Freezing Condensate.

[Lenny Coleman]

Hello all.

I have an external condensate that freezes daily at the moment.

I have had a look at installing condensate trace heating, but will pipe insulation work just as well?

Any advice/methods on stopping the thing freezing, I would appreciate.

Thanks.

Lenny.

 

[ianmcd]

insulate for now then get the pipe upsized and insulated when all the madness is over, trace heating is a bit snake oil

 

[Lenny Coleman]

insulate for now then get the pipe upsized and insulated when all the madness is over, trace heating is a bit snake oil

Thanks mate.

I wasn't sold on the idea myself, hence the post... Didn't fancy all that mucking about either, tbh.

It's already 32mm, but it has a long, horizontal section, which I don't imagine helps.
It is freakishly cold out there.

 

[ianmcd]

just use waterproof insulation, is it definately 32 mm through the wall, most common problem is a reducer as it comes out of the wall

 

[oilhead]

If you have a demountable joint before the horizontal run, then for the present, disconnect it and let it run to ground. If not demountable, then a hacksaw is your friend. When it warms up, then look at modifying.

 

[TimboTwo]

If you have a demountable joint before the horizontal run, then for the present, disconnect it and let it run to ground. If not demountable, then a hacksaw is your friend. When it warms up, then look at modifying.

Might be best to put a bucket under it to stop an ice slick.

 

[bernardgreen]

Insulation does not prevent water in a pipe freezing, it only delays it until hopefully the weather improves.

trace heating is a bit snake oil

Trace heating can prevent water in a pipe from freezing. A DIY trace heater has proven to be effective in a long run of external condensate drain that had frozen several times.

The trace heater was made using nichrome wire sleeved with silicon tubing and run inside the pipe. The power source was a few volts from a low cost toroidal transformer that provided safety isolation of the heating wire from the mains.

The hardest part was threading the nichrome wire into the silicon sleeving.

 

[ianmcd]

Insulation does not prevent water in a pipe freezing, it only delays it until hopefully the weather improves.



Trace heating can prevent water in a pipe from freezing. A DIY trace heater has proven to be effective in a long run of external condensate drain that had frozen several times.

The trace heater was made using nichrome wire sleeved with silicon tubing and run inside the pipe. The power source was a few volts from a low cost toroidal transformer that provided safety isolation of the heating wire from the mains.

The hardest part was threading the nichrome wire into the silicon sleeving.

A correctly sized and lagged condensate will not freeze

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My 2 penny worth - trace heating plus insulation can work, but horizontal runs are the main enemy. Water can sit, build up and freeze in an horizontal run - the quicker it can make its way down to the drain, the warmer the condensate will be when it gets there, the less the chance of it freezing.

 

[bernardgreen]

A correctly sized and lagged condensate will not freeze

it just takes longer to freeze and fill the pipe with ice. By which time weather has probably got warmer.

 

[ianmcd]

it just takes longer to freeze and fill the pipe with ice. By which time weather has probably got warmer.

well Bennyboy it is -15 here and has been for a week, and will be for a few more weeks and my condenstae installed correctly is fine and dandy thank you

 

[bernardgreen]

Minus 15 for over a week, in Lanarkshire, ? That is a surprise

 

[ianmcd]

Minus 15 for over a week, in Lanarkshire, ? That is a surprise

it was -23 on wednesday

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

it was -23 on wednesday

Yep, I saw it!

 

[oilhead]

My condense drain has a vertical drop for 4ft and then a near horizontal run for 6-7ft, and yesterday the boiler stopped. The tell tale was a gurgling water sound whilst trying to light, so I disconnected the outer vertical pipe and cut through the duct tape holding the join from a previous episode and thawed it out and reinstalled it just to drain to the ground. The full pipe will be reinstalled when it's warmer.