home Fix label Heating label_important Home Heating Systems category Worcester

my worcester greenstar HE boiler wont fire up?

my worcester greenstar HE boiler wont fire up and it gives an error code AE which says that no flame is detected can you light it manually if the electronic ignition is not working?

Nicholas, September 2007

home Fix label Heating label_important Home Heating Systems category Worcesterdone

If showing FA or F7 this is the flame detection fault. This has happened on mine a few times and could normally be cleared by pressing the re-set button. This failed to clear the last time, so having some experience with these boilers, set about finding the fault.
In my case this was caused by a build up of combustion product on the flame sensor probe porcelain , when damp and cold this gives a false reading to the main board, making it think that a flame is present. I removed the spark/ flame detection assembly and cleaned the probe (the one by itself) with a small wire brush and re-fit. (Ensure that the fasteners are properly seated in the electrode frame holes) this cured the problem. New Greenstar HE electrode assemblies are available for about £46 on eBay.

Gary H, December 2016

I love you guys! Not only removing dirt from the plastic cap (took a while to open the annoying thing) fixed the problem, it has also made water strangely warmer for a change! :)

Very Happy Chappy, May 2016

Big thank you to whoever originally posted this fix - been having problems with my Worcester Bosch CC1 for a couple of weeks culminating in it not firing at all & continually throwing the "EA" fault code.

I had recently moved into the property & first thing I did was to check the heating system & bled all the radiators - a couple had a bit of air in them so I topped-up the boiler after that & at first everything seemed fine but then the problems started...

Long story short - I switched the boiler off & popped the condensation trap off only to find the trap (and the bottom of the inlet) was almost solid with compacted grit & silt - the local water company were doing works in the area & this had caused a load of debris to find its way into the water system & ultimately into my boiler as, unluckily, I had topped it up when the water supply was full of grit from local works on the water supply.

** Top tip - to prevent water from going everywhere when you release the trap, get a small plastic bag, rip a hole in the bottom & put it over the condensation trap assembly so that when you remove the cover the water funnels into your bucket below & not all over the insides of your boiler **

It's as easy as this - no tools required once you get the front cover off the boiler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0nI5IV0O4

John, September 2015

Came across this solution from a few years ago and have used it to address an EA error code on my boiler.

Worked! But I am amazed at the amount of sludge that came through and wondered if there was anything I could do to lessen or resolve this? Have had the boiler serviced regularly by British Gas but have never seen them remove this cup?

ziggylo, August 2014

Brilliant advice below - thanks. My 3 year old Greenstar 42cdi (on service contract with British Gas) just started cutting out every 30 seconds or so multiple times back to back, then eventually displaying 'EA' error. Once reset the same thing kept repeating.
Read the threads below pointing to the 'plastic cup' at the bottom of the boiler - which I had never noticed before.
When I opened this up, water gushed out. Let it fully drain, popped it back on, fired up the boiler and no problems since.
Would like to understand what causes this to fill up but can ask BG this when the service is due - unti lthen I'll keep an eye on it.
Brilliant

Graham S, May 2014

brilliant..thank you..thank you...drained this small tank and now fires up fine.

kwind123, April 2014

I had fault code EA on my R28 HE. There are 2 main causes:
- Dirty ignition electrodes
- Dirty heat exchanger
Both jobs are simple. Just remove the ignition plate (2 screws) and the face of the heat exchanger (2 screws). Use sandpaper and a long metal poker. Replace the wires and fire up again. Took me 30mins. Remember to turn gas and electric off and get a proper service. There's a vid on YouTube of some guy doing it.

Martin, December 2013

Just had the same problem today. Couldn't get an engineer to come out for 2 days so was looking around the net and found this. I knew it wasn't a freezing condensate pipe as its not that cold and ours runs out through the garage without going outside. Took the little ball thing off, a milky slop came out into the waiting bucket (and down my sleeve!) but it did the trick. I cleaned out the little bowl thing as it had some sludge in the bottom refitted it. Switched all back on and pressed reset - all fired up fine and one happy household. Big thank you as it has saved us from two cold nights and I have cancelled the engineer!

