Condensate

[powerfulp]

My outside condensate plastic pipe keeps freezing. More kettles of warm water each day.
Is there a way to insulate it ? Interior foam rubber stuff would, presumably, freeze the water content and make it worse.

 

[muggles]

What diameter is it? As a temporary measure you could lag it but it may need increasing in size

 

[powerfulp]

About an inch. There must be a product for it. Need to know what it is
Thanks

 

[onlyfitidealboilers]

32mm solvent weld plastic pipe is req outside.

 

[muggles]

As OFIB has said, 32mm minimum pipe size outside, we prefer to use 40mm

 

[powerfulp]

So there's no known insulation then ?

 

[muggles]

You could try some 25mm wall × 22mm internal diameter Armaflex, it's OK for outdoor use but quite expensive and will start to look unsightly after a while. http://www.ryanairconspares.com/arm...maflex-25mm-wall-black-class-tube-p-1615.html

 

[gasman1987]

because all the condansates are freezing and 32 and 40 freeze
i have started to use overflow and armaflex lagging because it has good insulation and is black so looks reasonable

i know 32 AND 40 look nice but they don't seen to be up to the job


only time will tell me if it was a good call but no call backs so far

as any 1 installed them wire heater over the pipe as my mate in BG are

 

[nickso]

i have done a few tracewires, they do work.

the size of the pipe is irrelevant. i have had several drain pipes freezing this week and not because of the condensate. anything will freeze if it's cold enough.

 

[muggles]

I think the idea of increasing the pipe size is not to prevent freezing, but rather to delay the effects of it, IE the condensate will still freeze but the kind of weather we normally get means that in a 40mm pipe it will have thawed again before the pipe becomes completely blocked.

Trace heating may be the way to go, it's about the same price as Armaflex anyway and shouldn't be destroyed by birds nicking bits of it for their nests in the Spring...

 

[nickso]

I think the idea of increasing the pipe size is not to prevent freezing, but rather to delay the effects of it, IE the condensate will still freeze but the kind of weather we normally get means that in a 40mm pipe it will have thawed again before the pipe becomes completely blocked.

maybe, but it isn't working

 

[gasman1987]

Trace heating may be the way to go, it's about the same price as Armaflex anyway and shouldn't be destroyed by birds nicking bits of it for their nests in the Spring...[/quote]

here come the digs, lol
yh but trace pipes will need replacing as i presume they are electric and not maintainance free

can brake during winter months as lagging can only get robbed with your copper

 

[nickso]

only time will tell how reliable they are.

the only weak point i can imagine is the thermostat, the wire is a wire.

 

[gasman1987]

yh time will tell. how are they wired via a plug or the boiler

i have not seen 1 before

 

[nickso]

says to wire it off boiler but i don't see a problem wiring it off anything as it uses pretty much zero current and has it's own RCD.