Condensate Pro has called for all builds to have condensate pipes insulated as standard.
The company has commented following a recent consultation from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) setting out the UK Government’s plans for the Future Homes Standard, which includes a proposal to include more stringent build quality advice on pipework where it enter or exits a building.
“We welcome the fact that new build quality guidance is potentially being included in the Building Regulations, which will help energy efficiency. However, you must not ignore the pipework itself. If the condensate pipe connected to condensing boilers, or the pipes running to Air Source Heat Pumps are not fully protected properly, (including those systems which are powered by gas/ oil or even in the future, hydrogen boilers) they may be at risk of breakdown or not running efficiently.
“Boiler breakdown due to frozen pipework is usually at a time when the heating is really needed and a professional installer may not be able to get to a home due to the weather conditions. We would like to see external condensate and heating pipes running to and from heat pumps insulated properly and this practice added to the Build Quality guidance outlined in Annex C of the consultation and also bring British Standards up to date,” said Dave Smith, MD of Condensate Pro.
Millions of boilers suffered malfunction and breakdown due to frozen condensate pipes in the big freeze of 2018 and a recent poll has shown that a large percentage of the trade are still not proactively protecting condensate pipes from freezing with some 60 per cent of 160 poll respondents said they never or only sometimes protect condensate pipes. With the Future Home Standard encouraging a move to alternative fuel sources such as a hydrogen mix or heat pumps, the need to protect the pipework from freezing temperatures remains vital.
“Our hope is that the focus in the new building regulations on energy efficiency and pipework coming into the home, encourages the industry to look again at best practice, even in retrofit situations on existing houses. We believe the current industry guidance is slightly flawed as it is very difficult to achieve practically on site – mainly in terms of pipe size and holes drilled into cavity walls where the pipe passes through. I would like the guidance to be changed, but in the meantime Condensate Pro provides a much simpler, better looking and easy way to make sure pipes are protected.”
Condensate Pro fits any condensate pipe installation, with specially designed UV/water resistant lagging and bond and seal adhesive. All products fit perfectly onto 32mm or 21.5mm overflow pipes and the connection and terminations are pre-insulated to make life easier when fitting. The products offer a complete solution for every external termination – gully waste, soakaways, rainwater and soil pipes – making it easy to price the cost of installation.
Dave has also manufactured a drift kit and grinder head, to help achieve a clean, faultless fitting on existing installations and uneven masonry. The Condensate Pro drift kit is the ideal product for installers when upgrading existing condensate pipes. A 76mm grinder head is also available, designed to grind a three-inch flat face against irregular faced stonework, creating a perfect surface for the connection kit.
