Condensate into rain water pipe...YAY or NAY??

[mutley racers]

The boss and I are installing a boiler tomorrow, and to be honest, the only place to install the condensate is into the rain water pipe. Is this allowed?

I can not see any where that says no.

Also, is there a boss for this type of thing, or do you just cut and seal with silicone?

This is my home work from the governor.

Cheers fellers

 

[Hardy1]

well you can put the condensate into a rainwater gully, so wouldnt it be the same thing hmmm.. KIRKKKKKKK???? can you answer this one please lol

 

[gaspastemania]

I have put loads into rain water and never been picked up by gas safe even on inspection on contract works has never been mentioned .
MI's will state tho or cant you do a soakaway?

 

[Gray0689]

No you can't sewer or a soak away officially
But have to be onset I have done it

 

[mfgs]

You can put it in a rainwater pipe if it leads to a combined drainage system, some manufacturers state you need an external air gap though incase the pipe gets blocked.

 

[gaspastemania]

Lol this is what cracks me up about this game one person says yay another says nay , end of day a bit of acidic water going down a rainwater drain is not end of world better off that than a gas leak !!!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I WOULD BE CAREFUL TAKING IT INTO RAIN WATER DOWN PIPES, especially if you dont know what or where they run to,if it blocks it will back up and probably drown the boiler in a down pour,had it happen a few weeks ago on a greenstar blew the fan on that

 

[gaspastemania]

I WOULD BE CAREFUL TAKING IT INTO RAIN WATER DOWN PIPES, especially if you dont know what or where they run to,if it blocks it will back up and probably drown the boiler in a down pour,had it happen a few weeks ago on a greenstar blew the fan on that

Then wouldn't that be the same using a clamp1 gr? Get blockage a boiler can go kaput???
most i have terminated into downpipes you can see where they go to be honest if i go external then inch quarter to nearest drain but at times not possible so have gone into rain water and have inspections on H/a contracts and nothing mentioned about it .

 

[woodsy]

I have done it if no real alternative but always cut the fallpipe and insert a box / hopper head which should allow for the occurance that Gasman states.

 

[dontknowitall]

Thanks for the question Mutley Racers! I'd like to know a more official answer myself too.

One thing I have learned is the condensate can eat away at concrete and mortar - I'm wondering what will happen in years to come, if the condensate has been strong enough to erode the mortar mix on drains.

I think I'm correct in saying you can drain it into a limestone soakaway, but must keep it away from the building's foundations, if that's any help. (I've added this because I might be wrong and would like to be corrected, please!)

 

[mfgs]

Thanks for the question Mutley Racers! I'd like to know a more official answer myself too.

One thing I have learned is the condensate can eat away at concrete and mortar - I'm wondering what will happen in years to come, if the condensate has been strong enough to erode the mortar mix on drains.

I think I'm correct in saying you can drain it into a limestone soakaway, but must keep it away from the building's foundations, if that's any help. (I've added this because I might be wrong and would like to be corrected, please!)

Yeah you can put it in a limestone soakaway, think it need to be about 500-600mm away from the house. Different manufacturers may vary on distance, just remember the limestone chippings need changing every year.

You can definitely put it into a rainwater pipe if it leads to a combined drainage system, if the area has a seperate drainage system for rainwater and waste water then you can.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i am pretty certain you cant go into down pipes as its against building regs,but would need a copy of the regs to clarify anyway it will freeze in the winter

 

[gaspastemania]

I think it is 600 mm from boundary or something like that for soakaway,nothing wrong with it freezing in winter imo , call out = £££££'s

 

[bob the plumber]

why dont you just run into an empty milk bottle??

done the drain pipe thing before cant see there being a problem 🙂

 

[mutley racers]

What is a box/hopper head and where can i pick one up? To me, it seems it is the only option

 

[mutley racers]

hi, dontknow it all. I know it can go into a soak away, but the soak away has to be about 500mm i think from the building. As you said, away from the foundations. Am sure the client does not want a pipe sticking out half a metre along his patio floor

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

its one of these Gutter Guttering Hopper Head UPVC Plastic | eBay

 

[dontknowitall]

hi, dontknow it all. I know it can go into a soak away, but the soak away has to be about 500mm i think from the building. As you said, away from the foundations. Am sure the client does not want a pipe sticking out half a metre along his patio floor

It looks as if that's now been cleared up, but I'd still like to know if it's okay for a rain water drain/pipe as per the original question.

 

[jase158]

can't answer question as don't know answer, but been to several properties where condensate are just ending on outside, so chemicals dripping down wall, spoke to customer and they weren't too bothered. big brown stain down the wall, lovely.

