pipe) connected from your boiler to an outside drain/down pipe.
  3. Thaw to remove the blockage
    To effectively defrost a condensate pipe, you can simply pour warm water along the affected area of the pipe to dislodge, melt, and remove the ice blockage. Do not use boiling water as you may damage the pipe. Use a suitable container - like a watering can or pitcher - and continue the process until either the ice falls from the pipe or until the contents of the pipe are fully drained.
  4. Restart your boiler
    Once the blockage has cleared, check the boiler operating instructions or the manufacturer’s website for guidance on any action needed to clear the fault code or alarm and re-start the boiler. If it still doesn’t work, you should call the repair centre so that one of our Gas Safe engineers can come and look at it for you.