No heating in a cold snap — frozen pipes and winter faults
Most of our December and January callouts aren't broken boilers at all — they're frozen condensate pipes, frozen oil lines and unlagged external runs on properties sitting high on the Mendips or exposed on the Chew Valley ridge.
Why elevation matters here
Villages like Priddy, Chewton Mendip and East Harptree sit meaningfully higher than Bath and Radstock and hold sub-zero air for longer. Externally routed condensate at 22mm freezes readily in those conditions, and once it blocks the boiler locks out to protect itself. The fix is often simple; preventing recurrence is the useful part.
Winter-proofing that works
- Upsize external condensate to 32mm and improve the fall
- Terminate internally into a soil stack where the layout allows
- Proper closed-cell lagging on external oil and water runs
- Frost stat and pipe trace heating on genuinely exposed installations
Frequently asked
- Can I thaw the condensate myself?
- Warm — not boiling — water poured along the outside pipe, then reset the boiler. If it refreezes within days, the pipe route needs changing.
- Do oil lines freeze?
- Kerosene itself gels only at very low temperatures, but water contamination in the line or tank freezes readily and blocks the filter.
- Should heating be left on low overnight in a freeze?
- In an exposed property, yes — a low background temperature is cheaper than a burst pipe.
Better to fix it in autumn
Every winter-proofing job on this list is cheaper and easier booked in October than as an emergency in January. We keep autumn slots for exactly this work.
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