Dave B, November 2013

From Yausam3 EA FAULT

"Open up the bottom of your boiler.
You will notice about half way a plastic cup (reservoir container) with a black pipe going into it.
Now get yourself a bucket, switch off the boiler.
Unclip the plastic hides that hold up the cup (it's fiddly - I used a knife to pry it open).
And let the residue come gushing out into the bucket, you will notice quite a bit of water come out so be prepared!!!

Mop everything up and clip the plastic reservoir cup back to it's original place.

Switch on your boiler and hey presto fingers crossed it should be working"

That worked for me. Saved me a call out charge and a weekend without hot water. THANKS!

Darren Lawrence, August 2013

THANK YOU! The drain thing worked a treat... really really easy to do (and I seriously dont have a clue about any of this stuff!) SMILEY FACE!

LEanne, March 2013

hi worcester boiler has now stopped working altogether and flashes ea, the weather has not been cold enough for frozen pipes, any ideas as we are all freezing

tracy, March 2013

This has just worked a treat for me! Thank you to all who have contributed below, just saved me a fortune!

Mine wasn't the kettle method but emptied the trap full of water/grit etc.

Jack, September 2012

Hi everybody my problem is that I have Worcester high flow 550cdi it gives a D5 error does that mean i need to change pump only 2 years old r, I phoned my husband who's abroad he says, turn it of and then back on that works for about 2 hrs then I only get cold water my plumber says I need new pump

2 cold, June 2012

We have drained the system down on a Worcester Greenstar Highflow 550cdi in order to remove a radiator and re-pipe the bathroom suite. all the pipe work has been replaced like for like and is all in order, however when we have switched the water back on and filled and bled the system there is cold water to all points and hot to most but not all, water is getting warm to the points/taps it reaches yet there is nothing to the others.
This is happening both upstairs and down. its a very large 6 bed house hence the large boiler yet I cannot understand why its flowing to some but no others. Could this be a problem with the pump, I initially thought that this was an air lock so i have done the following
1. Switched the boiler off and diverted the mains cold in to the hot pipes and all the hot open ends work having cleared any air locks
2. Stopped the divert and switched the boiler back on. Then it all goes back to as it was, hot to the same and nothing to the others
Could this be a pump issue with the boiler, it is less than two years old and does not have any errors showing on the display or any pressure drops, its currently working on 2.3b of pressure

Nick, May 2012

Amazing messed about with the boiler for an hour then came across thiss answer.
Worked straight away.Thankyou.

Phil Waller, April 2012

This is amazing!
Firstly my Worcester Bosch 30 he combi was working then some days the fault/warning sign would flash (red flash) and a EA sign/code would appear on the display. This resulted in the boiler not igniting or heating any water so I was left for 2 days to shower with a kettle. I called a few plumbers/engineers to come by and inspect my boiler but they were busy for at least 48 hours so I trawler the Internet in hope to find some solutions or at least what the issue was.

Hours gone by and I stumble on this site and read about how some people are pouring hot water on the condenser pipe during cold winters as the pipe is frozen and the hot water will melt the frozen residue resultING in a working boiler however it's march and the temp outside is around 10c so I knew it couldn't be that.

However someone else here posted about the condensate cup/reservoir cup holder etc. And it's true it does work...let me run through the steps.

Open up the bottom of your boiler.
You will notice about half way a plastic cup (reservoir container) with a black pipe going into it.
Now get yourself a bucket, switch off the boiler.
Unclip the plastic hides that hold up the cup (it's fiddly - I used a knife to pry it open).
And let the residue come gushing out into the bucket, you will notice quite a bit of water come out so be prepared!!!

