On 21 Dec, 11:17, Peter Johnson
wrote:
On Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:48:36 -0800 (PST), cynic

wrote:

snip

We had very severe frost last night so I enquired if there was an ice
plug in the condensate outlet. Neighbour got ladder out to look and it
turned out there was. Soon neighbour had kettle out and a warm house
soon after.
An hour later my phone rang and a friend told me he had no heat or hot
water. Jokingly I said it would be an ice plug in the condensate line.
Ten minutes later he phoned back to say it had been just that and
promised me a pint.
It seems there is a distinct lack of appreciation of the effects of
frost on condensate pipes by installers or are we afflicted worse than
others in our area?

Not long before I reading this yesterday one of my sisters, resident
in Humberside, reported on Facebook that her ch had packed up. Reading
this, I rang her and suggested that she checked the outlet. She phoned
a few minutes ago and said that she hadn't been able to sort it out
last night, it was too dark and getting too cold, but this morning,
after removing the right-angle bend from the end a plug of ice fell
out, so she had the heating back on before the plumber she'd phoned
yesterday turned up. He said that he had seven more similar calls to
attend to after hers. [Sister had had this problem before but didn't
know what had caused it.]
So thanks from brother in Leicestershire for the tip that helped
sister in Humberside.

I posted in the hope that the information would possibly help others.
As it happens I am also in Humberside or to give its correct name East
Yorkshire in my case.
John (who has a pre-condensing type oil fired boiler with a Riello
burner and it runs just fine)