Condensate soakaway and feed pipe under driveway

[Careful_Bodger]

I am trying to plan ahead a bit here, in the case of a condensing boiler when my current bermuda baxi fails, and the possibility that a new tarmac driveway gets done first. Some of my concerns apply which ever project gets done first.

Soooo.....if I did set a condensate soakaway, it would sit under the tarmac. Pedestrian traffic would require the >500mm horizontal run just prior to the soakaway to be also under the tarmac (to avoid a trip hazard).

My questions are....
1) Do the limestone chippings require replenishing or are there inspection requirements that would mean an access cover is needed (e.g. by the relevant RGI)?
2) How and where might I suitably cap the outdoor vertical condensate pipe (until needed)?
3) Apart from digging a pit (i.e. by the groundworks people for the driveway), is the rest of this a DIYable job?
4) Is any of this not permitted, or not a good idea for other reasons?
5) If a soakaway is not permitted under the driveway, is there a horizontal maximum distance limit?

Hopefully needless to say, other options are also being considered. Access to the foul drain would require complex external routing. Internal routing would involve tiled-floor bathrooms or solid-floor kitchens. A condensate pump would work but would require up-and-over pipework.

Thoughts welcome.

 

[Careful_Bodger]

Hmmm - I thought there'd be more opining on this

 

[muggles]

It is a bank holiday weekend - people are busy doing family stuff!

No reason in theory why your soakaway shouldn't go under your drive, and it is DIYable, but it does need to be accessed as part of the annual boiler service to top up the limestone chippings. You also need to consider how you might prevent your drive sinking into the pit - some sort of reinforcing structure would be required.

If at all possible, I'd be looking at extending external drainage to a suitable location or using a pump, but without being able to see the site it's hard to make and accurate judgement

 

[rules&rulers]

Maybe the intended new boiler position can be changed to allow easy removal of condense ,it really needs a site survey.

 

[muggles]

It's a Bermuda so the location of the new boiler will almost certainly be different anyway

 

[rules&rulers]

Have seen several soak away's frozen in the ground with condense backed up in to the boiler. £££+'s

Was during 2012 thou.

 

[Agile]

Although inefficient, a Bermuda BBU will go on for almost ever!

I would never advise a condensate soakaway under a drive for multiple reasons.

I think you should be using a condensate pump and an up and over outlet tube. They can be quite thin and easy to fit.

Tony

 

[Careful_Bodger]

Maybe the intended new boiler position can be changed to allow easy removal of condense ,it really needs a site survey.

Noted, thanks!

Gas, existing CH pipework/future routing, flue location, and the constraints I mentioned all to some or other extent raised my interest in options for the condensate drain location.

 

[Careful_Bodger]

It is a bank holiday weekend - people are busy doing family stuff!

No reason in theory why your soakaway shouldn't go under your drive, and it is DIYable, but it does need to be accessed as part of the annual boiler service to top up the limestone chippings. You also need to consider how you might prevent your drive sinking into the pit - some sort of reinforcing structure would be required.

If at all possible, I'd be looking at extending external drainage to a suitable location or using a pump, but without being able to see the site it's hard to make and accurate judgement

Thanks for confirming the need for topping up the limestone! Would this be stated in the MIs, or elsewhere?

 

[Razor900]

Although inefficient, a Bermuda BBU will go on for almost ever!

I would never advise a condensate soakaway under a drive for multiple reasons.

I think you should be using a condensate pump and an up and over outlet tube. They can be quite thin and easy to fit.

Tony

Just another point of failure really and the pumps are mostly pretty poor and noisy. A soakaway is fine under a drive if done properly and with the cap exposed for service - not that anyone in history has ever topped one up

 

[Agile]

Just the body of a plastic soakaway is expensive and that is before buying limestone to fill it with. I think the two I have would cost about £19 each. But could be made for £3 by hacking a bit of drain pipe.

The condensate pumps are cheap to buy or replace. All mine and those I have seen are quiet with a small induction motor.

Depending on the soil conditions up to 20 litres of condensate a day could cause ground movement on the driveway. Not worth risking in my view.

 

[Dan Robinson]

a plastic soakaway is expensive

Really? compared to a pump?

that is before buying limestone to fill it

They're peanuts too and last for ages.

 

[mcmoby69]

just had to replace the chippings in a soakaway I fitted 6 years ago.......