Mop everything up and clip the plastic reservoir cup back to it's original place.

Switch on your boiler and hey presto fingers crossed it should be working.

Good luck

Yausam3, March 2012

Thanks for the tip on the kettle on the condensate pipe three kettles worth and it's working again and saved the cost of an engineer. Now I can have a hot shower and warm house finally. We kept having the EA error and the boiler kept lighting and turning off. Thanks a million!

Loraine, February 2012

This site is great, really worked and saved us waiting in the cold. Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

SA, February 2012

I've had the same problem. My condenser pipe goes into the sink waste pipe and gets blocked up. Unplug the condenser pipe underneath the boiler (have a cup on standby as you'll need to collect some water, put a bit of hose pipe down the condenser pipe and blow! You should clear the blockage. Reconnect and reset.

Joh h-C, April 2011

I just got the boiler to fire up. After 3 kettles and an inside hair dryer. This thread is amazing. Thank you more than I can say. Have a great Christmas and a warm New Year.

John, December 2010

Can I also please add my thanks. We thought that we were facing a very cold Boxing Day but a combination of hot water on the condensate pipe and emptying the reservoir did the trick.

Tony (Chalford), December 2010

First thing Boxing Day Morning, no heating and no hot water: 3 kettlefuls of boiling water onto a tea towel over the pipe and everything is working perfectly again so I will add my thanks to Bob and everyone else!!! I would never have thought of the solution without this site, so thank-you very much :)

Miranda, December 2010

thank you, thank you, thank you! I emptied the little half sphere thing and now I have hot water and heating again and lots of pennies not in the hands of emergency engineers. I love you all from the bottom of my heart. A Xmas miracle.

Colin, December 2010

Thank you so much - saved my Christmas day - I took of the half tennis ball cover, emptied the excess water and its running now - as suggested above I think the external drain pipe is frozen.

Alan, December 2010

Just had same problem - 6 am xmas morning - thanks to this site - boiling water got rid of all ice on outside pipe - then lots of water on where pipe comes out - then hair dryer on inside wall where pipe goes out.
Be patient - don't panic,
Merry xmas
Warrington at -12 C

David, December 2010

Help !! same thing has happend to me and its xmas eve !!!!!!! Not sure of the modle number done ll as above, cleared the ice and emptied a resevoir but still no joy, my display doesnt have a fault code

Roy, December 2010

Yes. Thanks to this site alls good. Day before Xmas eve no reply from plumber tried the kettle method. About 10 kettles later reset and alls good. I had error code F7. Thanks and a warm merry Xmas to everyone.

Dave, December 2010

I COULD KISS YOU GUYS!!!!! Its 4 am and -14c and after an hour of freezing my but off out in the garage I finally came inside and found this site and had the problem fixed in 5 minutes.

I can almost feel my extremities again, thanks for the info.

Merry Xmas!

Woody, December 2010

http://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/installer/products/boilers/gas-boiler-codes/gas-boiler-codes-greenstar-cdi-boiler-codes

DW, December 2010

Had the same thing just now. Boiler is Worcester Bosch Greenstar 37CDi. It had cut out and was making gurgling, watery bubbling sounds whenever I tried to restart it.
I poured about ten kettles over the pipes outside but other than some initial cracking which made me think the water was too hot and had burst the pipes (luckily not) it didn't seem to help.
Luckily I tried another google and found this thread which gave me the missing piece of information - emptying out the reservoir on the boiler itself. Take the bottom of the boiler off and look underneath - you should see a semi-circular spherical ball a bit smaller than a tennis ball. It's held in by two plastic clips. Make sure your boiler is off - water and electrics don't mix well - then unclip it making sure you have a large bowl or bucket underneath (you'll get 2-3 pints out!). When it's mostly drained out reclip the reservoir and turn it back on ( you'll have to press and hold restart for a few seconds). That should be that. You might see the temperature display flash with a -||- symbol - this means low pressure - I topped up my water pressure using the white plastic key in the flap underneath the boiler so it was 1.5 bar and everything is now working beautifully again.

