disturbed dinner tonight over an ice plug

[Kayos]

“Green” boilers … still suffering the same issues …

I mean they have only been in the UK for 30 years, modern unreliable rubbish

I'd rather have a new boiler than an old inefficient one any day

 

[mike os]

I mean they have only been in the UK for 30 years, modern unreliable rubbish

I'd rather have a new boiler than an old inefficient one any day

id rather i didnt have to fix it every year, and see the same issues every time it gets a bit cold..... the difference in efficiencies are marginal, the service and replacement costs are not

30 years and still not rectified a 30 year old fault... yeah really great

 

[Kayos]

id rather i didnt have to fix it every year, and see the same issues every time it gets a bit cold..... the difference in efficiencies are marginal, the service and replacement costs are not

I guess 60 Vs 90% is marginal?

I don't fix mine every year, once in a while it freezes a pipe outside, I could fix it properly but reasons

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Ours was frozen again this morning, the other half got up before me then came back whinging about it . She wasn’t too impressed when I told her how to get it working , well I was still in a nice warm bed

Chivalry is alive and well and living in Cambridge.

 

[Blobber]

When the condensate pipe is mounted externally its meant to be a minimum of 11/4 to help stop it freezing, I think the life span of these boilers is better but there was and still is a lot of rubbish about and makes you wonder on the cost savings when a back boiler lasted 30 years plus and some modern boilers have been replaced after 5, something doesn't stack up!

 

[Morrisman]

Just going to chow down on my dinner tonight and the door bell goes..neighbour from over the road wants to borrow my ladders to check his boiler flue outlet on the side of his gable. His boiler had gone out and would not re-light, I told him the 1st thing to check would be his condensate pipe out the wall as i bet its frozen and the boiler has drowned. Told the wife to put my dinner in the oven and after getting re-dressed in my day time gear nipped over there with my ladders, up the ladders on the gable and sure enough the end of the pipe going into the waste pipe hopper from bathroom was frozen solid. Kettle full of hot water poured onto the pipe and the ice plug dropped out followed by about 2L of water from his boiler, told him to press the boiler reset and see what happens. 30 seconds later she was chooching like a good one and all heat was resumed for himself and his young family...Back home and resumed eating my dinner like a hyena before anyone else knocks for help

At my last house the condensate drain pipe ran down to a standard grid drain in garden. The gas Homecare guy pointed out that the pipe really should go down through the drain, rather than just drop onto it, but it would probably never be a problem.

Of course it wasn't, not until there was four inches of snow and it was - 3, and it all turned into a big ice plug..... at 10pm.... Kettle of water did the trick.

 

[dobbslc]

Plumbers eh

There's an echo in here.

 

[redlig]

Ours was frozen again this morning, the other half got up before me then came back whinging about it . She wasn’t too impressed when I told her how to get it working , well I was still in a nice warm bed

My theory exactly. Advise and teach then they will know next time . Hopefully! Be sure to overdo the congratulations when they get it right.

 

[MattF]

Be sure to overdo the congratulations when they get it right.

Or, just leave them to freeze until they listen & twig.

 

[Melvyn Best]

Chivalry is alive and well and living in Cambridge.

In these days of so called equality what else do you expect Years ago my mother had a flat tyre and asked me to change the wheel for her but I made her do it herself with me watching so if she ever had another one ,out in the fens with no help available , she would know how to do it

 

[bricol]

Why aren't these pipe insulated as standard practice?

Depends on the installer ?

Mine did it - but in the decade or so since, it's fallen/rotted off.

I've not had any issues - mainly because I'm wearing two jumpers, a fleece and a woolly hat - I'm working from home and feel fine

When the other half returns tomorrow, the problems might start . . either because that pipe will now freeze up as the heating has been required to be on constantly, or because she discovers thin short sleeved dress isn't suited to winter in my house

 

[sako243]

When the condensate pipe is mounted externally its meant to be a minimum of 11/4 to help stop it freezing, I think the life span of these boilers is better but there was and still is a lot of rubbish about and makes you wonder on the cost savings when a back boiler lasted 30 years plus and some modern boilers have been replaced after 5, something doesn't stack up!

Well my boilers are still going strong at least 25 years on, parts are readily available and in stock in most places.

 

[redlig]

Or, just leave them to freeze until they listen & twig.

I don't do that as the boot might be on the other foot one day and they do have long memories when it suits them.

 

[Morrisman]

In these days of so called equality what else do you expect Years ago my mother had a flat tyre and asked me to change the wheel for her but I made her do it herself with me watching so if she ever had another one ,out in the fens with no help available , she would know how to do it

Sexual Equality is good, only when they want it to be.

Just look at all the caffufle over pension age...women have fought for a century to get everything the same as we more superior men, but when they finally get allowed to retire at the same age as us they have a hissy fit.

 

[DAPPH]

The wife shouted for help earlier tonight .
Utility room (end of my garage) .
Was flooded , water outlet pipe from washer was frozen up outside .
Easy fix it is not there now .
I will have to try and insulate it .

