Baxi 105he frozen condenser pipes

[Nickko]

OK, over the past few weeks with the temps outside getting so low, my system has frozen up 4 times, it freezes up from the drain pipe outside the house then backs up in to the system causing the boiler to stop working, when you look inside the panel the 30deg light is flashing and no matter how many times I tried to reset it, it just wouldn't ignite, this is how I've finally cured it via my mate the plumber boy.
* to begin with remove the pipe from outside and defrost, then you can either shorten this pipe dramatically or temporarily remove whilst we have the bad frosts, lagging them only traps the cold air inside the pipe and potentially makes them worse (the water is freezing as it dribbles down the pipes and causing the blockage)
* If neccessary use an air dryer on the length of pipe which comes back through the wall to the boiler, because it's likely that the frost has backed right up inside.
* Now check the pressure guage, it needs to read about 1.3bar, if it's less, look under the boiler and you'll see 2 silver braided hoses with black valve taps on them, open both taps completely (quarter turn) untill the pressure on the guage reads 1.3bar, this only takes a second or so so be quick to turn both valves back to their original position.
* Now try to reset the boiler by twisting the switch anti-clockwise, if the amber coloured neon light for the flame doesn't turn on and the 30 deg red light flashes you'll need to go to the next step !
* If the water has backed right up into the boiler itself it will cause the electrics to shorten
- Turn the power off to the boiler ! "Important"
- using a screw driver slacken the 2 screws either side of the lower front panel and lift the white front off.
- you'll now see a small see through resevoir to your right with 2 elecrtical terminals on the top, these are the safety cut out wires which when wet trips the system out and prevents the flame staying on, all you need to do is gently remove both these cables, remembering which one is which, and dry them out using paper towel or toilet paper and also dry the small tray in which they sit.
- reconnect the wires, turn the power back on and try the reset switch, it should hopefully now be cured, if so replace the front cover, tighten the screws and make yourself a well earned cup of tea, if it doesn't work then I'm sorry but you'll need to call your local plumber boy.
- Please note I'm not a registered plumber just an home DIY person, I found this advise simple to follow from my mate and as a result found that I'd like to share it with others to save them some money and keep them warm !

Regards all and merry Christmas,
Nick.

 

[boiler_new]

hey thanks for the guide, so to shorten the story external condensate drain froze, used kettles to clear it up....cleared out icicles....still not working opened the front panel condensate trap is empty on one side


im guessing thats usual so its still not firing assuming its still damp tripping the wire. I did a check took the wires out turned the boiler on....its WORKING but whenever i put the wires back it stops igniting and flashes on the drain problem again.

my question is do i need to dismantle to dry it and how sensitive is it because its fairly dry apart from some condensation droplets on the top inside the drain i cant get it that as its a sealed unit.

what to do ? any suggestions

appreciate the thread O.P great timing

 

[boiler_new]

p.s im not testing it for hours before some tears me apart checked to see if it ran for 5 mins it did so i am assuming its a damp trap.

anyone got a guide to fix this please

thanks in advance

 

[Nickko]

My guess is that it's still damp on the terminals, if you,ve used paper towel etc to dry it, try an hair dryer on it, this is the safety mechanism so I guess it needs to be very sensative to moisture !

Nick.

 

[boiler_new]

hey nickko

thanks for replying yep i guess it was still damp, used a flood light to heat it up to get rid of the moisture seems to have done the job for now. have you got a long term solution for the problem.

 

[Nickko]

Yes I have, because my washing machine sits directly beneath the boiler, I've been to B&Q to buy a lenght of flexi hose, I've cut the plastic pipe under the boiler and attached on end of the flexi to this, the drain for my washer is a 40mm thick upright plastic pipe, to this I added a 'T' piece which now accepts the flexi hose and the washer pipe, I've temporarilly filled the pipe left in the wall with bathroom sealant to keep the cold out !
Jobs a good un for less than £8 !

Nick.

 

[boiler_new]

cheers thanks for all the help Nick . appreciate it especially as its started up. will probably head to wickes tomorrow and pix up some pipes and join it to my water softner waste which is a 40mm pipe which i just installed a week ago to stop the problem of freezing water softner pipes when it used to do its cleaning cycle should have thought ahead...lesson learned.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Nickko]

Pleased to help you out mate !

 

[DIYDonutter]

Thank you so much, I've just read out your instructions to my sister over the phone and it's worked, her boilers back on!!! She now loves you for all eternity!!! Thanks a million.
Merry Christmas
DIYDonutter x

 

[Addycarra]

Nick...

Your advice was spot on and exactly my problem!

What I did to test whether it was this circuit causing the problem was to isolate electric and remove the 2 wires from the tray, then try and fire the boiler.

If it fires the tray will require more drying

 

[willo1960]

Thanks for the advice Nick. Woke up freezing this morning and your post has saved the day!... lovely warm house and happy wifey. We have a maintenance contract but i'm sure we would have been waiting several days for an engineer to come out. Thank you for taking the time to put up this excellent thread.
A merry Christmas to you and yours, Dave

 

[Pentyrch]

You are a star - What woudl we do without the internet- freeze to death waiting for an engineer. Thanks

 

[stem]

lagging them only traps the cold air inside the pipe and potentially makes them worse (the water is freezing as it dribbles down the pipes and causing the blockage) .

The condensate is collected inside the boiler, so it's not cold when it leaves. I understand that most boilers store it up, and when sufficient is collected, it's released as a warm 'slug' rather than a drip, drip.

Insulation does not prevent heat loss completely, hence the present proliferation of frozen condensate pipes, but it does slow the heat loss down. (Think teapot / teacosy. The tea eventually goes cold but stays hot for longer with a cosy on)

The combination of discharging warm water, coupled with insulation has worked reasonably well on most condensate drains for years under 'normal' UK winter conditions. Removing the insulation would actually speed up the freezing process. If your reasoning were correct, we would all be being advised to remove our pipe insulation from our outside, or roof located water pipes to stop them freezing.

Removing the insulation will assist the thawing process, but only when the air temperature surrounding it is above freezing.

Now check the pressure guage.

Good advice, but not all boilers have the same pressure setting. However, it has nothing to do with a frozen condensate pipe. The condensate water, is completely separate from the water the boiler heats. Just as the condensation that forms on the cold surfaces around your home is not the same as the water that is in the radiators.

Boiler "condense" is produced by the condensation of moisture from the gas being burned.

 

[Nickko]

Pleased that I've helped someone out, I know how I felt when I woke up freezing and had to try to find a solution, and thought it only right to share my findings. Oh and Stem, like I said, I'm no expert just trying to help people !

Nick.

 

[sie1uk]

wow, my exact problem, thought i was gunna have a cold Xmas ! came home to no heating or hot water, found the condensate pipe to be frozen, followed these instructions, however didnt work, still had the flashing 30 and flame with line though, in the end all it needed was the reset holding for nearly a minute then wooooooosh it started up, now i have very happy wife n kids ! great

merry xmas
sie