I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed
clearing but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate
is not getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from
the woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where
I've seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?

Munch wrote:
I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed clearing
but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate is not
getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from the
woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where I've
seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?
At the risk of stating the blindingly bleeding obvious you have a leak
somewhere.
Maybe the outlet has blocked and the pipe work has not been properly
solvent welded or repeated thermal movement over the years has parted
one of the joints.
You need to get up there and trace it through or maybe easier fit a new
pipe run as trying to solvent weld old dirty pipe might not be 100%
successful.

It clearly has been working until fairly recently as the acidic
condensate has been running down the tiles. Not sure what the long term
effect on the concrete tiles has been - wonder if they have gone porous?
A less pretty but sounder solution would be to run pipe down the roof
slop and direct it into the gutter. If the tiles have become porous,
painting that strip with bitumastic paint might save having to replace them.

Bob Minchin presented the following explanation :
Munch wrote:
I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed clearing
but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate is not
getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from the
woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where I've
seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?
At the risk of stating the blindingly bleeding obvious you have a leak
somewhere.
Maybe the outlet has blocked and the pipe work has not been properly solvent
welded or repeated thermal movement over the years has parted one of the
joints.
You need to get up there and trace it through or maybe easier fit a new pipe
run as trying to solvent weld old dirty pipe might not be 100% successful.

No, there's no leak in the loft. There's a short drop from the boiler,
an elbow and then about 4ft of pipe that goes out. Everything is dry in
the loft and condensate can be seen coming out of the end of the pipe
onto the flashing. It's once it gets there that it's not running down
the flashing and/or tiles as far as the guttering and is coming out of
the woodwork instead.

It clearly has been working until fairly recently as the acidic condensate
has been running down the tiles. Not sure what the long term effect on the
concrete tiles has been - wonder if they have gone porous?

Now that's a possibility I suppose.

A less pretty but sounder solution would be to run pipe down the roof slop
and direct it into the gutter. If the tiles have become porous, painting that
strip with bitumastic paint might save having to replace them.

Thanks Bob, good idea.

On Sunday, 13 November 2016 16:33:54 UTC, Bob Minchin wrote:
Munch wrote:
I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed clearing
but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate is not
getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from the
woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where I've
seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?
At the risk of stating the blindingly bleeding obvious you have a leak
somewhere.
Maybe the outlet has blocked and the pipe work has not been properly
solvent welded or repeated thermal movement over the years has parted
one of the joints.
You need to get up there and trace it through or maybe easier fit a new
pipe run as trying to solvent weld old dirty pipe might not be 100%
successful.

It clearly has been working until fairly recently as the acidic
condensate has been running down the tiles. Not sure what the long term
effect on the concrete tiles has been - wonder if they have gone porous?
A less pretty but sounder solution would be to run pipe down the roof
slop and direct it into the gutter. If the tiles have become porous,
painting that strip with bitumastic paint might save having to replace them.

Yes, the acidic condensate water affects concrete in a bad way.
Could be the water is in fact running down the roofing felt underneath the tiles.

You need to get up there with a ladder and look closely at what's happening.

In article ,
Munch writes:
I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed
clearing but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate
is not getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from
the woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where
I've seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?

A roof will normally have the edge tiles lifted at the outer edge
to prevent water running over the edge - yours doesn't do this.
I can't see in the pictures, but the barge board doesn't seem to
be set back far enough under the roof edge either. I suspect rain
water also runs over that edge, i.e. the fault is nothing to do
with the condensate drain, except that probably generates a more
continuous flow than rainwater (and it's slightly corrosive, and
running over the leadwork is not great). Another possibility is
if one of the edge tiles is cracked.

Replacing the barge board with a plastic barge board is probably
the easiest fix (note that's *replacing* and not overboarding).
Changing the edge tile bedding would be more work.

If there's a soffit behind the barge board (can't tell from pics,
but shadowing looks like there may be), then behind the board will
be outrigger timbers supporting a verge rafter, to support the
batten ends and the barge board.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Andrew Gabriel explained on 13/11/2016 :
In article ,
Munch writes:
I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed
clearing but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate
is not getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from
the woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where
I've seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?