 

[marleyco]

As has been said. I've seen all different scenario's into rain water or soil. If It's good enough for bg It's good enough for me. Manufacturer's and building reg's are making it almost impossible to comply fully. Think they need to try an install before they write the book on it, As for connection, there are a few ways. To answer can you drill a hole and silicone, that's good enough for bg too

 

[mutley racers]

oh ok, i see. A hopper. I have not seen them for sale any where. Do any where else sell them? Apart from ebay? Like plumb centre, PTS or Grahams?

 

[mutley racers]

Thanks marley, I know i have seen them done like this before. And that is where i got the idea from. So, i shall give the governor our options tomorrow.

Thanks for all the replies guys. It does seem that everyone has seemed to have done this once. So, i shall have a go too.

 

[Heating-eng]

The answer to the question is No.
You are not allowed to put into rain water, I am sorry but I cannot remember the reason. British gas had to change there regs because they were told off for doing it.

 

[AWheating]

never silicone a fitting which will have condense water through it as the condense water eats through many silicone sealants.

 

[marleyco]

never silicone a fitting which will have condense water through it as the condense water eats through many silicone sealants.

I never knew that about it eating through silicone. Although if pipe was inserted into rain pipe and siliconed around pipe it would not come into contact. I do stress that this is not the appropriate means of connection and a suitable connection would be better. It's just a cheat really. You will more than likely pick up a hopper from mkm. Or a y piece fitting, then run rain water pipe to point of entry of condensate into building. You could drop 32mm into this.

 

[gaspastemania]

I read somewhere couple year ago (cant remember exactly where) that the amount of acidic water now going into sewage or ground is now a concern for contamination . So once this becomes common knowledge we will probably be terminating it into buckets !!!
I did hear couple weeks ago that worcester now are making noises of sleeving the condense pipe through walls , not seen nothing in mi's as yet tho .

 

[tommytoker]

i also remember reading something a while ago about condensate in sewers.
the theory says the acidic water from the many 1000's of boilers discharging into sewers will eventually build up and ruin the eco system in there....

 

[kay-jay]

i also remember reading something a while ago about condensate in sewers.
the theory says the acidic water from the many 1000's of boilers discharging into sewers will eventually build up and ruin the eco system in there....

i heard this too, but its mainly the utilities companies kicking up fuss because of the increased cost of treating the water.

 

[Rautospoon]

See section 2.3 and figure 5 to the attached link.
[DLMURL="http://www.centralheating.co.uk/checklists/frozen-condensate-pipes/frozen-condensate-guidance-installer#5"]HHIC » Frozen Condensate Guidance for Installer[/DLMURL]

 

[GQuigley67]

i try to avoid soakaways at all costs, they are a real pain, is it only against regs to discharge into a downpipe if its a seperate piped system ??

 

[Rautospoon]

i try to avoid soakaways at all costs, they are a real pain, is it only against regs to discharge into a downpipe if its a seperate piped system ??

See the link to Post #29.

 

[GQuigley67]

oops ..........

 

[Heating-eng]

i try to avoid soakaways at all costs, they are a real pain, is it only against regs to discharge into a downpipe if its a seperate piped system ??

yes, you are ok if it's shared.

 

[REDSAW]

and just to put a spanner into the works....

unless there is already one there and you are renewing it,

you can no longer install a hopper........

as i was told by a b.c inspector recently, its against building regs?.

 

[gaspastemania]

well lets be honest the general gist on here is that most of us have done it at some point wether aware of regs or not.

 

[Heating-eng]

and just to put a spanner into the works....

unless there is already one there and you are renewing it,

you can no longer install a hopper........

as i was told by a b.c inspector recently, its against building regs?.

Do any of us know the regs lol. They change to much.

 

[GQuigley67]

i dont see many of them done the way of figure 5 anyway, they are all run into pip horizontally with a run no insulation and siliconed

 

[gaspastemania]

I always use to terminate it into a Mcalpine tee if in the kitchen now i try use clamp1gr/wh . But like i have said i have terminated about 4/5 into downpipes this year .

 

[dontknowitall]

Do any of us know the regs lol. They change to much.

That can used to our advantage - "It was allowed when I took my last exams."

 

[Heating-eng]

That can used to our advantage - "It was allowed when I took my last exams."

I am renewing mine in about a month or so, can't wait.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

it will freeze up maybe,get the kettle on or hairdryer out thankfully most dont do what i said in a earlier post

 

[Heating-eng]

i dont see many of them done the way of figure 5 anyway, they are all run into pip horizontally with a run no insulation and siliconed

Never done it that way, always buy the correct fitting, maybe I should try it.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I am renewing mine in about a month or so, can't wait.

ooooh nasty ,i hate doing re sits its just so expensive and not conducive to earning money

 

[Heating-eng]

ooooh nasty ,i hate doing re sits its just so expensive and not conducive to earning money

I always liked doing it in the past, time off work and BG paid, paying for myself this time....

