gas pipe and cold weather

J

Jane Doe

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My gas boiler has an outlet pipe outside the house. i am not sure what it is for. i am not sure under what cirumstances water would exit through it

Is it in case the pressure raises and the water needs to empty? Anyway i am worried about the cold affecting the pipe, it is white and plastic i think. am i right that it cannot freeze when there is no water in it most of the time.
 
This external pipe could be the exhaust for waste gases (such as carbon monoxide) produced by the combustion of gas in your boiler. These by-produce gases are deadly to humans, and you should ensure this external pipe does not become damages such that it no longer functions as a safety feature.
 
tepid air said:
This external pipe could be the exhaust for waste gases (such as carbon monoxide) produced by the combustion of gas in your boiler. These by-produce gases are deadly to humans, and you should ensure this external pipe does not become damages such that it no longer functions as a safety feature.
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no for water goes to the drain
 
Its for condensate (water re-formed back from steam). Very small quantities should flow (most of time none). I dont think bad weather will affect it, depends how freely it can flow away, water is hot leaving so unless gets backed up will flow away sound.
 
roytheboyo said:
Its for condensate (water re-formed back from steam). Very small quantities should flow (most of time none). I dont think bad weather will affect it, depends how freely it can flow away, water is hot leaving so unless gets backed up will flow away sound.
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how come there was none with my old boiler.where did condensate go for that. he said this was different and had to install that out pipe, cannot recall why unless it was to let off water if pressure too high
 
This white plastic pipe is a condensate drain required on all new gas/oil boilers. It is fitted to take condensate away to a drain. When the boiler is running heat is extracted from the boiler flue gases leading to a build up of condensate. This makes for a far more efficient appliance than you old non-condensing type.
The water should not freeze in this pipe if it has been laid to a correct fall from the boiler.
 
villa 1 said:
This white plastic pipe is a condensate drain required on all new gas/oil boilers. It is fitted to take condensate away to a drain. When the boiler is running heat is extracted from the boiler flue gases leading to a build up of condensate. This makes for a far more efficient appliance than you old non-condensing type.
.
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I under stand now thanks
The water should not freeze in this pipe if it has been laid to a correct fall from the boiler
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what does correct fall mean. It goes along the outside wall about a foot off ground, maybe a bit more, to the drain
 
Correct fall is the angle its at to allow water to flow out of it.

What happens if the pipe is not at the correct angle?
 
I disagree, in this cold weather I have seen many correctly fitted condensate pipes freeze, as it is only a trickle of water in them, ideally external runs should be kept to a minimum and always insulated externally.

Depending on the boiler, some newer ones have condensate sensors that shut off the appliance when blockage occurs, others do not (big mess)
 
how big is a condensate pipe.can you see water coming out of it all the time? should the boiler be switched off?
some newer ones have condensate sensors that shut off the appliance when blockage occurs
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how do you tell if it has this? It says it has an automatic integral bypass. It is a Baxi Megaflow System 15 HE IE

If a blockage happens and there is no condensate sensor what do you do to minimize damage?
 
The pipe is normally 22mm in diameter and will drip infrequently, depending on the boiler operation. If there is an exposed section of this pipe open to the weather, insulate this with a length of suitably sized 'Armaflex' pipe insulation.
I cannot comment on the damage caused by a frozen condensate drain because I have never seen this happen.
 
villa 1 said:
The pipe is normally 22mm in diameter and will drip infrequently, depending on the boiler operation. If there is an exposed section of this pipe open to the weather, insulate this with a length of suitably sized 'Armaflex' pipe insulation.
I cannot comment on the damage caused by a frozen condensate drain because I have never seen this happen.
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there is a lump of ice at the end of the pipe where it goes to drain can i pour boiling water on it.? Am i right that the amount of water that goes through the pipe is so small it would melt the ice before it backed up to inside? there is no water inside the house i checked. thanks
 
Try hot, not boiling water. Insulate this pipe as soon as possible. When the boiler is running check to see if water is periodically dripping out of this pipe.
 
villa 1 said:
Try hot, not boiling water. Insulate this pipe as soon as possible. When the boiler is running check to see if water is periodically dripping out of this pipe.
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thanks i got the lump of ice out but there is more around the bend. have put water bottle on it for moment. but it is a few feet so how do i know if it is not frozen further along? the muppet did not put it at an angle or insulate it. i looked up the insulation you suggested but it seems the pipe would have to be taken off as insulation is like a sleeve isn't it

There are different sections of pipe joined are they glued together or just connected one into another. it is white pvc 40 mm pipe
 
He says "do not attempt to do this if condensate pipe is installed above ground level" at 1.38 in. What does that mean? why not?
 
OK i got theice out of the opening and also got the ice in the bend to drain to melt with a hot water bottle. But i cannot be sure there us not more along, it is about 5 feet. I wondered is there any flexible rod i can shove in there to see if its clear, like those sewer rods
 
Pour a small cup of water into your flue, if all is clear it should come out the condensate pipe
 
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