A roof will normally have the edge tiles lifted at the outer edge
to prevent water running over the edge - yours doesn't do this.
I can't see in the pictures, but the barge board doesn't seem to
be set back far enough under the roof edge either. I suspect rain
water also runs over that edge, i.e. the fault is nothing to do
with the condensate drain, except that probably generates a more
continuous flow than rainwater (and it's slightly corrosive, and
running over the leadwork is not great). Another possibility is
if one of the edge tiles is cracked.

Replacing the barge board with a plastic barge board is probably
the easiest fix (note that's *replacing* and not overboarding).
Changing the edge tile bedding would be more work.

If there's a soffit behind the barge board (can't tell from pics,
but shadowing looks like there may be), then behind the board will
be outrigger timbers supporting a verge rafter, to support the
batten ends and the barge board.

Thanks very much Andrew. Plastic barge boards are on the list but it'll
be next summer before we can afford that. The car needs new tyres all
round before winter begins to bite :-(

On 13/11/16 16:44, Munch wrote:
Bob Minchin presented the following explanation :
Munch wrote:
I recently noticed a damp patch on the concrete floor at the front of
the house. The boiler is installed in the loft and the condensate drain
has been poked out of the loft to empty the condensate onto the roof,
where it makes its way down to the guttering and off on its merry way.

I assumed that the guttering was full of leaves and just needed clearing
but it's clear - then I discovered that the water/condensate is not
getting as far as the guttering and is actually dripping from the
woodwork. The end of the condensate pipe and the location where I've
seen drips forming are both arrowed in the two photos below:

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer1.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...oo/dormer4.jpg

What's likely to be the problem? What's behind that woodwork and in the
'overhanging' section - just empty space?
At the risk of stating the blindingly bleeding obvious you have a leak
somewhere.
Maybe the outlet has blocked and the pipe work has not been properly solvent
welded or repeated thermal movement over the years has parted one of the
joints.
You need to get up there and trace it through or maybe easier fit a new pipe
run as trying to solvent weld old dirty pipe might not be 100% successful.

No, there's no leak in the loft. There's a short drop from the boiler,
an elbow and then about 4ft of pipe that goes out. Everything is dry in
the loft and condensate can be seen coming out of the end of the pipe
onto the flashing. It's once it gets there that it's not running down
the flashing and/or tiles as far as the guttering and is coming out of
the woodwork instead.

It clearly has been working until fairly recently as the acidic condensate
has been running down the tiles. Not sure what the long term effect on the
concrete tiles has been - wonder if they have gone porous?

Now that's a possibility I suppose.

A less pretty but sounder solution would be to run pipe down the roof slop
and direct it into the gutter. If the tiles have become porous, painting that
strip with bitumastic paint might save having to replace them.

Thanks Bob, good idea.

Yes, but don't do what the installers did with my neighbour's condensate
pipe. The idiots extended it almost to the bottom of the gutter. When it
snowed, and that partially melted in the gutter and refroze, the bottom
of the pipe was below the surface of the water and got blocked by ice.
It didn't take long for the boiler to detect the blockage and turn
itself off on one of the coldest days of the year!

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman writes:
Yes, but don't do what the installers did with my neighbour's condensate
pipe. The idiots extended it almost to the bottom of the gutter. When it
snowed, and that partially melted in the gutter and refroze, the bottom
of the pipe was below the surface of the water and got blocked by ice.
It didn't take long for the boiler to detect the blockage and turn
itself off on one of the coldest days of the year!

I recall an incident here when domestic condensing boilers first
appeared. Installer had the condensate dripping onto a conservatory
roof, which was OK until winter, and a 4' icicle came crashing
through the conservatory.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Sunday, 13 November 2016 18:12:01 UTC, Munch wrote:

Thanks very much Andrew. Plastic barge boards are on the list but it'll
be next summer before we can afford that. The car needs new tyres all
round before winter begins to bite :-(

Well, if you've got a soldering iron.... Oh, this is not India.


NT