JennyCide, December 2010

Hi, I have a worcester bosch green star 42CDi and have the same problem. It happened last Christmas, and the kettle did the trick.

Problem is, it's now even colder, and its no longer working! We have a white condensation pipe that comes out the wall (we now have decking, although there is a small gap so can fit hand down where white pipe is - I can post / email picture if this helps!).

It did the gurgling, scary vibrating sound at 4am on Monday morning, and hasn't worked since. I've tried hair dryers on the pipes (boilier is in the garage, which is also cold!), putting a halogen heater by the boiler, and hot towels around pipes.

The pressure (the digital bit) won't go above 10 now - when it works it's in the 60s! and the bar thing reaches 1.

What is this reservoir clip thing? Will I have one? Where is it? Please help! We can't afford a call out, or another night of freezing!

I'll check here, but people can also email me at santa_nethy at hotmail.com

Many Thanks

Catherine COLD COLD COLD!, December 2010

Thanks from me too.... although the kettle trick didn't work for me... my problem is that the boiler and the condensate pipe are inside the loft, and the pipe feeds into the soil pipe.

But my solution was the grey reservoir under the boiler.

I did use a bowl, but there wasn't quite enough clearance to get it under, and there was quite a lot of water that came out - about 2 pints?!

But it fired up straight the way afterwards..

Isn't the internet great?!!

Dave, December 2010

Got home tonight to find my Worcester gurgling and babbling away like mad and fearing the worst I turned it on/off repeatedly, tried to re-set it . . . you get the picture. Then I stumbled across this life and money saving website. I tried the kettle (at 00:30) and it seems to have relieved the problem. Many thanks to all who have taken the time and effort to impart their wisdom to those that are DIY challenged like myself!

Nige, Glossop, December 2010

Excellent advice. I too had the EA error code. Kettles of water cured it and drained the water from the resevoir underneath the boiler by loosening one of the clips but taking care not to get scalded by the boiling water I'd just poured down. Fired up first time.

David, Rotherham, December 2010

On our boiler the plastic resevoir underneath is a grey dome - I wasn't prepared for the amount of water in there (have a bowl handy !) but emptying it did the trick !

Mark, December 2010

i had the frozen pipe also, i put a hot water bottle on it with a bin liner wrapped around it.

richard, December 2010

hi, i've been doing the kettle trick for the few days now and it has been working a treat, however today it would not work. Are there any other suggestions i can try out.

Samantha, December 2010

Brilliant fix - worked like a dream. I'm very relieved and very grateful to both the site and the engineers who posted answers. Thanks everyone!

MTW999, December 2010

Just tried the kettle method and hey presto, we now have a boiler firing up and house getting nice and warm. Took 4 kettles and it is definitely slowly but surely rather than pouring over quickly! Going to cancel the callout now. Thanks to everyone for the comments - what would we do without the internet??

Mandy, December 2010

Thanks to everybody -- I had the EA problem on a CDi, and it required emptying the little plastic reservoir -- quite a lot of water comes out. The fault finding table in the service manual doesn't mention this as a cause of EA. As it's going to get cold this week I'll probably should lag the external pipe too.

Peter, December 2010

Brilliant. I just finished pouring 2 kettles full down our plastic pipe. !t worked a treat. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

Miranda, December 2010

Thanks for this info.
Boiler suddenly stopped working with EA fault code. Temps of -10.
Did the kettle method and back to life.. Saved a engineer callout!
Thanks again

Darren, December 2010

My Worcester boiler is flashing EA code. I checked the condensing pipe is not frozen. The ~7cm diameter container is cleared of a lot of sands and water. But the boiler is still fashing EA code. A flame can be seen when I try to start it but the flame only last 1 or 2 seconds and then goes off.
Anybody can help? Thank you very much. Our home is very cold without heat.

