can i remove my condensate pump and vent to a drain?

[mort1414]

a pipe comes out of my boiler and into a pump then into the loft and into the gutter is this a condensate pump and can i remove it by running a pipe straight down into a drain? as this pump operates every 30sec and is very loud.

cheers mort

 

[studips]

you only want to have short runs of condensate - up to say 3m

if your pump has a sump & level switch, then it will only operate when the sump is full. if it is running every 30sec, then either it is wrongly adjusted or has no sump.

if you have no sump, you can buy another which has one

 

[mort1414]

hmmm it would be nearer 5m i think through the kitchen its in a small bungalow with very thin walls so the pump going off all the time is very annoying that was my reason for trying to avoid a pump.

the pump has a sump i shall strip it down 2moro and have a look if i can adjust or clean anything in it.

cheers mort

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Condensate drain freezing has been a big problem over the last month or so, several threads on here about it! If you can keep the pipe internal for as much of the run as possible, if not all of it, and upgrade it to 40mm for any external sections, then you may be ok.

 

[mort1414]

yh iv had it freeze already this year in the loft so i was hoping that running it through the kitchen next to a hot water pipe would solve this problem at the same time

 

[studips]

doh. bungalow. yeah, 5m would be ok, but as hugh says, a larger bore will give a bit more tolerance in cold spells, and better yet, keep it in the heated envelope of the building as far as possible.

i take it there is no convenient gutter down pipe nearer?