We have received a very high level of callouts in the last 24 hours due to gas breakdowns and other emergencies. We completed over 70 emergency repairs yesterday but struggled to reach all customers. Road conditions remain very difficult and are likely to last over the weekend.
Our engineers will be working until 4.30pm today. After that our out-of-hours emergency service will take over. Please help us to deal with the most urgent repairs by either:
– reporting all non-urgent repairs via the website
– waiting until Monday to call us when our offices will reopen
Some boilers have been failing in the very cold weather because of a frozen condensate pipe. Condensing boilers produce condensation which drains away via a pipe to the outside. In very low temperatures the condensation can freeze, blocking the pipe. This prevents the boiler from working. When this happens it may make a gurgling or rumbling noise and display either L2 fault on a Logic boiler or LF on an Icos or Isar boiler. These codes could mean more than just a frozen condensate pipe, but if you are getting the noise as well then there is a high chance this is the issue.
If you can locate the external pipe and feel comfortable doing so, you can try to defrost it. It is usually a small diameter white pipe exiting the outside wall that your boiler is on. It may be insulated outside but the lagging used doesn’t seem to stopping the pipe from freezing in this harsh weather.
First, turn off your boiler at the main switch. If you are on the ground floor only, go outside and look for the condensate pipe. If it looks frozen then try to defrost it. To do this pour hand hot (not boiling) water over it for a few minutes. This may take several attempts. Be careful not to leave behind a puddle that can freeze and cause a slip hazard later. Don’t use boiling water straight from the kettle as this could be dangerous and cause scalding.
Once you have finished, turn your boiler back on again at the main switch and check if it restarts. It important to give it some time to settle in.
You may not be able to see the end of the pipe (for example, if it goes straight underground to a drain). Even if you can’t see it, it’s still worth trying this fix.
If you are in a first or second floor flat then you will need to call our Repairs team. If you can’t find the external pipe (which could mean you have an older type of boiler) then you will also need to call us.
WE ARE COTTSWAY
Cottsway is the largest housing association and provider of social housing within West Oxfordshire. We also have properties in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. Based in Witney we manage more than 4,500 homes – including houses, flats, bungalows and housing for over 55s. We also support 135 leaseholders and over 200 people living in shared ownership homes. Over the next five years, we aim to build 750 new homes.
We operate at the heart of our community and aim to be accessible and approachable. We want our residents to be able to ask for and receive, an efficient and effective service. This year, we are starting to develop 200 homes in the Cotswolds for affordable rent, to help provide homes for people who cannot afford to rent privately or buy. Within the next 18 months, we will also build over 100 homes for shared ownership in West Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.
Cottsway Housing Association Ltd was formed in 2001 to receive the transfer of West Oxfordshire District Council’s housing stock. We are a not-for-profit housing association and our income comes entirely from rents. Cottsway became a charitable industrial and provident society in 2009.