Peter, December 2010

Thanks to everyone below for great advice. However I now need to add another little detail for those with a Worcester Bosch Greenstar CDi, which gives an EA error code. Mine is just 18 months old. After 10 kettles all carefully slowly poured on the outside pipe and on a big teatowel to make the heat endure (as suggested below), I was certain that the pipe was clear. It is a plastic pipe and easy to tell, especially as the outlet came away from the drain. So then I decided that there must be a frozen block in the middle of the thick stone wall of the house, since this is Scotland and it has been really really cold. So I drilled into the pipe and stuck a long rod into the pipe coming all the way through the wall from the boiler. No blockage at all, no water in the pipe worth speaking of. So after heaps of tries and patience, I had to get my friendly plumber in after all. He soon found that this model of CD boiler has a small clear plastic reservoir about 3 inches in diameter at the bottom of the boiler (look underneath). If this reservoir is full (and it was), it doesnt matter if you cleaned the pipe out of ice. The boiler will not start. This little reservoir simply unclips (a bit fiddly, but doable) and you empty the little bit of water that it contains into the sink. Put it back and hey presto it fires up like always. This info really really should be in their instructions. It is crazy to have this problem fixable when half the country is having to call out the plumber just when you need him!

Mike (Edinburgh), December 2010

Just used the kettle remedy, hey presto boiler up and runnibg again! -17 here to-day, no wonder it froze up!
Well done all the central heating sleuth out there, I hope you all have a cosy festive time!

Jane, Tweeddale, Scottish Borders, December 2010

I love this website!! Stumbled across it in desperation this morning -9 and no heating.Three kettles and hairdryer later i hear runnng water,reset boiler and hey presto it worked!
Thanks everyone a real life saver

Julie, December 2010

I also kept getting the EA code (on my Worchester 532/i boiler) mostly and at times the F7, A7 AND FO codes too. This site saved me a fortune on call outs, i poured about 8 kettles of boiling water on drainage and condensing pipes located outside to thaw them out then ran hot water kitchen tap whilst pressing reset button on boiler until it eventually kick started.

leanne, December 2010

Thank you, I came home to find exact same symptons flashing EA (not mention whatsoever in manual) & strange gurgling noise when tried to fire up. It did fire but pressure gauge low & then I noticed it was dripping. Phoned local plumber & he said exact same thing if he came out he'd only pour hot water on it. Told me not to worry about the leak as was just condensation where boiler had fired up. Took while to get pressure back up -I I- symbol means lows pressure but am sitting in warm now after 4 kettles of hot water

Vanessa, December 2010

Yes hot water on the plastic condensate drain outside got rid of the EA. Then we got flashing t backwards and t forwards, just need to run hot water too get rid of this, may need repressurising, many thanks to all

jcolin, December 2010

Great tip worked for me to, 2 kettles many thanks

Smithy, December 2010

Thank You...Thank You.
Same problem...Same Fix... 2kettles of hot water.

Wish I had known about this last year as the same thing had happened.

£100 call out charge and when the engineer arrived 2 days later....he pressed the button and the boiler started without an issue...the pipe had obviously thawed out(i had tried to restart about 1 hour before he arrived argghhh).....Bosch should be ashamed of themselves and the engineer who fitted the smallest pipe with no lagging is now due a phone call....

I live in Scotland where the temperature will be sub zero guaranteed every year, a small plastic pipe with water going to the outside world will freeze every time.

Thanks again for posting all this info., my kids will be warm today.

Mark B, December 2010

If, like me, you live three stories high and cannot reach the outlet pipe for the kettle trick, take a hack saw to the outlet pipe where it leaves the boiler to the outside wall and stick a bowl under it...at least you'll have heating and the pipe can be replaced when the cold spell is over.
I have to say it is a crappy design fault and why a little plastic on/off draining tap cannot be fitted on the section of pipe I've mentioned, is beyond comprehension! That way, once the outside pipe freezes, we could at least avoid calling someone out by simple draining from a tap...but what do I know, I'm just a woman.

