The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall with
a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may explain
why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips into
it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Cheers


Dave R


--
Dell XPS laptop running W8.1

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 11:39:18 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall with
a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may explain
why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips into
it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Cheers


Dave R

is it a condensate drain or pressure relief valve outlet?


NT

On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 03:44:20 -0700, tabbypurr wrote:

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 11:39:18 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google)
wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Cheers


Dave R

is it a condensate drain or pressure relief valve outlet?


NT

I am assuming condensate drain, but as you say it could be a non-
condensing boiler and that could be the pressure relief valve outlet.

Testing so far not looking good; hot water was working but first test of CH
seems to show that the pump runs, the indicator lights come on, but the
burner doesn't fire up.

Not looking like a pristine system.

I will be searching for a manual but last time I looked I didn't get very
far. Need a model number as well which isn't anywhee obvious.

Cheers



Dave R



--
Dell XPS laptop running W8.1

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 11:39:18 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:
The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall with
a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.
....
Testing so far not looking good; hot water was working but first test of CH
seems to show that the pump runs, the indicator lights come on, but the
burner doesn't fire up.

Pressure relief valve letting through. Radiator circuit depressurised.

Fill valve may also be letting through, causing the system to go over-pressure, blow off, go under-pressure, etc on a cycle over hours or weeks.

Could also be the diverter valve diaphragm failing to return to rest (CH position).

A quick google suggests these were crap boilers ten years ago :-)

Owain

On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Model is Radiant RSF 20 E.

Looks as though it was installed in 2000.

After a bit of confusion which I think was due to the pilot light going
out I managed to get the heating running. It seems to work. :-).
I am online manual surfing and have found a couple of sites, but so far I
haven't been able to establish if it is a condensing boiler.

The blinken lights on the front seem to indicate that pressure is fine so
it may not be a leak from the expansion whatsit (but where is the outlet
for the expansion valve if this isn't it?).

Anyway, off out for a while.

I would prefer the dripping to be condensate as it seems easier to sort.


Cheers



Dave R



--
Dell XPS laptop running W8.1

On 16/08/2018 11:50, David wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 03:44:20 -0700, tabbypurr wrote:

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 11:39:18 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google)
wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Cheers


Dave R

is it a condensate drain or pressure relief valve outlet?


NT

I am assuming condensate drain, but as you say it could be a non-
condensing boiler and that could be the pressure relief valve outlet.

Testing so far not looking good; hot water was working but first test of CH
seems to show that the pump runs, the indicator lights come on, but the
burner doesn't fire up.

Not looking like a pristine system.

I will be searching for a manual but last time I looked I didn't get very
far. Need a model number as well which isn't anywhee obvious.

Cheers



Dave R



If it is condensate which is acidic then I would expect the exit point
to be clean, maybe even shiny. If it is the pressure relief outlet
(more likely) then the exit would more likely to show limescale of
some sort or greenish from copper corrosion. This suggests a constant
need to repressurise, which your relative will soon be aware of.
This implies that there is little or no anti-corrosion inhibitor left
which is bad news for all the rads and other non-copper parts.

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 12:33:52 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Model is Radiant RSF 20 E.

Looks as though it was installed in 2000.

After a bit of confusion which I think was due to the pilot light going
out I managed to get the heating running. It seems to work. :-).
I am online manual surfing and have found a couple of sites, but so far I
haven't been able to establish if it is a condensing boiler.

The blinken lights on the front seem to indicate that pressure is fine so
it may not be a leak from the expansion whatsit (but where is the outlet
for the expansion valve if this isn't it?).

Anyway, off out for a while.

I would prefer the dripping to be condensate as it seems easier to sort.

2000 = probably not combi. Whether you have a DHW cylinder should answer that though. Or just count the pipes going into/out of the boiler.


NT

On 16/08/18 11:50, David wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 03:44:20 -0700, tabbypurr wrote:

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 11:39:18 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google)
wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Cheers


Dave R

is it a condensate drain or pressure relief valve outlet?


NT

I am assuming condensate drain, but as you say it could be a non-
condensing boiler and that could be the pressure relief valve outlet.

Condensing combis have a condensate drain and a PR valve outlet,
remember. Condensate drains are usually plastic though, so this sounds
like a non-condensing combi with a leaking PR valve to me.

What does the pressure guage read?

On 16/08/18 16:43, wrote:


2000 = probably not combi. Whether you have a DHW cylinder should answer that though. Or just count the pipes going into/out of the boiler.


