A new poll by Condensate Pro has shown that a large percentage of the trade are still not proactively protecting condensate pipes from freezing.
Some 60% of 160 poll respondents said they never or only sometimes protect condensate pipes.
The poll showed that many installers are not fully complying with industry guidance despite frozen condensate pipes accounting for a substantial amount of boiler breakdowns in colder months.
David Smith, a heating installer and inventor of Condensate Pro, said that part of the reason the trade are not following industry guidance is because it is very difficult to practically carry out.
“The industry guidance is slightly flawed as it is very difficult to achieve practically on site – mainly in terms of the angles it expect to be drilled into cavity walls where the pipe passes through,” he said. “It also adds significant time onto an installation, can be quite intrusive to the fabric of a home and is hard to cost up and difficult to explain to a homeowner.”