Solutions you can offer your customers to get them through the winter

As heating engineers and installers, we know winter is the busiest time of year when it comes to residential and commercial boilers. People aren’t expecting the sudden breakdowns the icy weather brings. So we get called out in wind, hail, sleet, and snow to get people’s homes back up and running.

It might keep business tiding over, but there are ways to help your customers before they get into trouble with their heating. And the best part is this can still be great news for your business.

Boiler cover plans

Most boiler breakdowns (over 15%) happen in January. As winter gets into full swing, we’re expecting the number of call-outs to rise. Most residents with broken-down boilers are taken by surprise. But offering a boiler cover plan can help them avoid surprise high repair fees in the winter. It’s like Netflix for their boiler.

Boiler cover plans require a monthly payment from clients ensuring full coverage on their boiler all year round. You can create a tiered pricing plan including services such as emergency call-outs, checkups, and maintenance, or create them bespoke for each client. This means clients can benefit from annual check-ups to pre-empt any sudden breakdowns for an affordable monthly price.

This gives your business a steady income to focus on bringing value to your clients. You won’t have to wait for late payments from clients struggling to pay large bulk sums as they can spread the costs out. And they’ll get a better service in exchange.

Educate your customers

One of the main reasons people’s boilers break down in January is because of frozen condensate in their pipes. If clients knew this, it would cut down on the number of call-outs we get each winter as customers will know how to prevent and fix the problem.

This isn’t only the case for condensate. General knowledge on boiler and heating maintenance, repair, and installation is concentrated among professionals. Customers aren’t always aware they can easily fix minor problems on their own, saving them money.

Most customers probably don’t realise they can prevent problems in the first place. If you ever go on any call-outs, pass on some tips like telling them to turn their taps on to keep water flowing through the pipes. Or, in the case of frozen condensate, let them know they can insulate their pipes to stop any potential freezes.

These solutions are a win-win for you and your customers. They can save your clients thousands while helping you improve the value of your service and increase your revenue. But, this winter, one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to help clients is use condensate pipe insulation that looks great, lasts for a long time, and works well.

Condensate Pro offers a range of connections and pipes that come pre-insulated to create a simple, quick, and professional installation process. With UV- and weather-resistance, they’ll look amazing for longer, helping you give your clients the ultimate service. Take a look at our products via our website.

How to defrost and prevent frozen condensate

Early in October, as temperatures began to slide down the scales, Scottish Gas announced they were facing a 33% increase in demand for call-outs. They predicted 7,000 households would require their repair services in the first week of October. And they aren’t the only energy company who paces huge surges in call-outs every time the temperatures plummet.

What’s the cause? Frozen condensate, of course.

Frozen condensate is one of the most common causes of boiler breakdowns in the winter. It’s worse at that time of year because that’s when we need our boilers the most. Without them, there’s no escape from the icy weather at home. So how can you prevent pipes freezing and boilers breaking down, avoiding high repair charges and ensuring a cosy winter?

Defrosting a frozen pipe

If your boiler isn’t working and it’s cold outside, it could be due to a frozen pipe. You should defrost it as soon as possible. The first thing to do is to locate your pipe. It’s often a white pipe that comes out of the wall somewhere on your house and runs directly into an outside drain.

Boil the kettle and let it cool for about 10 minutes so the water is hot, but not boiling. Then, starting from the top and working your way down the pipe, pour the hot water over the pipe until the ice within has melted. You may need to do this more than once.

When you have successfully defrosted the pipe, you can reset your boiler and it should work as normal.

Preventing condensate freezing

Preventing problems is always better than fixing them. The most important thing to do to prevent condensate freezing is to insulate your pipes so they don’t freeze at all. This is particularly important if your pipe is in a hard to reach area. If it is, you may not unfreeze it using the above method.

You can insulate the pipe yourself, but it can be a little tricky when pipes aren’t easy to reach. You need to ensure the materials you use are up to the task. Your pipe insulation should be weather- and UV-resistant if you want it to stay looking good and effective. This will save you from shelling out on regular insulation replacements.

But, sometimes, your pipe might not be the problem. While in winter, this is overwhelmingly the cause of broken down boilers, there can be other problems at play. To ensure excellent boiler health through the colder months, it’s great to get an annual check during summer so when winter rolls around, you know you’re all set for a comfortable season.

Condensate Pro takes the hassle out of pipe insulation. Our pipe installation and connection kits come pre-insulated and are UV- and weather-resistant. This means your pipes are easy to install and keep warm, and they look tidy and professional. Take a look at our products on our website.