Freezing condensate

[Wooster]

Hello

I live in a block of (privately owned) 20 year old flats. As the central heating boilers are being replaced, new, condensing boilers are being fitted. (All the boilers are different - as chosen by the owners. All are installed by different plumbers.) They all discharge their condensate over communal paths. In the winter, their water on the paths freezes and causes a hazard to everyone.

I've mentioned this to a few people and I've been told the boilers are installed incorrectly. In this situation the boilers must discharge their condensate some other way.

The Management people who maintain the communal parts of the block don't know what to do.

Is it true that 'regulations' demand the condensate is discharged in a safe manner? If so, can someone direct me to a website that contains the rules - so I can inform the Mgt Co?

Any other advice would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance!

 

[kevplumb]

View media item 15065
this one is baxi but they are all much the same

 

[JohnD]

are you sure it is condensate (from a small pipe) and not drips from the flue?

Mine blows out droplets from the flue in winter. i have decided to put a wall-hung foliage basket under it to catch the drips

BTW a concrete path will be damaged by condensate, which is slightly acidic. The cement will erode leaving thhstones showing through.

 

[Wooster]

Yes, it is condensate - from the little copper overflow pipe. (The flue's huf and puf and drop some water, but it's not much of a problem.) It always was an overflow pipe, but (of course) it was seldom used. Now, the one pipe that feeds 6 boilers (in flats in the flors above) and condensate runs out almost continously.

Take your point about condensate being corosive - it hadn't occured to me. All the more reason to find out if I can force someone to 'fix' the problem

Thanks for your comments.

Anyone help?

 

[kevplumb]

Yes, it is condensate - from the little copper overflow pipe.

 

[namsag]

Condensate does not come out copper pipes that a safety valve.
Someone has a problem

 

[Wooster]

Cor this looks interesting. But I can't read it - the print is too small. If I enlarge it, is disolves into a blur. Can you tell me where i can see the original? Or could you email me a copy?

Thanks in advance

View media item 15065
this one is baxi but they are all much the same

 

[Corgigrouch]

Metal pipe cannot be used for condensate so there is more than one issue here..

 

[JohnD]

Cor this looks interesting. But I can't read it - the print is too small.

Right click on it and "open link in new window"

If you left click on it it will just get a bit bigger

 

[Agile]

Wooster, condensate is slightly acidic and should be run into a drain!

The copper pipes are the pressure release valves and they only discharge when there is a fault. A fault includes stupid people who leave their filling loop open!

The Management Committee have a legal responsibility to ensure safety on the estate.

The best way they could achieve that is to employ a local "expert" like Chris R from this forum to inspect and give advice.

Of course that will cost money and have to be added to the service charge! Hopefully you are happy to pay for it to be checked out?

Alternatively you can employ your own expert and take the management committee to court if they are not fulfilling their functions properly.

Tony

 

[Wooster]

Replied to your messages but they didn't appear here...

Yes, it is condensate. A small copper pipe used to be the - rarely used - overflow pipes for standard boilers. Now the pipe drips water all the time the various boilers are on.

Hadn't thought it was corrosive. All the more reason to find a solution.

The picture of the boiler installation looks very interesting - but I cannot read it. The resolution is too low. Do you know where I can see the original? Or could you email me a copy?

Thanks in advance.

 

[kevplumb]

Cor this looks interesting. But I can't read it - the print is too small.

Right click on it and "open link in new window"

If you left click on it it will just get a bit bigger

 

[Agile]

Unless you have inspected the connections INSIDE every property how can you say what the water coming out is from ???

A condensing boiler needs a pressure relief valve vent as well as a condensate drain.

How do you know?

Tony

 

[JohnD]

... They all discharge their condensate over communal paths. ...

All?

 

[Wooster]

Ok - you are right. I have not inspected all the boiler installations. And I wouldn't know what I was looking at even if I did.

The (long!) story is:
Lots of flats, 5 stories high. Old boilers (installed when the flats were built) and nothing dripped out of the copper overflow pipe that is connected to all the boilers. One by one the boilers are replaced, and each time it happens, the water dripping out of the copper overflow pipe increases. Sure, some boilers might not be producing the overflow, but it sure seems like most of them do.

The next block to mine is slightly younger, so the boilers didn't need replacing so soon. But (sure enough) when they start being replaced, the copper pipe starts dripping lots water.

More water drips in the winter when the boilers are used more.

There must be a correlation between the new condensing boilers and the water coming out of the copper overflow pipe.

It's the Managements Companies problem, but they have said they don't know what to do. (We might change the Mgt Co, but that is another story.) Meanwhile, I want to be able to say the the Mgt Co "This is wrong, here are the rules (etc) and this is how you fix it" But I don't know how to force the issue - which is why I'm here...

Unless you have inspected the connections INSIDE every property how can you say what the water coming out is from ???

A condensing boiler needs a pressure relief valve vent as well as a condensate drain.

How do you know?

Tony