Proper fix for icing-up condensate pipe

[Deleted User]

We had this problem in our last house the pipe went through the attic and out on to the gutter, we brought a short length of pipe and drained it into a bucket during the winter,

neilmcl

Worcester Bosch have a neat looking device called a Condensure that allows a greater volume of condensate to be held before being discharged down the external pipework thus preventing enough of a build up to freeze. It can also be fitted/clipped directly over your 22mm heated CH pipework to keep it warm. Although it's a WB product it should fit most boiler's condensate pipework.

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/professional/products/accessories/condensesure

Spinybif

Our boiler fitter arranged for small sump/ pump to take water internally to waste water pipe under sink. No external pipework so no problems with freezing eg Grundfos Conflict 1 from Toolstation.  £82.

TELLIT01

Our boiler is on the first floor and the condensate pipe went straight out the wall and then ran the length of the house above the roof of the carport, along a north facing wall, before discharging into the gutter.  That regularly froze so I ended up cutting the  pipe and letting it discharge onto the roof.  I eventually got somebody in to reroute the pipe within the house and then out to the kitchen drain.  It has since frozen once but at least it's now accessible and a kettle of boiling water fixes the problem.

When I had the intial problems I called the company who had done the installation and they came round with the intention of sorting the problem.  They took one look and said they couldn't do anything because it was above the carport roof and "wasn't safe to work on".  When I said they put the pipe there and the roof as already in place they still refused quoting Health and Safety.  H&S didn't stop them running the pipe there and leaving me to fix it.

Ectophile

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.  Here's some pictures to show the problem (and my horrid bodge).  The pipe, covered in black foam lagging, runs across the entire width of the house.  It's 32mm inside diameter, or about 36mm outside.  That should be enough, but it seems to be the very end of the pipe that ices up, and it blocks the whole pipe when it does.  I deliberately left the bottom bit un-lagged so I could tip hot water over it, but I'm not sure if that makes the problem worse.

The bit of pipe now laying on the ground was tucked in behind the drainpipe, to reach one corner of the drain.  That was the bit that was very difficult to clear.

There's an icicle forming on the end of the pipe now, even though I have de-iced it since the boiler ran this morning.  It seems the water runs very slowly along the pipe.

In case anoyone is wondering, the other white pipe is from the kitchen sink.  We only have one drainage system on this estate, so that shouldn't be a problem going into the same drain as the drainpipe.

I'm beginning to think that trace heating may be the right answer.  I could re-instate the bottom of the pipe, finding a better route around the drainpipe.  Then wrap the lower part of the pipe in heating wire.  Is trace heating OK on a plastic pipe, or does it need to be metal?

Ectophile

I would love to run it inside to the soil stack inside the house, but it wouldn't be an easy run.  The pipe already runs along one wall of the guest bedroom, above the skirting board, before going out through the wall.  To get to the soil pipe, it would have to go all the way along a second wall of the bedroom, then all across the bathroon wall, to meet up with the waste pipe from the bath.

lesalanos

I would have joined it to the drainpipe instead of running next to it but that may be "bodging" it rather than the correct method

Ectophile

I'm not sure if using the drainpipe would work.  That's tended to ice up as well, with melting snow off the roof.

Jeepers_Creepers

Is straight down vertically, and cranked away from the house wall the required amount and into a small sunk pit of lime chips a possibility?

(Starts to Google condensate draining methods...)

EssexExile

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Is straight down vertically, and cranked away from the house wall the required amount and into a small sunk pit of lime chips a possibility?

(Starts to Google condensate draining methods...)

That would be a better solution, a proper condensate soakaway under the wheelie bins. Google "condensate soakaway".