In response to last year's severe winter, The Wrekin Housing Trust has fitted cold weather devices to a number of properties where condensate pipes froze last year. To help tenants get the most of these new products, the Trust has made a number of short videos which are available to view on youtube by following the links below.

Learn more about trace heaters
Trace heaters send a tiny electrical current to the condensate pipe to stop it freezing. Watch our video to learn more about trace heaters.

How to drain off condensate with a Boiler Buoy
A Boiler Buoy is a bypass valve. If a red ball appears then there is a blockage in the boiler condensate pipe caused by a frozen pipe. The Boiler Bouy allows you to drain off the condensate and keep the boiler working.

How to unfreeze a condensate pipe
Watch this video which explains how to unfreeze a condensate pipe.

We have also prepared a severe weather checklist to give you some ideas on how you can keep your home warm and dry during bad weather.

You can take some simple steps to make your home more energy efficient, such as closing curtains at night to keep heat in, lagging your hot-water tank (your local Trust shop can organise this for you) and using energy-efficient light bulbs.

If the weather turns very cold, you can stop pipes bursting by leaving your heating switched on to a very low setting overnight or if you're away for a couple of days. If you're going to be away for longer, turn off the stop tap and keep all the taps running until the water stops and the system has drained.