Condensate pipe dripping on my drive

[vido.ardes]

I recently bought a new house, and have notice that the neighbours have a pipe that sticks out of their wall about 2 inches and hangs over my brick driveway. What initially believed to be some sort of overflow pipe now looks to be a condensate pipe from a boiler, as it only drip for a small period of time once or twice a day, but it produces a lot of liquid when it does. If this is a condensate pipe, is it dangerous? This pipe is about 10 feet above my drive and just juts out the wall, shouldn't this have been run to a drain or soil pipe? They don't seem bothered about doing anything about it, but I am worried it will damage the brickwork or harm my pets if they try and drink it. Is it something I can contact Gas Safe about as an unsafe installation?

 

[R1CKY]

It shouldn't be like that. Condensate discharge is mildly acidic and will eat away at your driveway. It should be terminated into a foul drain or a soakaway filled with limestone chippings at least 500mm away from the house.

Don't know who to contact really, but Gas Safe would be a call. Part of a boilers benchmark checklist is the correct termination of the condensate pipe.

 

[stoker122]

Is there a flue for a boiler above the pipe?

 

[vido.ardes]

Thinking about it, no. This should have occurred to me earlier :annoyed:. Possibly not boiler then.

 

[stoker122]

Could be a problem with the cistern overfilling, are you guys metered? Could be worth pointing out to your neighbour this will cost them money (as well as pouring onto your property) 🙂

 

[Reg Man]

It shouldn't be like that. Condensate discharge is mildly acidic and will eat away at your driveway. It should be terminated into a foul drain or a soakaway filled with limestone chippings at least 500mm away from the house.

Don't know who to contact really, but Gas Safe would be a call. Part of a boilers benchmark checklist is the correct termination of the condensate pipe.

Yes Ricky agree with this. Misconception is you fill the soak-away pod with lime stone. You sink the pod in the hole and fill the outside of the pod with limestone not the inside. Therefore the pod fills with the condensate water and soaks through the pod into the limestone chippings which neutralise the acidic water.

 

[lame plumber]

Yes Ricky agree with this. Misconception is you fill the soak-away pod with lime stone. You sink the pod in the hole and fill the outside of the pod with limestone not the inside. Therefore the pod fills with the condensate water and soaks through the pod into the limestone chippings which neutralise the acidic water.

Funny you have just quoted differently from the instructions in front of me, that state you put the soakaway into the hole and surround it with limestone AND fill the unit with limestone as well, makes sense to me as the more limestone the better and the water will still dissapate as theres plentl of volume in the limestone.

 

[Reg Man]

Funny you have just quoted differently from the instructions in front of me, that state you put the soakaway into the hole and surround it with limestone AND fill the unit with limestone as well, makes sense to me as the more limestone the better and the water will still dissapate as theres plentl of volume in the limestone.

Thanks for that, the point I was getting at was about limestone being used around the outside of the pod, as I have seen loads that just have chippings inside and nothing on the outside.

 

[SimonG]

If the pipe terminates over your property and they aren't doing anything about it then shot a cork into it. I bet they'll get it fixed then. Overflows/condensate/flues should not terminate into somebody elses property.

 

[tamz]

Don't put a cork in it unless you want to be fixing your ceiling. Just have a word with your neighbour. It's good to talk.

 

[R1CKY]

Funny you have just quoted differently from the instructions in front of me, that state you put the soakaway into the hole and surround it with limestone AND fill the unit with limestone as well, makes sense to me as the more limestone the better and the water will still dissapate as theres plentl of volume in the limestone.

This is what I do, fill the pod, then surround it with limestone chippings before backfilling.

 

[AWheating]

get a dead bird, shove it up the pipe to block it so it looks like nature was at play. then when there ceiling fall in you cant be blamed but they will get it sorted for sure.

 

[dancinplumba]

get a dead bird, shove it up the pipe to block it so it looks like nature was at play. then when there ceiling fall in you cant be blamed but they will get it sorted for sure.

Oh yes 🙂 am lovin it 🙂 🙂

 

[Leo21]

Is there a flue for a boiler above the pipe?

Could be a vertical flue.

 

[stoker122]

Could be a vertical flue.

Would still be above 🙂

 

[Leo21]

Would still be above 🙂

But could be out of line of sight.

 

[stoker122]

Even on a cold morning?

 

[johnnyplumb]

get a dead bird, shove it up the pipe to block it so it looks like nature was at play. then when there ceiling fall in you cant be blamed but they will get it sorted for sure.

lol, [video]http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Bwj3dLl4mRY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBwj 3dLl4mRY[/video]

 

[Leo21]

Even on a cold morning?

The op,s not going to know what to look for.

 

[Crinkmeister]

Where do you get a dead bird from?😕

 

[tamz]

.22 slug

 

[lame plumber]

a pheasant wont fit in an overflow pipe🙂 try using the kids gerbil

 

[Toxic Ted]

My money is on the f & e level set too high........thats why it only chucks out twice a day.

 

[stoker122]

OP said its 10 ft high, first floor toilet I reckon. Could be condensate from boiler or air con unit, overflow from either cistern in loft or original lead overflow on a bath.
Have a word with the neighbour, chances are they don't even know its happening.

 

[Nuthernut]

I love the 'dead bird' idea.....sounds to be just a bit of a 'bird brained' idea though.....lol...brilliant!