Dianne in Brighton, December 2010

Excellent answer - why isn't this warning in the manual? There must be thousands suffering the same thing who haven't found this site or similar. Used a tea towel around the pipe and 2 kettles - worked perfectly! North Essex - and it isn't even too bad round these parts.

Gordon, December 2010

Had problems on and off for a few days but, typically,coldest night so far and boiler completely gives up. Only just 12 months old. Just about to try hot water but at height! Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it went.

Hereford, December 2010

Just had exactly the same problem on a boiler that is just 3 months old!!! Not a happy bunny but lovely hubby has braved the weather and sorted it. One kettle poured slowly. We are due for -17 tonight so not sure how long it will be before it freezes off again!!

Irene, December 2010

worcester combi 37cdi frozen outlet pipe.

Same problem, 3 kettles of boiling water.

Such a poor design, off to b and q for lagging.

Saj, November 2010

Brilliant, you're all genius'!

I only Googled this on the off chance there'd be an answer, but I'd never had guessed this many people would have the same problem!

The boiler was flashing up "EA", and the Troubleshooting guide in the manual didn't seem to jump out a sensible answer at me. Upon pressing the reset button the boiler gave a bubbling/gurgling noise, then a rough loud vibrating noise when the flame/pump(?) kicked in. After 3 or 4 resets, it got to the point where it just stopped immediately without even getting to the making the noise stage.

6 kettles of water on the Condensate pipe got to the 'Crack, Gurgle, Gurgle' stage, but I did another 2 for good measure which still encouraged yet more cracking and flowing ice. For me, pouring the water onto the pipe as soon as it comes out of the house seemed to have the biggest effect, although the rest of my weird "S" bend pipe was frozen too.

Many thanks once again!

James, November 2010

Wow, just did the kettle trick and worked like a dream. One very relieved family in East Yorks, no longer shivering!

Boiler is less than 18 months old so was pretty p*****d off until this worked!!

Formerly Mr Frozen of E Riding, November 2010

Isnt there is permanent solution to this problem???????

M, November 2010

Just had the same issue - Boiler making a terrible noise before flipping out with the F7 error code - boiler is just over 1 year old (our wonderful plumber never thought to put any insulation on!!). 1 Kettle of water & all sorted - TY

Craig (Luton), November 2010

A big thanks to all you people out there who take you time to share your knowledge. Thanks to the hot water and towel trick on the condensate pipe. i've saved what could have been an expensive time with call outs etc. It all makes sense with with some of the other problems posted on here. It's no wonder people who get called out can't find the problems some times. With the condense pipe if it does get frozen there's a chance that the pipe will thaw just enough to work again, by the time the person called out gets to you. So when they test it they can't see what the problem is. But once again a big thank you :))

mark, November 2010

do not try to light it manually cant be done
it could be blocked condensate, faulty pcb, faulty electrodes, or bearing plate has moisture on it and wont open

john gas engineer, November 2010

Brilliant: Many many thanks to you guys. After a nightmare of a night working, went head over heels digging my van out of the snow ect. All bumps and bruises. Came home to no hot water or heating. Worcester boiler was showing F7 then EA error.
So there I was an hour ago yellow pages in one hand, hankerchief in the other. Yellow pages for a plumber, hankerchief for my tears. Decided to look on the internet and found this site. After following all the advice it only took one kettle of boiling water on the plastic outlet pipe and the boiler fired up. I am now ready to dive into a steaming hot radox bath. Wife thinks I am a super hero! mmmmm methinks how far can I milk this. Will definetly add this website to my favorites. Tombuoy.

tombuoy, January 2010

wrap a tea towel or something round the pipe first - then pour hot water on top and it stays hot. Waterboard the MF!

martin, January 2010

Fantastic advice!! 4 kettles for us too!
We are to B&Q to get some more lagging to hopefully prevent it happening again.