 

[rutherford1]

I personnally would first fit the acidic neutraliser if practically possible in the boiler location, then the ph value would be nil then run condense into rainwater pipe, i once had a customer who was concerned that the acidic condense would pollute the local river & harm the fishes, have fun.

 

[Heating-eng]

I personnally would first fit the acidic neutraliser if practically possible in the boiler location, then the ph value would be nil then run condense into rainwater pipe, i once had a customer who was concerned that the acidic condense would pollute the local river & harm the fishes, have fun.

Never seen one, anybody else fitted them ?

 

[Dannypipe]

Seen one, never fitted one. Sounds like a good idea to be fair!

 

[rutherford1]

I think mr central heating sells them, i.e Central heating, boilers, combi boilers, radiators and plumbing supplies from Mr Central Heating, or try the plumb center.

 

[REDSAW]

Do any of us know the regs lol. They change to much.

i know a bloke called reg?.

where you been allen?. go round to headingley and give my daughter a clip around the ear, tell her to pull her socks up and get her work done.lol.

 

[kay-jay]

i seen em at a trade show, its a sock filled with salts that remove the acidity. has the added bonus that it lowers the freezing temp of the discharge. by a degree or 2. but the sock liner has to be changed yearly........(assuming of course that the rads are set up correctly and the boiler does actually kick into condensing mode) lol

last week i saw a condensate cut off flush with wall, trickling down onto flat roof extension, eating away at the flat roof

 

[JamesT]

I am no expert but I had a new Worcester Greenstar 12Ri gas boiler installed 20 months ago. The installation engineer asked me where the soakaway was? I had no idea but there is a waste drain that goes through the house with a plastic threaded cap front and back of the house. That would have entailed him having to run condensate pipework to front drain under porch or back under decking. He said the other alternative according to the fitting instructions was a pot with neutralising material in it (pot with holes in) I checked installation manual and it did offer that as an alternative so I agreed! Not sure how often the material in and around the pot have to be checked or changed tho? I guess at regular services?

 

[stevetheplumber]

i say we go back to the realy green solution cast iron boilers that last 30 years and hardly ever need mending and dont kick out acid water or we go all electric and put up a wind mill on every street corner

 

[bert large]

I don't know ! condensate drains, condensate pumps, trace heating, acidic neutralizers..........all to save approximately 13% in efficiency over the old Band D boilers ! & that is if its all working to optimum efficiency all the time which is highly unlikely unless the system is a low temperature underfloor system or similar.
Can't help thinking that the boiler manufacturers saw the ££££ signs & managed to hoodwink "two jags" into all this under the guise of "protecting the environment".

Its all a bit "Emperors new clothes" for me I'm afraid 🙁

 

[REDSAW]

acid my bum,

ever seen a pig 'dog' pee on the lawn?.

2 weeks later all the grass is burnt.

tell me the condensates more acidic as this and if not i will stop my missus using the bog in order to save the environment....

 

[GQuigley67]

not just pig dogs, unless my dog is a transsexual lol

 

[johnnyplumb]

Yeah you can put it in a limestone soakaway, think it need to be about 500-600mm away from the house. Different manufacturers may vary on distance, just remember the limestone chippings need changing every year.

You can definitely put it into a rainwater pipe if it leads to a combined drainage system, if the area has a seperate drainage system for rainwater and waste water then you can.

limestone chippings need changed every year, never heard of this , anyone know of this

 

[armourer]

Condensate is the same PH value as tomato ketchup.
Does this mean I cannot rinse my plate in the sink anymore?

 

[REDSAW]

dont know?. but given me a good idea for cleaning the brass and copper for the scrappy.lol.

 

[jonathan123]

The boss and I are installing a boiler tomorrow, and to be honest, the only place to install the condensate is into the rain water pipe. Is this allowed?

I can not see any where that says no.

Also, is there a boss for this type of thing, or do you just cut and seal with silicone?

This is my home work from the governor.

Cheers fellers

My property has been receiving water/fluids from the cellar sump of next door. They have been draining their condensate hose from two commercial boilers into what they thought was a Victorian soak way. In fact it was ending on my property and within 2 meters of the back corner of my house. I am totally reliant upon the condensate being neutralized and that is reliant upon annual maintenance. Failure to deal with the condensate in the correct manner will result in my newish house needing underpinning within 3 years.

