Condensate pipe

Gizmo21

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I'm needing some advice. We rent a house from a local housing partnership and we had new heating and boiler fitted in 2016. The company who fitted it have put our condensate pipe outside which froze in December 2017. The housing sent an engineer out and he told us to keep our heating off and supplied us with electric blow heaters until it thawed out and the housing just left us to it. A friend who also rents a house from them had her boiler fitted recently but it's done by a different company, her condensate pipe runs internally (exact same style of house so I can't understand why ours is external) and they said any houses who got their heating installed by the previous company would be getting their condensate pipe changed to internal and not external. The housing have never mentioned a thing to us. But it got me thinking. The past few days I've been researching about external condensate pipes and I've discovered that any that run outside should be insulated, ours obviously isn't, hence why it froze. Plus I read it's to run no more than 3 metres externally, we measured ours today and it's just over 4 metres. We were going to buy some lagging today but we needed 35mm and every diy store we went in only had up to either 22 or 28. I'm just after some advice really before I contact the housing. Am I right to be contacting them about it? (I have anxiety so I need to know I'm not going to make a fool of myself and be laughed at). Now the cold weather has come in again I'm getting anxious about the pipe freezing and leaking again. Also just above where the pipe comes out of our wall at the top, there is a short thin copper pipe that comes out the wall, runs for about 40cm and goes back in, any ideas what that pipe is?

societys_child

You're worrying too much, simply insulate it if you want, or if it freezes pour some hot water on the pipe. (The pipe normally only freezes in extreme conditions)

The copper one sounds like it's the pressure relief pipe. Are you sure "it goes back in" or is it simply angled towards the wall? (which is normal)

Gizmo21

Well, the pipe froze during a cold snap of a few days at minus temps (as low as minus 7) which I wouldn't class as extreme. As I said above, we went to buy some lagging today but none of it was big enough for the pipe we have. Yes, the other pipe definitely goes back into the wall.

neilmcl

Gizmo21 wrote: »

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I'm needing some advice. We rent a house from a local housing partnership and we had new heating and boiler fitted in 2016. The company who fitted it have put our condensate pipe outside which froze in December 2017. The housing sent an engineer out and he told us to keep our heating off and supplied us with electric blow heaters until it thawed out and the housing just left us to it. A friend who also rents a house from them had her boiler fitted recently but it's done by a different company, her condensate pipe runs internally (exact same style of house so I can't understand why ours is external) and they said any houses who got their heating installed by the previous company would be getting their condensate pipe changed to internal and not external. The housing have never mentioned a thing to us. But it got me thinking. The past few days I've been researching about external condensate pipes and I've discovered that any that run outside should be insulated, ours obviously isn't, hence why it froze. Plus I read it's to run no more than 3 metres externally, we measured ours today and it's just over 4 metres. We were going to buy some lagging today but we needed 35mm and every diy store we went in only had up to either 22 or 28. I'm just after some advice really before I contact the housing. Am I right to be contacting them about it? (I have anxiety so I need to know I'm not going to make a fool of myself and be laughed at). Now the cold weather has come in again I'm getting anxious about the pipe freezing and leaking again. Also just above where the pipe comes out of our wall at the top, there is a short thin copper pipe that comes out the wall, runs for about 40cm and goes back in, any ideas what that pipe is?

Are you sure about this, most condensate pipes are 22mm.

Condensate pipe freezing is very common and very easy to rectify if it happens.

Alex1983

Condense doesn't have to be insulated outside and can be ran as long as needed, as long as the fall is correct. External condense pipework needed increasing from 21.5mm to 32mm minimum which I guess yours has.

All that being said, running it internally wherever possible is always best practice and I would always run it internally when ever possible.

Gizmo21

Gizmo21 wrote: »

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I'm needing some advice. We rent a house from a local housing partnership and we had new heating and boiler fitted in 2016. The company who fitted it have put our condensate pipe outside which froze in December 2017. The housing sent an engineer out and he told us to keep our heating off and supplied us with electric blow heaters until it thawed out and the housing just left us to it. A friend who also rents a house from them had her boiler fitted recently but it's done by a different company, her condensate pipe runs internally (exact same style of house so I can't understand why ours is external) and they said any houses who got their heating installed by the previous company would be getting their condensate pipe changed to internal and not external. The housing have never mentioned a thing to us. But it got me thinking. The past few days I've been researching about external condensate pipes and I've discovered that any that run outside should be insulated, ours obviously isn't, hence why it froze. Plus I read it's to run no more than 3 metres externally, we measured ours today and it's just over 4 metres. We were going to buy some lagging today but we needed 35mm and every diy store we went in only had up to either 22 or 28. I'm just after some advice really before I contact the housing. Am I right to be contacting them about it? (I have anxiety so I need to know I'm not going to make a fool of myself and be laughed at). Now the cold weather has come in again I'm getting anxious about the pipe freezing and leaking again. Also just above where the pipe comes out of our wall at the top, there is a short thin copper pipe that comes out the wall, runs for about 40cm and goes back in, any ideas what that pipe is?

neilmcl wrote: »

Are you sure about this, most condensate pipes are 22mm.

Condensate pipe freezing is very common and very easy to rectify if it happens.

Yes, it's 35. I made my husband measure it twice as I thought he was wrong, haha!

Gizmo21

Alex1983 wrote: »

Condense doesn't have to be insulated outside and can be ran as long as needed, as long as the fall is correct. External condense pipework needed increasing from 21.5mm to 32mm minimum which I guess yours has.

All that being said, running it internally wherever possible is always best practice and I would always run it internally when ever possible.

Hmm strange, I've read so many websites saying it should be no more than 3 metres. Yes, they've used a bigger pipe, so I guess they've covered themselves there by going slightly bigger than the 32mm. I agree internally would be better, and also look better as it looks ugly having that black pipe running down the wall.

Alex1983

Unless something has changed recently, I never heard of the 3m max length, manufacturers etc used to say as short as possible but no max length. You can buy trace wires and something called condensulate which are made for external runs to prevent freezing in lengths far greater then 3m, which would never be need with a 3m max.

Regs do change regularly so may have be modified after last years beast from the east to include a 3m max length.....

Mr.Generous

I would imagine a 40mm plastic waste pipe over the 32mm condensate pipe would help - double skin would help stop contents freezing and plastic pipe is cheap enough to be worth a go.

Failing that ebay sellers offer some large insulation pipe wrap, if its 2mm too large just cable tie it on every foot.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Grey-Foam-Pipe-Insulation-Tube-Lagging-Wrap-Roll-Copper-Pipe-Lag/163321870120?hash=item2606bdf728:m:mwI8QGkb7QmoNL_mpC28RYg:rk:7:pf:0

Gizmo21

Alex, this is from the Worcester-bosch website "For other gas or oil boilers then external condensate runs must be kept to a maximum of 3 metres and must be insulated. It may also be advisable to increase the pipe diameter to 32mm.", it's what came up on one Google search I done. Oh right, thanks, I'll have a look for condensulate etc. I'm guessing leaving the boiler on all night would help prevent it freezing too? I've read so many things saying yes leave it running and others say no you don't have to. I end up not knowing what to believe, haha!

Gizmo21

Thanks Mr.Genorous, I'll look into that also.