Insulating a condensate pipe

[Min]

'Nearby' not an option for me JohnD.

(And btw surely Brexit is now a clusterf*ck . . long surpassed the omnishambles stage)

 

[bernardgreen]

a wind chill speeds up the freezing process,

If the pipe is surrounded by insulation then there can be no "wind chill" effect on the pipe itself.

A larger diameter pipe will take longer to become completely blocked but, as with any heat exchanger, the larger surface area means the condensate will lose heat faster than it would in a smaller pipe.

 

[breadnbutter]

Ah, ok. I thought 'syphonic trap' IS the CondenseSure!

the condensure is siphonic. the boiler trap might be siphonic or one that just drips the condensate out.
the condensure clips into the flow pipe, is heated up as it fills, once filled, about one litre ,then chucks it all out.

 

[breadnbutter]

I don't believe there's a simpler, better or more reliable way than connecting the boiler's condensate into a nearby indoor waste pipe.

Obviously I chose that.

i don't have that luxury every time on installations.
of course it is better internal, as long as you do it right, because you might not get the freeze problem, but a waste blockage problem.

 

[hard-work]

I would be weary of clipping the CondenseSure onto the flow pipe of a heating system. It amounts to chucking hot water down a drain which costs of course. If anything, I would clip one to the return pipe.

 

[breadnbutter]

I would be weary of clipping the CondenseSure onto the flow pipe of a heating system. It amounts to chucking hot water down a drain which costs of course. If anything, I would clip one to the return pipe.

its designed to be fitted on the flow pipe, it does not get super hot, and it only removes 1 to 2 litres of condensate an hour while boiler is on full , once it modulates down its hardly a liter an hour. fitting it on return it wont get warm enough to be affective.
a lot cheaper than if you get a block and have to call someone out, to fix the boiler.

 

[Min]

The CondenseSure wasn't an option as Flow and Return leave top of boiler, and Condensate pipe at bottom.

So I called https://www.pipelagging.com/ who supply Armaflex pipe insulation. There is only one designed for outside use - Solar High Temp Outdoor Lagging.
For 22mm diameter pipe, the 13mm thick lagging will protect for 15 hours at -6C.

Apparently the regulator specifies 12 hours at -6C but I'm guessing that's for hot water pipes from a solar device.

The stuff arrived the next day and was easy to fit. Think wet suit material. It's pretty flexible, so goes round corners without having to cut and mitre.
I used 50mm rainwater downpipe clips to go round the outside of the insulation.

Climaflex say on their website that it degrades in sunlight. Also it's open cell so traps water that can then freeze. It is designed for indoor use, it's not exterior grade.