Baffle for boiler flue

[cdorling]

Hallo. My boiler's flue, looking at it from outside, visibly slopes down into the inside of the house. The wall it's on faces west. When it rains heavily from a SW direction (which is the prevailing wind here on the coast, like today), water ends up dripping out of the bottom of the boilerl. I don't think thats good! The installer told me some time back that it's meant to slope that way. So I'd like to put a 'shield' around it on 2 sides, namely the top and the right. I realise I have to be careful to ensure fumes still get out, but I'm thinking of using an L shape piece of aluminium (or plastic) that extends a tad further out than the flue, and keeping it and inch or 2 away from the flue. And comments gratefully received. Thanks.

 

[kirkgas]

my comment on putting an obstruction 1 or 2 " away from the flue outlet is that it wont comply with the MI's and therefore cannot be done.

 

[cdorling]

I did wonder if something like that would be the case, but as it's only on 2 sides I was hoping it's possible.

 

[nickso]

what boiler? installer may be talking ****e.

 

[cdorling]

It's an Ideal ICOS M3080, a few years old now, but I only put 2 & 2 together last year when I saw that the chipboard base had blown, then actually saw teh water dripping next time the weather was bad (as it is now!!). The Installer serviced it a few months ago, thats when I asked him, I wondered if he was talking tosh.

 

[kevplumb]

its a steamer the flue should slope towards the boiler

are you sure uts seales to the wall outside properly

 

[nickso]

its a steamer the flue should slope towards the boiler

are you sure uts seales to the wall outside properly

not necessarily. i know im teaching granny to suck eggs here but many condensers have the slope built into the inner duct and the actual flue as a whole is supposed to be fitted exactly horizontal, i would check the MI's for the boiler and see if thats the case. many of the earlier boilers didnt see the need to slope the inner duct and the flue was installed as you say leading to this sort of issue if a prevailing weather condition allowed it, others have drip trays to catch the rain water of course.

 

[kevplumb]

i would check the MI's for the boiler and see if thats the case.

i did

1.5 deg towards the boiler

 

[kevindgas]

i would check the MI's for the boiler and see if thats the case.

i did

1.5 deg towards the boiler

kev is right.
the flue is obviously not fitted correctly as the water should only enter the flue in extreme weather and would pass through the boiler and out through the condense trap.
the boiler is ****e but should be completely dry on the outside. the flue has 2 rings behind the terminal and these should be outside, the inner ring should ideally be about 1/2" from the wall and the wall made good with cement .

 

[cdorling]

Thanks for all the comments. If I recall it was one iof the 1st condensers available, & I got some sort of BigGreen discount, probably to compensate for the neighbour who, not being used to condensing boilers, thought my house was on fire!

I had to have the outside wall re pebbledashed 12 months ago, so the cement bit is ok, I'll have a look at the 'rings' (seals?) later.

The leaks are only when the wind & rain are extreme. I caught the water yesterday in a bowl, and it wasn't that much at all. Last time, though, if I pushed the underside of the casing up at the bottom right, a bit more water spilled out. Is that where the drip tray is, & could the drip tray simply be overflowing?

It's no bother to keep the bowl in there to save the chipboard from getting worse. The boiler works ok heatwise (it clonks a lot which a chemical pressure clean didn't sort it out).

ps are more recent Ideals less sh***te?

 

[Agile]

Can you post a photo of the flue terminal?

1.5° is a VERY small slope and few installer seem able to realise that and fit them at about 6-8° instead.

This is NOT a very comon problem with that model.

Tony

 

[nickso]

i would check the MI's for the boiler and see if thats the case.

i did

1.5 deg towards the boiler

ah but you didnt say that.

 

[nickso]

This is NOT a very comon problem with that model.

thats only because of the terminal design.

 

[kevplumb]

C Y A before posting

more so on a sunday

 

[nickso]

C Y A before posting

more so on a sunday

less chance of me checking anything on a sunday....laptop is dead by then.

i wasnt wrong anyway.