condensate pipe into internal waste

J

jeepster

hi all, we had a new combi boiler fitted last year, its been 100% trouble free until last monday when the condensate pipe froze.

it look 3 or 4 kettles of water to free the ice then the next day it froze again.

the condensate pipe runs from the original 20mm pipe into 36mm solvent weld under the bathroom floor ( for 3 metres) , then through an external wall, then 600 mm into a external soil pipe.

after it froze the first time, i went to diy shop and got some tube lagging and fitted this to the external part of the pipe but this still didnt stop it from freezing.

We are re arranging our bathroom to fit a shower cubicle in, and will be putting the basin waste under the floor in 36mm plastic weld. we had thought about putting the basin waste into 40mm pipe then running the condensate pipe into that ( under the bathroom floor).

but plumber thinks when the sink empties it may stop the boiler as the boiler will think the condensate pipe is blocked. if bath was emptying into same waste i might agree.

also i have read of people having problems such as back flow when 2 wastes are run into one.

what do you think?
 
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It depends on the boiler but it is unlikely that it will stop the boiler, for a start the basin will empty in a short time, but you might want to make sure that the height of the basin (at it's fullest) is LOWER than the boiler (water ALWAYS levels out) otherwise you might find that it back fills into the boiler which WILL cause a problem... hope this helps
 
If it freezes in a lagged 40mm pipe, I'm not convinced that a basin waste will be enough stop it freezing. Also, I think there can be corrosion problems if the soil pipe is iron.

What was the fall on the frozen pipe?
 
hi its a worcester bosch 40 greenstar cdi, we had no problems with it earlier in the year (jan / feb) , but last monday it was frozen solid.

will measure the boiler height and basin height and mention this to the plumber. he said he has done one before that runs into a washing machine waste. but i guess he wants to cover his back, just incase.
 
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In the meantime, you could turn the radiator flow temperature right up to stop the boiler condensing in frosty weather.
 
Anyway you aren't alone. Put it down to freak conditions. Haven't had this problem since condensing came out en mass 5 or so years ago, therefore very freak circumstances which cannot be designed for.

Global warming :rolleyes:
 
In the meantime, you could turn the radiator flow temperature right up to stop the boiler condensing in frosty weather.
hi, already is - and looking at my gas bill (oh F**K).

wont be having a new bike next year or the year after.
 
...the condensate pipe runs from the original 20mm pipe into 36mm solvent weld under the bathroom floor ( for 3 metres) , then through an external wall, then 600 mm into a external soil pipe.

after it froze the first time, i went to diy shop and got some tube lagging and fitted this to the external part of the pipe but this still didnt stop it from freezing.

Almost surely a case of inadequate fall, very common problem with waste pipes. I see far more waste pipe that run level (and sometimes partially up) than ones which are done correctly.
 
hi, wrong answer , sorry mate, just down to the cold weather. because the pipe is on the first floor i asked worcester bosch to come out as it wasnt safe trying to defrost the pipe.( but i did) they agreed and came out last friday ( after it had thawed out) , and they said nothing wrong with the install.
in fact they cant understand why the pipe froze.
it was 100% ok until last monday. but it was minus 8 here.
fall on the pipe is fine
 
If it freezes in a lagged 40mm pipe, I'm not convinced that a basin waste will be enough stop it freezing. Also, I think there can be corrosion problems if the soil pipe is iron.

What was the fall on the frozen pipe?
hi, soil pipe is plastic, all new last year as part of an extension.

all passed by bc abd now bosch
 
Anyway you aren't alone. Put it down to freak conditions. Haven't had this problem since condensing came out en mass 5 or so years ago, therefore very freak circumstances which cannot be designed for.

Global warming :rolleyes:

Err, no. Freezing temperatures, like the past two years, are normal in winter in the UK. It was the unseasonably warm winter weather that we had for the 5 or so years prior to that which were abnormal.

Water freezes at 0 degC; simples. What is really amazing is the number of simpleton installers and householders who have been surprised by this.
 
Anyway you aren't alone. Put it down to freak conditions. Haven't had this problem since condensing came out en mass 5 or so years ago, therefore very freak circumstances which cannot be designed for.

Global warming :rolleyes:

Err, no. Freezing temperatures, like the past two years, are normal in winter in the UK. It was the unseasonably warm winter weather that we had for the 5 or so years prior to that which were abnormal.

Water freezes at 0 degC; simples. What is really amazing is the number of simpleton installers and householders who have been surprised by this.

Water doesnt freeze @ 0oC its IS frozen @ 0oC water starts to freeze @ 3oC thats why Frost stats are set @ 5oC
 
If you want to be completely accurate, you should state that the crystallisation process for water begins at 4C, and reaches "critical mass" at 0C. Depending on the energy input/extraction, water at 0C can be solid, liquid, or liquid with bits floating in it.
 
Water doesnt freeze @ 0oC its IS frozen @ 0oC water starts to freeze @ 3oC thats why Frost stats are set @ 5oC

It freezes at 0 degC. You can get supercooled water at a few degrees below 0 degC under rare circumstances, but it generally freezes at 0 and is liquid above 0 degC. There's a wikipedia article about it that you can read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice

Frost stats are set at 5 degC to allow for errors in the stat or in the setting.
 

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