Ideal Logic 18 condensing boiler overflow pipe dripping

[sumnic]

We moved into a newbuild 18 months ago but over the last 2 months the overflow pipe to my boiler (located directly outside the side of the house, not to a drain) constantly drips. This only happens when the hot water is activated, and not when central heating is activated. The pressure of the system is fine at 1.5 bar (doesn't change) but when the hot water comes on it drips very fast for the whole duration, leading to quite a puddle outside. I know next to nothing about boilers but guess I have a condensing one (Make is Ideal Logic 18) rather than a combi as I have a large hot water storage tank upstairs. This has only happened in the past couple of months and didn't happen before that, so it can't be right. Anyone got any advice what I should do? Many thanks!!

 

[diamondgas]

Contact the site office/installer .. good chance the boiler has a 5yr or at least two year warranty! Is the pipe copper or plastic?

:welcome: to the forum

 

[Dotty]

As DG asked, what material is the pipe made of?

And it's not an overflow pipe............

Oh, and moved to the correct forum.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Sounds like the condensate drain to me. If it is it should run but it should be connected to a drain or soak away. get the builders back.

 

[sumnic]

Contact the site office/installer .. good chance the boiler has a 5yr or at least two year warranty! Is the pipe copper or plastic?

:welcome: to the forum

The pipe is plastic. The customer care people fobbed me off and said it was normal wear and tear and said it didn't count as a defect so wasn't covered?!! I think I need to revisit that but wanted to know if the boiler was in imminent danger of packing in or anything

 

[sumnic]

Mike Jackson: but none of the houses pipes are connected to soakaways or drains. And if its normal condensate drain why have I only noticed it for last 2 months, and not in the previous 16?

 

[Dotty]

It's not an overflow. It's your condense pipe and it should be discharging. It's not wear and tear, it's a normal byproduct of the condensing process.

However, it should be piped to discharge in your foul water down pipe.

As said previously, get the installers back.

 

[R1CKY]

The pipe is plastic. The customer care people fobbed me off and said it was normal wear and tear and said it didn't count as a defect so wasn't covered?!! I think I need to revisit that but wanted to know if the boiler was in imminent danger of packing in or anything

If it isn't terminating into a drain, insist they come and put it right for 3 reasons:

It's against regulations.
Condensate discharge is mildly acidic and will eat away at whatever it is dripping on.
Its a potential slip hazard if it creates an ice patch in this weather.

 

[sumnic]

Hi all, thanks for the replies. I'm sorry to keep labouring the point but I am confused. As I said befoire all of my neighbours on this new development have these little plastic pipes coming out the side of their houses (with a little protective cage around them) - I can't believe the whole development is against regulations ? The builder is reputable and national (or so I thought - David Wilson, now part of Barratt I think so not some tin pot organisation). Also NONE of my neighbours pipes drip as far as I can see - and I know when they have their water on as the big vent in the wall directly outside the boiler vents out steam constantly (as does ours) so you can tell when the water/heating is on in each house.

 

[buckley plumb]

i worked for a firm doing new builds and we were told to terminate condense at ground level and its up to the sbuilder to terminate into soak away as they never quoted for it this was on many bovis /seddon /red row homes nothing was ever done about them even when i put on report when i serviced them - would love to see the houses in a few years time

 

[R1CKY]

It could possibly be your pressure relief from your hot water cylinder if you have an unvented one fitted.

Do you have one of these in your airing cupboard?

If so, does it have water running through it?

 

[AWheating]

please post a picture

either way the pipe dripping is not due to normal ware and tear and should normally be covered under the 2 year warrantee of the plumbing on new build houses.

is your house nhbc certified? contact them and report it, they should make the builder take note.

 

[negas]

get in touch with gas safe or your local gov building officer as these people enforce building regs and should make your house builder take notice

 

[sumnic]

Ricky sorry but you should see the airing cupoboard - it scares the heck out of me its so complicated - the house is code 3 sustainable or something so we have 2 solar panels and all that gubbins is in there and its like the starship enterprise in there - I can't see for looking. All I know is we have Kingspan solar and A tribune hot water tank. Seems from everyones replies that the crux of the matter is this: Is this pipe the normal condensate drain, in which case it is normal for it to drip water but defies building regs; or is it some other pipe (overflow or something) which is dripping due to some other reason. I mean, we had the boiler and solar seviced after a year so surely that plumber would have said if the pipe was against regs. I will try to post a photo tomorrow when its light to take one, and I will post the builders reply from when i tried to get them to send out a plumber. They said something needed recalibrating or something but I had to do it!! Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply though.