NT

This house had a combi in 1992. Admittedly I think they were a
relatively new thing then...

On 16/08/2018 11:39, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall with
a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

Sounds like the pressure relief blow off pipe (condensate drains are not
run in copper, and should not go straight outside in a narrow pipe).

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may explain
why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Its probably telling you the pressure relief valve is letting by -
either because the system pressure is too high, or the filling loop is
permanently on or also letting by. Most likely though is the valve is
full of crud and not reseating correctly.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips into
it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go eventually.

See my comments above. You need to establish if it is a condensate pipe
- chances are its not. If it is, it needs joining to drainage inside the
property where it is protected from freezing.

If you need manuals for Radient boilers, I have the following ones:

Directory of \Boiler Manuals\Radiant Bruciatori

15/09/2017 22:59 DIR .
15/09/2017 23:00 DIR ..
22/09/2007 11:16 1,325,023 Soloinstruction99951NA.pdf
22/09/2007 02:50 45,955 RMAS24MAXICOMFORT.pdf
22/09/2007 13:06 293,117 RBAUser.pdf
22/09/2007 13:05 889,668 RSF30EInstallation.pdf
22/09/2007 12:52 228,162 Midyuser9946NA.pdf
22/09/2007 10:37 2,017,888 RBAcs24eInstruction.pdf
22/09/2007 13:44 252,941 Maxiuser99948NA.pdf
22/09/2007 14:29 2,936,201 RS30E.pdf
22/09/2007 13:05 245,766 RSF30EUsers.pdf
22/09/2007 10:01 263,194 Slimuser99947NA.pdf
22/09/2007 12:52 1,473,350 Midyinstruction99941NA.pdf
22/09/2007 02:58 252,941 RMAS24Eusers.pdf
22/09/2007 13:05 42,467 RSF30Espare.pdf
22/09/2007 13:02 2,013,420 RMAS24Einstallation.pdf
22/09/2007 10:07 239,148 RS20open.pdf
22/09/2007 14:06 2,013,420 Maxiinstruction99944NA.pdf
22/09/2007 14:02 2,017,888 RbaSliminstruction99949NA.pdf
22/09/2007 13:37 2,146,608 Sliminstruction99943NA.pdf
22/09/2007 13:06 293,117 RbaSlimuser99950NA.pdf
22/09/2007 09:46 293,117 RBAcs24euser.pdf
22/09/2007 04:24 226,976 SoloUser99952NA.pdf
22 File(s) 19,510,444 bytes
2 Dir(s) 3,436,586,176,512 bytes free

let me know if any are of use.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 16/08/2018 12:33, David wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Model is Radiant RSF 20 E.

Looks as though it was installed in 2000.

After a bit of confusion which I think was due to the pilot light going
out I managed to get the heating running. It seems to work. :-).
I am online manual surfing and have found a couple of sites, but so far I
haven't been able to establish if it is a condensing boiler.

Looking at the manual for the RSF 30 E, its not.

Looking at the SEDBUK database:

http://www.ncm-pcdb.org.uk/sap/pcdbd...5&mid=0000 88

says non condensing as well.

The blinken lights on the front seem to indicate that pressure is fine so
it may not be a leak from the expansion whatsit (but where is the outlet
for the expansion valve if this isn't it?).

Unless you have a leak between the primary and secondary sides of the
*secondary* plate heat exchanger, (rare), my money would be on the valve.




--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Fri, 17 Aug 2018 00:51:58 +0100, John Rumm wrote:

On 16/08/2018 12:33, David wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is
a copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable
to put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe
drips into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the
shonky joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Model is Radiant RSF 20 E.

Looks as though it was installed in 2000.

After a bit of confusion which I think was due to the pilot light going
out I managed to get the heating running. It seems to work. :-).
I am online manual surfing and have found a couple of sites, but so far
I haven't been able to establish if it is a condensing boiler.

Looking at the manual for the RSF 30 E, its not.

Looking at the SEDBUK database:

http://www.ncm-pcdb.org.uk/sap/pcdbdetails.jsp?
pid=26&id=008548&type=105&mid=000088

says non condensing as well.

The blinken lights on the front seem to indicate that pressure is fine
so it may not be a leak from the expansion whatsit (but where is the
outlet for the expansion valve if this isn't it?).

Unless you have a leak between the primary and secondary sides of the
*secondary* plate heat exchanger, (rare), my money would be on the
valve.

Yes, if it was condensing there would have to be two drains.

It looks as though the boiler has been leaking over an extended period
given the staining down the wall below the copper pipe.

