Help & Advice Tip: My Pay-As-You-Go Top-Up meter is not working! I have no heating. My meter has error codes. Please Help!

Click Here
Select your town (change) We have set your location here.
You can change it at any time by clicking on the link above.

Top Tips for the cold weather #beastfromtheeast

We have pulled together our helpful top tips guide to help ensure you are not caught out in the freezing temperatures.

1. What to do if you meter is frozen.

In extreme cold weather conditions your meter may become frozen meaning that inserting a card to top-up credit or operation of the buttons may become difficult. This can be resolved by placing a warm hot water bottle directly over the card slot and buttons for a brief period until the buttons and card reader de-frost enabling operation. DO NOT attempt to apply heat to this area using any other method.

 

2. How to defrost a Frozen Condensate Pipe

During extreme cold weather conditions the liquid in the external condensate pipe can freeze causing a blockage. Boilers sense the blockage and shut down to avoid potential water damage.

If you think this has happened to your boiler you should contact a Gas Safe registered company to thaw your condensate pipe and find a permanent solution to the problem such as insulating the pipe.

Things you can do:

Is the plastic pipe running from your boiler to outside frozen? If it is, you may be able to thaw the plastic pipe as long as it is accessible and safe to do so:

  • Try using warm (not boiling) water, a heat wrap or a hot water bottle to thaw out the pipe
  • Do not remove or disconnect the pipe but once you apply some heat, the ice should melt or loosen up
  • Once you have successfully thawed out the pipe your boiler will need to be reset the boiler while referring to the operating manual

Watch the ideal boiler help video to show you how to defrost your Frozen Condensate Pipes

3. Frozen Water Pipes

If you suspect that a water pipe has frozen you should contact a plumber.

You should immediately locate the stopcock for the mains water supply into your home to ensure you can isolate the water supply if required. Stopcocks are normally found in your kitchen, below the sink unit.

The stopcock is a valve for turning off and on the cold water supply into your home. A stopcock operates in a similar manner to a domestic tap i.e. turn clockwise to close and anti-clockwise to re-open.

Comments

Popular tags

Stay Connected

Sign up to
our Newsletter

Exclusive offers and latest news straight to your inbox!

What kind of business are you?

or
Why am I having to do this?

To give you the most accurate information for your town and county, please enter your postcode below.

How do you pay for your natural gas?

By Credit

Do you receive a monthly bill for your energy usage?

Yes
or

With a Pay as You Go card

Do you purchase a top-up card for your energy?

Yes

What kind of business are you?

Small or Medium Business

Small businesses spend about £2,600 or less per bill. Medium businesses spend about £35,000 or less per bill.

or

Large Business


Large businesses spend about £250,000 or less per bill

Make sure you have your bank details and SMP or meter serial number ready

Bank details

All we need is your account number and sort code *

&

SMP Number

This is the number usually at the top right of your bill or on your connection paperwork

Okay, I have them

If your account requires 2 signatures, or you are not the bank account holder, please call us first on 0330 024 9000
If you don’t have this number, call our switch team on 0330 024 9000