Frozen condensate pipe....
- Thread starter efiste2
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A divertor valve (manual would do for most) would enable it to flow into a container inside when its really cold. Not too much use when no ones at home though or for those incapable of operating this/emptying this.
The other option would be trace heating.
The other option would be trace heating.
Can any plumbers/engineers out there help me with a bit of research? Over the winter, what percentage of your call outs are because of frozen condensate pipes? is it a big problem?
Loads of calls last Winter for frozen condense pipes,and easy work.I don't know if this has been mentioned b4 but there is a heater that can be fitted to external pipe work that comes on when outside temps fall to near freezing.It takes the form of a long cable/heat element that is fitted underneath the condense pipe and wired to a perm live off the boiler.
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Is DIY fit of that possible for a condensate pipe?
modified my condensate pipe to 32mm but if it still freezes this winter i'll need to revisit the problem.
modified my condensate pipe to 32mm but if it still freezes this winter i'll need to revisit the problem.
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it's easy enough, i have one to fit on my mothers boiler soon. all the bits and instructions come with it.
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Trace heaters are used a lot on the evaporator condensate pipes in cold stores, my supplier sells them in lengths of 2-6 meters, I fit a weather resistant themostat outside so that the heater will energise at around +5 but it is always best to design the condensate to run internally wherever you can.
What I did notice was a lot of installers had fitted 32mm outside but had run 21mm through the wall, and that is precisely where many of them froze.
Trace heating is one solution, but what are the running costs of the heater? Would it be more or less than the saving made by running a condensing boiler in the first place?
The problem is the incontinent trickle of condensate produced all the time the boiler is running. once that starts to freeze in the drain, the ice block is continually fed more condensate, and rapidly grows.
Maybe storing the condensate until there's enough thermal inertia in the store for its contents to flow clear of the drain before it freezes, with the external pipework staying dry the rest of the time could be another solution.
Maybe something along the lines of an automatic flushing cistern? The penalty would be the space taken up by the store, which would need to be indoors, and probably close to the boiler
The problem is the incontinent trickle of condensate produced all the time the boiler is running. once that starts to freeze in the drain, the ice block is continually fed more condensate, and rapidly grows.
Maybe storing the condensate until there's enough thermal inertia in the store for its contents to flow clear of the drain before it freezes, with the external pipework staying dry the rest of the time could be another solution.
Maybe something along the lines of an automatic flushing cistern? The penalty would be the space taken up by the store, which would need to be indoors, and probably close to the boiler
tickly t said:
a lot of the newer steamers already do it
Trace heating is all very well but if it is cold enough the stack will freeze too.
Whatever happened to the development of the idea of the condensate being released through the flue as a mist?
That one seems to have gone quiet though it seemed like a good idea.
Whatever happened to the development of the idea of the condensate being released through the flue as a mist?
That one seems to have gone quiet though it seemed like a good idea.
They're is now a new line of though from the worlds top scientists that releasing the condensate into the waste system could be more damaging to the environment than releasing it into the atmosphere.
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I can't help feeling that the worlds top scientists need a greater problem to think about...
Corgigrouch";p="1731724 said:
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