Mandy, January 2010

You guys rock !!!

One Kettle of hot water on the condensate pipe and hey presto boiler fires up first time.

Andy, January 2010

worked for me but I had to totally unblock the whole drain pipe as well as the white outpip connected into

Simon Bowden, January 2010

My small white condensate pipe comes out the side of my house but then feeds into my guttering pipe, does this affect where I pour the water?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Alan Smart, January 2010

The boiling water treatment worked for me too. :) Thank You!!!!

Tim, January 2010

does anyone know what to do if the condensate pipe is brass??

vanessa, January 2010

Brilliant!!!! Worked for me too :) My boiler, Worcester Bosch Greenstar CDi, giving EA error code. Took 2 kettles of boiling water, heard a crackling sound as the ice melted then about 2 pints of water from the condensate pipe. Interestingly my pipe is 32mm pipe at approx 80 degree angle down the outside of the house. Howver the recent snow had blocked the exit causing the condensate to freeze. Thank you!!!!

Paul, January 2010

Thank you thank you thank you...pulled out the condensate pipe and nearly flooded the kitchen!! Once emptied and warmed, the boiler started easily.

Adrian, January 2010

Oh My God, I am so glad I found this answer, I was dreading having to call a plumber and it is so cold. Thanks very much, 3 kettles and my boiler works again. Much appreciated

Charlotte - North Yorks, January 2010

works perfect just had to sort my mum and dads boiler as good old british gas can not cone out till some time tomorrow leaving them with no heating over night (not nice) many thanks to you all am now owed one huge sunday roast

adrian, January 2010

Thanks for all the answers - just done the same on mine (took 5 kettles of boiling water!) and now its working perfectly.

Alan, January 2010

Brilliant. I have put 2 kettles of hot water on pipe and bigo we are ok now. Before I had water leaking back from the condesing pipe and when the igniter fired up it was making a loud growling noise. Thanks for the tip.

Parkersan, January 2010

Just to add weight to the barage of "worked for me too" responses...
The kettle trick worked for me too.

Since it seems there are hundreds of people with this exact problem, in cold houses on snow bound roads, that plumbers might take days to reach, I'll add a few bits of info that might help.

The condensate discharge pipe is usually plastic, white, grey or black and quite narrow, running from the boiler, outside the property and into a hole in the ground.
Remove any insulation, pour on boiling water, replace insulation.
Pour the water very slowly, you are looking for contact time not volume. A whole kettle full dumped on the pipe in 5 seconds won't be very effective because very little of the heat will be transfered to the ice.
Boiling water poured slowly onto a thin pipe should clear the ice pretty fast, well within 5 minutes. I heard cracking ice in seconds and gurgling water in 2 minutes.
If it is taking longer than this it is more likely that you need to work on another section of the pipe, than that the section you are pouring onto has magic ice that can withstand 5 minutes of boiling water.
Start at the drain and work back towards the property, the ice will probably have started forming at the furthest point from the property.

If you need any more help stick the the following into a browser:
worcester bosch greenstar fault code ea

Good luck

Alex, January 2010

We had the same problem this morning -10C outside. Read the solution as listed here and after several kettles it worked. Thank you so much

Relieved owner of B&B, January 2010

The kettle method worked for me too. Thanks to everyone for posting this solution, saved me a lot of time and effort. The user instructions with the boiler are pretty useless!

Big Kev, January 2010

Worked for me too. Took several kettle fills (my pipe is about 3m long) but perseverance paid off.
Thank you.

Pauline, January 2010

Same problem. Used hairdryer and boiling water and it kicked in and stayed lit. Must have saved a fortune.I was going to call out a plumber.
Thanks

Nick, January 2010

Thanks, that was the fault in my case too.

