We want to ensure that we keep in touch with you to let you know about the progress of your responsive repair. 

We will:

• Send a text to your landline or mobile to confirm the date of your appointment;
• Send you a reminder text to your landline or mobile 24 hours before your appointment;
• Phone you before we set off to carry out the repair to confirm that you will be in when we arrive;
• Let you know if we have cancelled the repair because you did not answer the phone to confirm you would be in.
• Send you a text or landline voice message asking you to contact us to re-arrange your repair if you do not answer the phone to confirm you will be in;
• Cancel the repair if you do not contact us within 48 hours of receiving the text message we sent about not being able to contact you (48 hours excludes weekends and Bank Holidays).

If we cancel your repair and you still require it, you will need to report it again using My Access or by phoning  01302 862862.

We will:

• Make sure our trade staff are skilled and use quality materials;
• Make sure our trade staff carry identification details and show these to you;
• Treat your home with respect and tidy up afterwards;
• Always try to keep an appointment and let you know if there is a delay;
• We will phone you after we have completed the repair using our automated survey system so you can let us know how we did.

There are certain items where a repair or work will be your responsibility. These repairs include:

• Replacing fluorescent tubes, lightbulbs, starters and; lamp holder skirts (the part that holds your lamp shades on), pull cords and toggles. 
• Repairing TV aerial sockets unless they are part of a communal system.
• Resetting of trip switches on the consumer units/fuse boards.
• Replacing plumbing furniture and fixings; toilet seat, plug and chain, toilet roll holders, shower curtain and shower rail.
• Replacement of door locks when keys are lost.
• Replacing decorative joinery furniture and fixings; dado rail, curtain batons, curtain rails.
• Filling decorative cracks to walls or ceilings - (cracks no wider than a £1 coin thickness).
• Renewal of line to rotary or line driers.
• Internal decoration
• Any improvements to your home that you have done with our permission

You will also be responsible for the repair, or replacement of any item (excluding fair wear and tear) in your home where the damage is caused through:

• The tenant and/or any other individual residing at the property.
• Any individual knowingly allowed into the property.
• Any household pet and/or animal knowingly allowed into the property.

If the damage causes a threat to the health and safety of persons or the property, then we will carry out the repairs and the costs incurred may be recharged to the tenant.

Further details of recharges can be found in our recharge policy.

Combination/Condensate Boilers

If you do have a combination/condensate boiler there is a quick and easy solution to get the heating back up and running without having to wait for a gas engineer to visit – just follow the advice below.

If you don’t feel confident defrosting the pipe yourself, don’t worry, ring our Customer Access Team.

How do I know if I have a combination/condensing boiler with a condensate pipe that could freeze?

If your boiler is a Baxi/Potterton Duotec, Baxi/Potterton Solo, Vokera Mynute, Glowworm Hxi/Cxi, or a Vokera Unica, then it’s likely that you have a boiler that will have a condensate pipe fitted externally.

What does the condensate pipe do?

The boiler naturally produces a small amount of waste gas which turns to water as it cools. The condensate pipe drains this water outside.

How do I know if my boiler has a condensate pipe?

Look under the boiler to see if there is a plastic pipe - It’s usually white and around 20mm (about ¾”) wide. The pipe should run to the outside of your home and should always run into a drain.

Why does it freeze?

The water dripping through the pipe can freeze in cold weather, preventing it from draining away. When this happens the boiler will shut down. To fix the problem the frozen water needs to be cleared.  

How do I know if my boiler has stopped working because the condensate pipe is frozen?

Check your boiler for an error code:

if you have a Baxi/Potterton boiler displaying ‘E1’ ‘33’ fault code; or
Vokera Unica or Vokera Mynute displaying the fault code ‘AL10’

then check the condensate pipe. If it is NOT frozen, ring the Technical Support Service

If it is frozen and you feel able try to defrost it yourself then defrost the condensate pipe and reset your boiler following the instructions below.

How do I defrost the condensate pipe?

There are two ways to do this:

1) Pour hot water on the outside of the pipe. Don’t use boiling water to do this and only pour over the outside of the condensate pipe. Do not attempt to pour water down the pipe. Be careful to avoid any slips and trips by ensuring you do not get water on the path, as this will freeze.

