Best Route for boiler condensate

[alex]

Morning all.
Just wanting some opinions regarding potentially re routing a boiler condensate. A customer has her system boiler located in there utility with the condensate running into the waste pipe that also carries water from the washing machine. British gas have serviced the boiler and flagged this up as dangerous since if this waste pipe became blocked condensate could potentially build up in the pipe until it flowed out of the top of the stand pipe. it would be very easy to re route the pipe since the boiler is located on an outside wall and i could just take it straight out. i'm reluctant do do this however since we all saw the problems this kind of set up caused during the cold weather in december. Ideas?

cheers
alex

 

[fuzzy]

could there not be an air gap going into the waste pipe?

 

[alex]

Fuzzy do you mean putting a turndish onto the condensate prior to it entering the waste pipe? yes this would be possible and may get BG off my back, surely in reality if the waste blocked then the result would be exactly the same only water would exit via the air gap as apposed to the standpipe?

 

[Puddle]

Do not know why they have said it is dangerous,it is not,maybe they are just mentioning but any waste could block up and do the same thing,some would say washing machine traps tend to block up more,not really the case and condensate will help it keep cleaner,you could move past trap if you wish but defiantly would not move outside as preference

In any case if it did block up,chances are it would be washing machine water that over flowed with a bit of condensate and would have to be cleared straight away for operation of machine,if they were blocking all the time,we would not have open up stands,we are not talking strong acid here,it is just as strong as lime juice

imho

ps....Maybe get the BG man to power flush it !!,should keep him happy

 

[alex]

Puddle thanks for that i'm in agreement H + S gone mad!

Have just been to see the customer and installed a check valve on the condensate below the height of the top of the stand pipe and left the condensate entering the waste as before. hopefully this will calm BG and stop there engineer suffering sleepless night over it. customer is having there annual service next week (hence why they asked me to sort it) so will see what they say. personally the Radiator Teed of the feed and return before the 3 way valve seems like a more pressing fault but apparently its been like that for years and know body has ever mentioned it.

 

[gassafe]

I would prefer an internal condensate route than an external one after the last two winters!! BG need to chill out!!!

I presume you fitted the "bladder" type trap on the condensate drain. Should work well and hopefully keep them quite!

 

[noleaksihope]

why did you install a check valve? not going to stop condense flowing through it and overflowing from the top of wm standpipe if the trap is blocked. might stop the wm pumping into the boiler if the trap and open standpipe were both blocked , but that s not what they ve flagged it for.

 

[alex]

noleaksihope the check valve had a clear window which would show the condensate filling up with water prior to it over spilling from the standpipe seemed to make more sense than using a turndish which would provide another point for water to spill from if the waste did block. i'm not saying this was right i'm just saying thats what i did, if you read the 1st post i'm asking for suggestions, what is yours?

 

[noleaksihope]

seperate tee/branch into waste downstream of the wm standpipe trap .

 

[gaspastemania]

Hang on am i reading this right???
British gas have flagged up a condense going into a washer upstand??
Personally i would tell them to ***k off if thats the case , ive clamped into waste pipes galore hundreds of times with condense never been flagged or pulled on it , nothing wrong with it perfectly acceptable and if it did block unblock it hardly rocket science !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yorkieplumber]

its fine the way it has been done any waste pipe could potentionly block no matter where you put condensate pipe, they are talking rubbish, it wants to be internal, they are not god you know, you just put em right mate, i would.

 

[yorkieplumber]

seperate tee/branch into waste downstream of the wm standpipe trap .

if you go by british gas, it could still block up doing it this way, you have gained nothing moving it downstream

 

[royston]

Yep meet him on the job when he returns and tell him to get a grip !

 

[desrob]

just wondering why this is an issue,cannot understand why bg have a problem with this are there gas pipes were water would run onto if condensate overflowed, condensate being slightly acidic ? got me baffled

 

[Reg Man]

What poor advice from BG, don't know what their talking about. Always when every possible run the condensate internally into a drain. Washing machine waste is perfect. How can the water get back to the boiler? the washmac standpipe will be below the level of the boiler and is open topped trap.

 

[metaldust9]

why ye using BG anyway there dead dear,also if your pipe blocks thro muck/ waste then it will block the same with the cold/ice in the winter so there no diffrence