Condensate Overflow pipe (difficulty jointing plastic waste pipe) (Ed.)

[Gtunney]

Hi All,

Looking for a little bit of advice. I decided to try and clean out the U-Bend on my washing machine which the boiler condensate pipe was attached to. During the process the fixings on the condensate pipe snapped due to being quite brittle presumably with age.

I have rebuilt the majority of the run due to various other elbows snapping when trying to do a fix. I even had to buy a new 40mm to 21.5mm reducer as the elbow on that snapped as well.

However I done a dry fit the vertical down pipe to measure where to cut for the elbow below and now I can’t get it back off to solvent weld it on. I’m really nervous about forcing it and snapping the 2 elbows above that go into the wall. It seems the old pipe is a very tight fit into the straight through joiner.

Will this be ok to leave without solvent welding? It’s not under pressure and just handles a few drips for the boiler condensate. If not any tips or tricks to get it off so I can solvent weld it?

Everything else on that run below the red line I’ve marked is solvent welded.

My first time doing anything like this and solvent welding so please be kind. I much prefer electric to plumbing

Thanks All

 

[Notch7]

If not any tips or tricks to get it off

You could try a hairdryer or heat gun on it - don’t go mad with a heat gun or you will melt it.
the problem you’ve got is that with 2 joints welded there’s no slack and as soon as you pull on the unglued joint it gets itself in a position where it binds

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

If it's that tight, I doubt it'll leak, and as you are aware, there is no pressure in it and that section wont have water sitting about.

I'd be inclined to leave it and see what happens.

 

[polesapart]

^^
+1

 

[Gtunney]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll monitor it and see how it goes without solvent welding.