2) Use either a hot water bottle or a heat wrap and place it around the pipe at the section where the water has frozen.

How do I reset the boiler?

Once defrosted, you can reset your boiler by turning the Selector switch to the Reset position and holding for at least 5 seconds. Remember, some boilers go through an electronic checking cycle after being re-set: this can take up to 15 minutes.

I’ve defrosted the condensate pipe, reset the boiler and it works fine - until it reaches a certain temperature, then it cuts out. What’s wrong?

The frozen pipe may have caused the boiler to flood causing an ignition fault. Try switching the boiler off for a few hours. If this doesn’t rectify the problem ring the Customer Access Team.

Some things to be aware of  …

Never try to thaw a condensate pipe that cannot be easily reached or disconnect the condensate pipe in the process.
Use extreme caution at all times when trying to find or thaw the condensate pipe.

What other issues can stop your combination boiler working in severe weather conditions?

Combination boilers work by heating hot water on demand: they take water straight from the mains supply, not from a tank. In severe weather conditions the mains water supply to your home can freeze.

Try running your taps: if there is no water from any of your taps the mains have probably frozen. If this happens you won’t be able to use your combination boiler until the mains defrost.

Regardless of whether you have a combination boiler; a condensate boiler; a gas fire back boiler; a wall mounted boiler; or a solid fuel appliance, switch your boiler off or let your fire go out until the water comes back on. Keep checking your taps. When the water comes back on you can use your appliance again.

Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to repair your boiler if your water supply has frozen.

An example of a condensate pipe is shown below. The condensate pipe is the diagonal pipe running along the side of the house.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)

Your radiators may be fitted with a Thermostatic Radiator Valve. These work by sensing the air temperature in the room and adjusting the heat accordingly.

A TRV is different to a room thermostat. A room thermostat determines the maximum temperature for the house and the TRV lets you vary this temperature room by room, meaning you don't have to waste money warming rooms you seldom use. The number on the valve corresponds to a specific air temperature.  Once you have selected a number, the thermostatic valve will maintain this temperature

Some things to remember when using TRVs:

If you turn a TRV down to low in a room, keep the door to that room closed. This will reduce condensation and prevent the radiators in other rooms from working overtime trying to heat the air in there too.

The radiator will not be hot all the time. The purpose of the valve is to allow you to control the temperature in individual rooms. It turns the hot water flow off when the room reaches the set temperature. Before you ring to report a radiator that is not working, check that the TRV isn’t set too low.

Help us to help you! Before you ring to report a repair to your gas central heating, we ask that you carry out a few simple checks:

Is the gas supply turned on? Check if other gas appliances, such as your gas cooker, are working?

If you have a combination boiler, is the ON/OFF/Reset select switch in the Heat/Water position and is the display lit? If not, check that the electricity to the boiler is switched on.

Is the timer/programmer set correctly to Heat/Hot Water?

Is your room thermostat set high enough? Turn to maximum to check.

If you have thermostatic radiator valves fitted, are they turned up?

If you have a pre-payment or token meter, is there enough credit on your meter?
If you have checked all the above and still can’t get the heating to work, contact our Customer Access team on  01302 862862

To help prevent pipes bursting:

Keep your heating on constantly, even if on low, during the night;
Open the loft hatch, this will help warm air circulate to the attic and prevent the pipes in your loft from freezing;
Open doors on kitchen cupboards that are on exterior walls to allow warm air to circulate around any pipes inside the cupboard;
If you are going on holiday, or will be away from your home during a cold spell, turn your water off at the mains. This will help prevent potential burst pipes while you are away.
Know where your stop tap is so you can turn the water off quickly!

The stop tap is a valve on the cold water system in your home. Turn the stop tap clockwise to shut it off and anti-clockwise to turn it back on.

Regularly check that your stop tap is working by running the cold water tap in your kitchen and then turning the stop tap off (clockwise). If the water doesn’t stop running, contact the Customer Access Team straight away. Remember to turn the water back on (anti-clockwise).  

If a pipe does burst:

• Turn off the water at the stop tap.
• Try and block the escaping water with thick cloths or towels.
• Open all taps to reduce flooding.
• Call the Customer Access Team right away.
  Don't forget to turn off your taps once the problem is fixed!