Condensate Boiler Pipe Frozen

macman

If it's properly insulated and fitted with the correct fall, there should be no need for such a ludicrously over-complex system.
What is the angle of fall on the condensate pipe?
if it doesn't match the manufacturer's spec, make BG come back and refit it at their expense.

gas4you

Any condenstae pipe that is external to a property should always be a minimum of 32mm waste. If it has been fitted in overflow, then it must be insulated.

Worcester seem worse at condensate freezing, as they tend to trickle the condensate out constantly, rather than 'dump' it via a syphon trap on the boiler.

monkeyman99

Not much you can do I'm afraid other than heating wires / tape etc - from what I understand there is two main types of condensing boiler, syphonic and constant flow - syphonic's are usually OK because they dump an eggcup full or so of lukewarm water every now and again which takes away the ice build-up, but (if like mine) its a constant flow boiler - the condensate "drips out" at such a slow rate that whatever you really do its gonna freeze.

The only sure fire way of making sure you don't freeze the pipe it is to try and turn the boiler off overnight when the outside temp is at its coldest and shove an extra quilt on the bed - if there is no condensate there is nothing to freeze, then switch on heating in the morning - its been working for me if I do this, if I forget to switch it off overnight - it freezes and needs the next day (or two) to defrost the pipe.

monalisa13

My pipe was frozen and water back fed into the bathroom.........I had simply used a T joint into my bathroom sink waste and connected the Boiler waste into that using a bung supplied by my local plumbing merchant to make up thesize difference.......works a treat.........Cost? £3.00 for the bits......nil for my labour!.........plumber quote....minimum £50.00............Maybe I should become a plumber!!

ic

Well I'm having fun - I had a boiler installed up in the loft earlier this year. The condensate pipe is fit so that it runs as 22mm indoors for a drop of approx 4m where it is concealed, then a further 4m on the outside as 40mm pipe. However it keeps freezing on the vertical outdoor section! Not sure what I'm supposed to do now, as the recommendation on Worcester's site is either to lag 22mm pipe, or run within 32mm pipe - so I'm above spec.

I'm wondering if I could run 22mm pipe inside the 40mm, lagging it with something like this? http://www.wickes.co.uk/Felt-Pipe-Sleeving/invt/210456. Standard grey foam pipe lagging wouldn't fit inside the 40mm

I'm not keen on the idea of just lagging 22mm, as it'll look ugly - if that's the only way, I'd rather run a smaller white pipe internally (last resort!).

rustyboy21

I thought I was going to get away with the frozen pipe scenario, but it hit me today.

I had one of my engineer friends fit it for me, but he lives 40 ,iles away and is up the wall with callouts.

He told me how to get around the frozen pipe to tide me over xmas, but said he didnt tell me how to do it !

Mine is a worcester 30cdi, at the back left hand side of the boiler is a white plastic tube which is your condensate. he told me to wrench off the hose from it and put a bucket underneath. 20 mins late, hot water and ch ! Don't forget to empty bucket every now and then!

Ask me anything about fires and I can normally help out, boilers I don't go there !

Don't know if above helps anyone out on here

joncarpet

I thought we'd got away with it too. But the frozen condensate pipe struck yesterday. Even with the foam lagging, it still froze!
Would something like this http://www.screwfix.com/prods/62194/Plumbing/Copper-Tube-Accessories/Spiral-Wrap-50mm-x-7-5m;jsessionid=0FNF0NHTAPSZ0CSTHZOCFEY?ts=20682 be a better insulator is it goes down to -20??

I've also looked at changing the 22mm pipe to a bigger one, but cant find anything that would connect the two sizes.

ic

I spotted that one too joncarpet - I'm thinking of lagging 22mm inside 40mm. I'm also definitely going to lag all the 22mm pipework that's running inside my house, I suspect that the water is cooling inside the house (the loft and the void that the pipe runs through are both unheated), if it can retain more heat before it gets outside, I'm hoping it'll make it all the way to the drain!

Lilium

Ours froze on Sunday night. Had no heating or hot water from yesterday lunchtime but didn't twig that the pipe was the problem because it had been working ok all night/morning. But as I woke up to find the waste pipe from the bath frozen on yesterday morning I guess I should have figured the boiler packing up was probably due to ice as well.

We have a similar set up to you, 28i boiler on first floor, condensate pipe runs outside the house to external drain. Anyway, plumber sorted the boiler by cutting the condensate pipe so now we have it dripping into a bucket at the moment. DH and I plan to reconnect the pipe once the weather is warmer and alter it a bit when we do so...so that we can divert the condensate into a bucket during cold weather. We've never had this problem before, nor the problem with the bath either...it seems that night was alot colder than usual, so I don't mind using the bucket approach as a way to prevent it freezing on super cold nights.

monkeyman99

I've given up now, after risking my life on a snow covered sloping roof to make the pipe shorter and lag it with foam it still bloody froze - I had a 8 inch icicle from the base of the condensate pipe that reached the roof.

I've had 4 occasions where I've had to sit in the kitchen with my feet in the fridge to get a warm each lasting a few days - then my cold water supply froze in the kitchen, I thought no more....

I cut the condensate pipe under the boiler and placed a bucket under it, waited 30 minutes for the sensor to dry out in the condensate trap - jackpot... I now have heat...walking round the house wearing a quilt was not a good look for me. Roll on the spring!