Needless to say, the help of the local councils drainage engineer and building control inspectorate has been sought and work is in progress.

 

[mike-c]

I know where there is a condensate that runs across a wall at a heck of an angle and drops onto a sloping roof above a bay window and ultimately discharges into a rhone gutter!
It is on the front face of the building!
I will try to get a picture the next time I am passing.

 

[jonathan123]

I know where there is a condensate that runs across a wall at a heck of an angle and drops onto a sloping roof above a bay window and ultimately discharges into a rhone gutter!
It is on the front face of the building!
I will try to get a picture the next time I am passing.

Can someone quote the Gas Safety reference number and/or the Building Regulations number realting to the safe disposal of flue and boiler condensate from commercial premises/boilers.

 

[AWheating]

whats the boilers instructions state?

for building regs google it and download them.

 

[stevetheplumber]

a good reasoin for not siliconing any plastic pipe is the silcon doesnt stick to it after a week it all peels of

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Hi Jonathan, you'll need to find out the make of the boilers.
I would be deeply amazed if your house disappeared into a 30ft deep hole caused by said condensate.

 

[happyflyer]

Lol this is what cracks me up about this game one person says yay another says nay , end of day a bit of acidic water going down a rainwater drain is not end of world better off that than a gas leak !!!

It cracks me up too, if it was so toxic why don't the flue and the inside of the boiler fall to bits, when it's diluted 5 billion to one who the hell cares, we are going nanny state, I was fishing in our local river last year and catching loads of trout, I noticed toilet paper coming out of an outflow from a new estate into the river, where does that come in the round of things. BTW don't eat the trout, put them back just in case a few GSR have put the condense in as well. How do you guys know if the drainage system is combined or not....

 

[pipefitter]

Never seen one, anybody else fitted them ?

Yes if we run into rain water then we fit a salamander condensafe+ ... Only around £30 and keeps everyone happy

 

[gasmanrob]

It cracks me up too, if it was so toxic why don't the flue and the inside of the boiler fall to bits, when it's diluted 5 billion to one who the hell cares, we are going nanny state, I was fishing in our local river last year and catching loads of trout, I noticed toilet paper coming out of an outflow from a new estate into the river, where does that come in the round of things. BTW don't eat the trout, put them back just in case a few GSR have put the condense in as well. How do you guys know if the drainage system is combined or not....

Ally flues and ally heat exchangers do. Copper does and so will boiler casing it takes about 2 years to get through copper

 

[happyflyer]

Gasman,

What the life of a boiler then about two years, mine BosterWosh has been on the wall for the last 5 years and its still OK

 

[PhoenixServices]

Yes if we run into rain water then we fit a salamander condensafe+ ... Only around £30 and keeps everyone happy

I do exactly the same and then put a branch in the down pipe and a 45 and drop the condensate in 32mm into that.

 

[Gasvalve]

Oh for gods sake as someone who has just had a brand new boiler installed and that boiler has gone kaput because of this issue water back fill into boiler I will tell you why plumbers do this because it's easy and quick, then they are off hoping it down t back up too quickly . Oh for a plumber who takes into account this risk and installs correctly to save thier customers boiler but the they just say it's guaranteed call the manufacturer and the manufacturer says it's the plumbers fault arghh arghh you might guess me and my family are pretty upset

 

[lame plumber]

Oh for gods sake as someone who has just had a brand new boiler installed and that boiler has gone kaput because of this issue water back fill into boiler I will tell you why plumbers do this because it's easy and quick, then they are off hoping it down t back up too quickly . Oh for a plumber who takes into account this risk and installs correctly to save thier customers boiler but the they just say it's guaranteed call the manufacturer and the manufacturer says it's the plumbers fault arghh arghh you might guess me and my family are pretty upset

with a name like yours surely you could have done it correctly and btw this is a rather old thread

 

[Gas valve]

? Not sure the relevance of how old three is or not , did a search on line and saw all these posts about putting condensate pipe into down pipe and everyone saying they do it, no consideration for the poor customer and family when the rain backs up . Hope you are warm and have hot water bud

 

[lame plumber]

? Not sure the relevance of how old three is or not , did a search on line and saw all these posts about putting condensate pipe into down pipe and everyone saying they do it, no consideration for the poor customer and family when the rain backs up . Hope you are warm and have hot water bud

done it as well, but into a new hopper to give an air gap, simple

 

[Rickster123]

? Not sure the relevance of how old three is or not , did a search on line and saw all these posts about putting condensate pipe into down pipe and everyone saying they do it, no consideration for the poor customer and family when the rain backs up . Hope you are warm and have hot water bud

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