For Snowball & Others With A Condensing Boiler.

[derekpara]

I have just discovered that a friend of mine had been a lecturer on courses for heating engineers and when I put to him the common problem of condensing boiler failure due to a frozen condensate pipe he said the best preventive method was this :

When, or just before, the condensing pipe becomes external it should join a 1.25 inch plastic pipe. If that pipe enters an external drain cover it should go through the grill cover to below ground level but not into the water.

I have every confidence in my mate's explanation but for the common good I would welcome comments from any professional heating engineers.

D

[The Builder]

I'm not a heating engineer, Derek, but that does seem like a very good idea......... so simple.

[Eleena]

British Gas sell a condensulate pipe? Anyone have one, have a rough idea of what one costs (the length from top to bottom of house)

[bookbinder]

We live in a bungalow, and we have a condensing boiler, mounted on an outside wall in the kitchen. The gas fitters fed the condensate pipe through the wall and into a fall pipe, just outside. Very neat, we thought, until we had a hard, freezing winter. The fall pipe froze solid, the condensate could not run away, so it dripped on to the work top and then on to the floor. A temporary solution was a large bowl under the boiler. A local plumber came and rerouted the condensate pipe under the work top and into the sink outlet. No more leakages in frosty weather! Incidentally, he charged us £70 for the job.

[Eleena]

Scrap my question, I've just seen them sold online x

[derekpara]

Glad you think so, Builder. I hope the info comes in handy.

Cheers.

D