I raised both the washing machine & condensing dryer up about 20" by building three plinths of four walling blocks in each pier across the width of the garage at the rear , then put three CLS treated floor joists on top to make the platform for them to stand on.
Five inches above that I plugged in a carrier on three walls to take three more joists across the width of the garage to make a shelf , with the washer & drier to one end I put in a 19 mm support /divider panel to support the upper shelf to the left of the of washer . Glad I did this as unsupported the shelves would have had a fair sized sag in the middle because of the weight of all the " might need it later " stuff stored there .

Then Alison claimed pole spot above the washing machine to have a plastic bin roughly 20xX20 ins for all her washing materials.

I eventually had to put in another a supporting wall to stop mission creep by her ... It's my mancupboard ( she says so ! )


Above this shelf about a foot from the roof I added two more lengths of roof truss shelving, this time to take lightweight things such as three different size watering cans . three garden sprayers, rug doctor chemicals and a few computer PSU's & fans sort of stuff on the top shelf
The gap underneath the washer & dryer has two wired in parallel 7 watt CLS bulbs on 27/7 , set upon a plinth of plastic to keep them an inch or so off the floor as the original wooden block eventually rooted away after 10 or so years & caused sweating under the baton bulb holders they sat on . Eventually a bit fat spider's egg nest & the moisture completed an earth trip situation .

The 2x7 watt CFL's along with the compressor driven style ice-cream deep freezer running at - 20 oC have prevented freeze ups including the minus -18 oC beast from the east a few years ago , I suspect that dong the washing and drying in off peak " dead mans " hours has also helped for this is also the time we tend to experience the lowest temperature s.. the theory being their heat also helps out a little .

Now we have a mum and son Ukrainian refugee as house guests the machines are in use most night .. prior to them coming to us & after my daughter moving out ......thus less heat in the mancupboard I was going to pop two 20 watt incandescent bulbs in the heater this winter .

I haven't fitted it yet, but I might be able to set my brand new Chinese oil burning heater up to be set as a frost stat ...could be good .... if we are entering a new ice age , besides I'm having acute withdrawal symptoms ,because it's too cold to play in my man cupboard with it unheated and I desperately I want to play, TV is utter dross.

 

[fizzy]

Our mains water frozen again this morning. Not surprising at -9.5C mid afternoon!
Use the hot air paint stripper again. Tonight I am filling the hole where the pipes and valves are with pop bottles full of hot water!

 

[DAPPH]

Likely not been a cold snap, like this, in the last seventeen years! I don’t think ‘the beast from the east’ was as cold - felt like it due to the wind chill effect, but not such low temps for so long.

Likely not been a cold snap, like this, in the last seventeen years! I don’t think ‘the beast from the east’ was as cold - felt like it due to the wind chill effect, but not such low temps for so long.

It passed th Beast from the East test of -18 oC for 40 odd hours with honours , it could be that having the insulated condensate discharge in to the drain below the plastic cover kept it safe .

If we had minus 25 oC or so ,the external to then property bottle necks in close to the surface drains will likely freeze . Much colder thn that and most of the \uK will be well & truly stuffed unles theyr are on a deep dug septic tank system fed from deep drains internal to the building .
FIL in St Catherin's near Niagara falls Canada explained to me that when he had his bungalow built with a legally enforced cellar for shelter from storms , intense frost & fires etc .
He had his internal drains about two feet lower than the cellars 18 inch reinforced floor slab pumped up to into a large receptor tank out in the side garden which was also on auto pump up to the mains sewer out in the street . some six feet higher than the base of the slab

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I got woken up by one of wifes friends ringing at 4.00am this morning. She said house is flooded so could I come and turn off the water at the pavement stopcock (house one seized). -5 degrees outside whilst I had to lie on ground as stop cock so deep in the hole !
Wife and this friend have been away for a short break (Xmas markets) and friend didn't leave central heating on until coming back home yesterday Water has has also blown the upstairs electrics. I did my bit of turning off the water and left for plumber & electrician, or whoever, to sort out the cause. Insurance claim will have to be made due to damage.
With cost of energy I'm betting this sort of thing might be more common this winter as people restrict time central heating switch on.

 

[bricol]

In these days of so called equality what else do you expect Years ago my mother had a flat tyre and asked me to change the wheel for her but I made her do it herself with me watching so if she ever had another one ,out in the fens with no help available , she would know how to do it

After driving a 70mile round trip, with a wheel, to rescue the other half (no spare in her Fiesta), I insisted she did the same for similar reason. After making her buy a spare wheel, jack and brace.

 

[DAPPH]

Our mains water frozen again this morning. Not surprising at -9.5C mid afternoon!
Use the hot air paint stripper again. Tonight I am filling the hole where the pipes and valves are with pop bottles full of hot water!

Screw Fix same road as Mac Donald's in Cross Hands sell insulating foam filler at about £2.60 a can . When I sorted the rubbish job done by " professional plumbers" I use a full can to seal both sides of a cavity wall,, Pushed some cling film covered cardboard over the outside to try and get a filling fit , left it for three days to fully expand and cure then sliced of the excess inside & outside .
Hope to cut it back on the outside and remake the wall rendering when the weather warms up again .