How to thaw a frozen condensate pipe

If your ATAG boiler stops working in freezing temperatures and shows error codes 133 or 501, your condensate pipe may have frozen. On these occasions, you may hear your boiler making a gurgling noise, or on the rarest occasions, you may see water dripping from underneath your boiler.

Don’t panic! It is not a warranty call out, and in most cases, it can be resolved without further assistance

What is a condensate pipe?

A condensate pipe is fitted to your boiler to carry away wastewater that forms because of the normal condensate process that happens in your boiler. It is normally a white plastic pipe that runs from your boiler to the household drainage system or the soakaway outside.

How can I thaw a frozen condensate pipe?

It’s relatively easy to thaw a condensate pipe – if you know how to do it correctly!

• Locate your condensate pipe.
  Your condensate pipe will run from the inside of your home through the wall. It's the external part of the pipe that you need to look at.
  
  
• Locate where the blockage is
  It can be difficult to locate the blockage in the pipe due to the pipe being white. The most likely places the pipe will be blocked will be in a bend or change of direction, or the exit part of the pipe.
  
  
• Thaw the blockage
  Use warm water to pour over the pipe to thaw it out. It’s imperative to note NOT to use hot water as this can cause the plastic pipe to shatter as it’s very thing plastic material. Please make sure you do this in a safe manner. If you are pouring the water over the pipe, please be aware of the water that hits the floor as this could easily freeze in these temperatures.

What can I do to stop my condensate pipe freezing?

In the event that your condensate pipe freezes again here are a few helpful tips that can help you out:

1. Use insulation to cover the condensate pipe
2. Leave your heating on overnight to ensure the pipe stays warm
3. Increase the size of your external condensate pipe from 22mm to 30mm as per manufacturer's requirements.