Jon, January 2010

Just emptied 2 kettles of boiling water on the outlet pipe and now fired up!! fingers crossed! thanks for advice!!

paul greenhalgh, January 2010

Exactly the same problem - & solution.

Like a fool, snapped the white plastic pipe when trying to see if it was frozen. About 2 pints of condensate poured straight out from the boiler. But at least it's working - we're expecting -15 tonight! - & will worry about replacing the pipe tomorrow.

Thanks.

Tony, January 2010

Thank you ever so much, it took two full kettles to remove ice. This was due to badly installed pipe 2+ metres running at a shallow angle on outside wall with 22mm uninsulated pipe (less than one year old install). Goes completely against what the Bosch tech info book says.

However, the EA code remedy in the instruction manual does not mention condensate trap full as a possible cause for no gas. This is a critical oversight.

Ken, January 2010

Thanks - this worked for me. The outlet had almost 3 feet of frozen water. I was getting F7 error code initially and then AE. The other point to note is that I also cleared ice from the outer pipe of the combined air inlet/outlet. Approx 50% of the pipe was constricted which I presume could start to play havoc with the air inlet and gas levels. Worth clearing both for good measure. I used a hair dryer on the pipe body to losen it before hooking out the loose ice from the inlet.

Andy H, January 2010

It just worked for me too.

I'm snowbound, so an engineer wasn't really an option

Thanks a million.

John J, January 2010

YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE !!!
Just been trying to get hold of Worcester Careline, no staff to answer it, due to weather.

First time trying your solution, BINGO.

Love u guys...

Tim, January 2010

I worked out that the pipe was frozen, and fixed it the first time, but now its -10C and B&Q have no lagging left - my wife tells me 7 kettles haven't unfrozen the pipe - poor design or what?

JohnC, January 2010

This has just happened to mine.

If this occurs during a cold snap then the answer is simple.

The small plastic water outlet pipe on the outside of the house has frozen up and the boiler trips out.

Pour a kettle of hot water over the white pipe outside, let it thaw and restart the boiler.

I heard today that Bosch have attended about 20,000 callouts with the very same problem/solution. Only difference is that those poor mugs will have had to pay!

Hawthornman, January 2010

SORRY MY FRIEND THESE BOILERS CANNOT BE LIT MANUALLY,THEY ARE IGNITED BY AUTOMATIC IGNITION THROUGH THE PCB,WHAT U ARE EXPERIENCING IS EA NOT AE,WHICH IS IGNITION LOCKOUT,AS THE PCB AND GAS VALVE HAVE BEEN CHANGED PREVIOUSLY ITS NEITHER OF THE TWO,IF I WERE U I WOULD BE REMOVING THE CONDENSE PIPE AND BLOWING DOWN TO REMOVE CONDENSE WATER INGRESS,AS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IF CONDENSE ISNT CLIPPED WITH A DIP IN THE PIPEWORK,SEEMS TO HOLD WATER ,CAUSING BOILER TO GO TO EA,TRUST ME IM A WORCESTER ENGINEER....BYE BYE

CLINT HEREFORD, July 2008

Unfortunately we had the very same error code (EA) that intermittently appeared over a period of 8 months after the boiler was installed. After a lot of investigation Worcester Bosch replaced the gas valve and PCB under warranty in a bid to guarantee a fix .. this worked and the boiler has not posted this error in the last 18 months.

Our temporary solution to at least get some heating and water was to clear the error, turn off the boiler and leave for 20 minutes before turning it back on and hoping.

Sometimes this worked first time, occasionally it took a few cycles of this ... I would recommend getting WB out now if this is still within the warranty period as PCBs are not cheap.

Although it could just be a simple problem with the flame detector, although this can easily be measured by a suitably competant professional to rule out a fault on the assembly.

Good luck if you are still having this problem.

Jason, December 2007

link Click here to see other fixes for Worcester Greenstar.