 

[plumber0808]

It sounds like the prv off your unvented cylinder if its terminating low level with a cage over it.
are you sure it's plastic and not copper?
it will need looking at by a competent person to determine the problem.

 

[johnnyplumb]

Ricky sorry but you should see the airing cupoboard - it scares the heck out of me its so complicated - the house is code 3 sustainable or something so we have 2 solar panels and all that gubbins is in there and its like the starship enterprise in there - I can't see for looking. All I know is we have Kingspan solar and A tribune hot water tank. Seems from everyones replies that the crux of the matter is this: Is this pipe the normal condensate drain, in which case it is normal for it to drip water but defies building regs; or is it some other pipe (overflow or something) which is dripping due to some other reason. I mean, we had the boiler and solar seviced after a year so surely that plumber would have said if the pipe was against regs. I will try to post a photo tomorrow when its light to take one, and I will post the builders reply from when i tried to get them to send out a plumber. They said something needed recalibrating or something but I had to do it!! Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply though.

the tribune is similar to the megaflo, it might just need the air volume needing recharged, you can do this yourself.
here's how to do it

7.5 AIR VOLUME RE-CHARGING
The air volume within the Megaflo HE unit will periodically require recharging to ensure any
expanded water is accommodated within the unit. A discharge of water INTERMITTENTLY from
the Expansion Valve will indicate the air volume has reduced to a point where it can no longer
accommodate the expansion. To recharge the air volume :-
i) Turn off the water supply to the Megaflo HE unit by turning off the isolating valve on the Cold
Water Combination Valve. Turn the black handle so that it lies at 90
o to the direction of flow.
ii) Open the lowest hot tap supplied by the Megaflo HE.
iii) Hold open the Temperature/Pressure Relief Valve until water ceases to run from the tap and
gurgling noise at the valve stops.
iv) Close Temperature/Pressure Relief Valve.
v) Turn on the isolating valve at the Cold Water Combination Valve by turning the black handle
so it lies parallel to the direction of flow, when water flows from the hot tap, close tap.
vi) The air volume will be automatically recharged as the unit refills.
If after following the above actions water still discharges from the Expansion Valve further
advice should be sought from a competent installer or the Heatrae Sadia Service Department

 

[sumnic]

It sounds like the prv off your unvented cylinder if its terminating low level with a cage over it.
are you sure it's plastic and not copper?
it will need looking at by a competent person to determine the problem.

Plumber 0808 - ¬YES!!! That is exactly it! It terminates at low level with a cage round it! So does this mean it is a pressure release valve and not the condensate drain? Good - means I'm getting somewhere. Been doing a bit of other research and I think the problem may be either 1) a loss of pressure in the expansion vessel of my unvented hot water cylinder or 2) an air bubble in the cylinder which would need resetting. Does this make any sense to anyone competent (i.e not me!) and can i do any of this myself or is it strictly plumber territory? Thanks!

 

[sumnic]

the tribune is similar to the megaflo, it might just need the air volume needing recharged, you can do this yourself.
here's how to do it

7.5 AIR VOLUME RE-CHARGING
The air volume within the Megaflo HE unit will periodically require recharging to ensure any
expanded water is accommodated within the unit. A discharge of water INTERMITTENTLY from
the Expansion Valve will indicate the air volume has reduced to a point where it can no longer
accommodate the expansion. To recharge the air volume :-
i) Turn off the water supply to the Megaflo HE unit by turning off the isolating valve on the Cold
Water Combination Valve. Turn the black handle so that it lies at 90
o to the direction of flow.
ii) Open the lowest hot tap supplied by the Megaflo HE.
iii) Hold open the Temperature/Pressure Relief Valve until water ceases to run from the tap and
gurgling noise at the valve stops.
iv) Close Temperature/Pressure Relief Valve.
v) Turn on the isolating valve at the Cold Water Combination Valve by turning the black handle
so it lies parallel to the direction of flow, when water flows from the hot tap, close tap.
vi) The air volume will be automatically recharged as the unit refills.
If after following the above actions water still discharges from the Expansion Valve further
advice should be sought from a competent installer or the Heatrae Sadia Service Department

Thanks very much johnnyplumb - I'll look when I get home