Glasgow will soon experience a cold-snap with heavy snow on its way, according to the Met Office.
Much of this week is set to be rather chilly with locals being warned to wrap up warm and take care when they're out and about.
It comes as temperatures in Glasgow are set to plummet below zero, and now in a new update today (March 6), the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow with people being warned Scotland could see the worst of it.
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Because of the wintery weather conditions looming over the city, Toolstation have warned locals that one particular issue is likely to affect their home amid the drop in temperatures - but there's action that can be taken to prevent a large bill.
According to Toolstation , insufficiently insulated condensate pipes are likely to freeze up and this could cause boilers to stop working.
Talking to Toolstation, Heating Engineer at Seven Heating , Lorenzo Giove, explains that the issue can become widespread saying: “During the cold weather in December, I was called and texted nearly 100 times by customers with the same issue - frozen condensate pipes.
"The condensate pipe is the external pipe which carries acidic water waste from the boiler out of the house to an external drain. When it becomes blocked with ice, your boiler stops working.”
Explaining the best way to prevent this from happening, Lorenzo explains: “In the first instance, the easiest way to prevent a frozen condensate pipe is to lag the pipe. It’s a cheap and easy way of preventing issues when the weather really starts to bite. With particularly cold weather expected until Thursday this week, I’d recommend doing this as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson from Toolstation explains there is a simple way of doing this adding: “Pipe insulation can be purchased for less than £1. A metre length of our most affordable insulation wrap costs just 99p and its thick foam cuts heat loss by up to 70 per cent, protecting against frost and freezing. All you need to do is wrap some insulation around the pipe. You may like to use cable ties to ensure it’s fastened on tightly.”
If it’s too late though, a kettle should be all you need. Lorenzo explains: “Generally speaking, a boiler will flash up a fault code if the condensate pipe has frozen and caused an issue. Head outside and locate the waste pipe coming from the exterior wall.
"Cover the pipe in something like a tea towel and pour over several rounds of boiling water. The towels will help retain the heat from the hot water and you will start to hear the cracking of the ice. Hopefully, all being well, it will get things moving and working again. Hot water did the trick for most people who contacted me when it was cold in December.”
You can also purchase pipe insulation from B&Q as well as insulation wrap.
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