Valliant condensate issue

[lukewills]

Good morning,

Hoping someone can provide some advice...
I'm having an issue with my valiant boiler, the condensate pump keeps tripping, I believe the pipe may be blocked (probably frozen but I'm not sure) as when I disconnect the end and drain it I cannot blow through the pipe. The pipe goes off to the loft then down into a crevis in the roof and I have no idea where to...

I can get the boiler working for a few hours by draining the pipe and restarting the boiler... Everything I've read says the condensate pipe is white PVC plastic, that doesn't seem to be the case it's a clear tube coming off the pump... Can I get temporary tubing into a bucket or will this not work wthi this type?

Thanks in advanced! Luke

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yes you can temp put the condense into a bucket and if you can’t blow through it it’s blocked

 

[Last Plumber]

Good morning,

Hoping someone can provide some advice...
I'm having an issue with my valiant boiler, the condensate pump keeps tripping, I believe the pipe may be blocked (probably frozen but I'm not sure) as when I disconnect the end and drain it I cannot blow through the pipe. The pipe goes off to the loft then down into a crevis in the roof and I have no idea where to...

I can get the boiler working for a few hours by draining the pipe and restarting the boiler... Everything I've read says the condensate pipe is white PVC plastic, that doesn't seem to be the case it's a clear tube coming off the pump... Can I get temporary tubing into a bucket or will this not work wthi this type?

Thanks in advanced! Luke

It is probably frozen as you thought. The clear plastic tube comes with the pump from new so it will be the correct material. It could terminate in the soil stack (vent pipe) where is passes through the roof or something similar.

You could run it into a bucket off the outlet of the pump but it will fill and overflow. You could actually run the pipe from the boiler direct into a bucket if you prefer.

There are only the obvious ways to thaw it I'm afraid. One way is to leave the loft hatch open to get warm air up there. Completely destroys the energy saving principles I know but, what can you do?

Is there a better route for the condensate to take it to drain?

 

[lukewills]

I have tried taking the actual condensate pipe out of the boiler and putting that into a bucket but the pump still trips and stops the boiler functioning... I've been up in the loft and traced as much of the pipe as I can, I'm a little reluctant to pull on it as I don't know where it goes... Does it attach to something or sit lose draining somewhere... The pipe seems full along the whole thing so I'm concerned of I detach the pipe from whatever or wherever it is that I can't see I'll not be able to get it back on...

I could probably shorten it and run it straight out somewhere but how much water comes out? Will this just pour constantly down the side of the house if I do that?

Thanks again for the replys!

 

[Last Plumber]

I have tried taking the actual condensate pipe out of the boiler and putting that into a bucket but the pump still trips and stops the boiler functioning... I've been up in the loft and traced as much of the pipe as I can, I'm a little reluctant to pull on it as I don't know where it goes... Does it attach to something or sit lose draining somewhere... The pipe seems full along the whole thing so I'm concerned of I detach the pipe from whatever or wherever it is that I can't see I'll not be able to get it back on...

I could probably shorten it and run it straight out somewhere but how much water comes out? Will this just pour constantly down the side of the house if I do that?

Thanks again for the replys!

If the thing is still frozen, the pump will keep the boiler off as it is in a fault condition. The pump is wired from the boiler control PCB.

I would recommend thawing it to get it going, even if it means half an hour in the loft with a hair dryer.
Once is is running again you can make your next decision.

If you use a hair dryer on an extension lead, my advice is to make sure you fully unwind the extension even though you might not need to.

 

[Last Plumber]

If you disconnect the nylon, the pump will empty up the wall.

 

[lukewills]

Found out the pump would still run with out the pipe in the hard way 😂 thankfully the switch the boiler is on is next to it so I didn't get too wet...
Looks like I'm going to spend some time in the loft this afternoon! I couldnt see any blockages or frozen parts through the loft to the crevis... I'll have to see how far in I can get, it goes below the loft level back down the inside of the roof over the window, god knows how the installer got down there!

 

[Aquarius]

The trouble is, because it’s clear, you may not be able to see the blockage. As for the white pvc - this might be referring to the condensate pipe from the boiler.

 

[Last Plumber]

god knows how the installer got down there!

We are contortionists too. It is part of the entrance exam.

She is a Plumber!