However the boiler says that the pressure is O.K. (nothing as fancy as a
gauge, just a red light for low pressure, one for 1 bar and one for 1.5
bar). The 1 and 1.5 are both lit.

so it looks as though something is maintaining the system pressure despite
the leaks.

Possibly, as suggested, the pressurising loop is permanently open?

Noted that this would not maintain any inhibitor in the system.

The boiler is noted as needing replacement but I'm wondering if at the
moment the fact that it is working is enough to justify leaving it alone
and keeping a wary eye on it.

Cheers


Dave R



--
Dell XPS laptop running W8.1

On 17/08/2018 09:15, David wrote:
On Fri, 17 Aug 2018 00:51:58 +0100, John Rumm wrote:

On 16/08/2018 12:33, David wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is
a copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable
to put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe
drips into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the
shonky joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Model is Radiant RSF 20 E.

Looks as though it was installed in 2000.

After a bit of confusion which I think was due to the pilot light going
out I managed to get the heating running. It seems to work. :-).
I am online manual surfing and have found a couple of sites, but so far
I haven't been able to establish if it is a condensing boiler.

Looking at the manual for the RSF 30 E, its not.

Looking at the SEDBUK database:

http://www.ncm-pcdb.org.uk/sap/pcdbdetails.jsp?
pid=26&id=008548&type=105&mid=000088

says non condensing as well.

The blinken lights on the front seem to indicate that pressure is fine
so it may not be a leak from the expansion whatsit (but where is the
outlet for the expansion valve if this isn't it?).

Unless you have a leak between the primary and secondary sides of the
*secondary* plate heat exchanger, (rare), my money would be on the
valve.

Yes, if it was condensing there would have to be two drains.

It looks as though the boiler has been leaking over an extended period
given the staining down the wall below the copper pipe.

However the boiler says that the pressure is O.K. (nothing as fancy as a
gauge, just a red light for low pressure, one for 1 bar and one for 1.5
bar). The 1 and 1.5 are both lit.

That alas does not sound like it would tell you when the pressure is 3
bar... too much pressure being the issue here rather than too little.

so it looks as though something is maintaining the system pressure despite
the leaks.

Possibly, as suggested, the pressurising loop is permanently open?

or letting by...

Noted that this would not maintain any inhibitor in the system.

The boiler is noted as needing replacement but I'm wondering if at the
moment the fact that it is working is enough to justify leaving it alone
and keeping a wary eye on it.

It could be as simple as a failed (or run out of air) expansion vessel.
That would result in the pressure rising excessively every time the
system got hot, and water would be vented outside. If the filling loop
is open then it would auto reset.

You can check if the valve is still letting by - attach a plastic
sandwich bag over the blow off pipe with a rubber band and see if it
collects any water over a day or so. If you suspect the pressure vessel,
then you can make a stopgap one by bleeding some water from a rad and
leaving a pocket of air in the top of it.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sat, 18 Aug 2018 06:22:17 +0100, John Rumm wrote:

On 17/08/2018 09:15, David wrote:
On Fri, 17 Aug 2018 00:51:58 +0100, John Rumm wrote:

On 16/08/2018 12:33, David wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there
is a copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the
wall with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable
to put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe
drips into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will
go eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the
shonky joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

Model is Radiant RSF 20 E.

Looks as though it was installed in 2000.

After a bit of confusion which I think was due to the pilot light
going out I managed to get the heating running. It seems to work.
:-).
I am online manual surfing and have found a couple of sites, but so
far I haven't been able to establish if it is a condensing boiler.

Looking at the manual for the RSF 30 E, its not.

Looking at the SEDBUK database:

http://www.ncm-pcdb.org.uk/sap/pcdbdetails.jsp?
pid=26&id=008548&type=105&mid=000088

says non condensing as well.

The blinken lights on the front seem to indicate that pressure is
fine so it may not be a leak from the expansion whatsit (but where is
the outlet for the expansion valve if this isn't it?).

Unless you have a leak between the primary and secondary sides of the
*secondary* plate heat exchanger, (rare), my money would be on the
valve.

Yes, if it was condensing there would have to be two drains.

It looks as though the boiler has been leaking over an extended period
given the staining down the wall below the copper pipe.

However the boiler says that the pressure is O.K. (nothing as fancy as
a gauge, just a red light for low pressure, one for 1 bar and one for
1.5 bar). The 1 and 1.5 are both lit.

That alas does not sound like it would tell you when the pressure is 3
bar... too much pressure being the issue here rather than too little.

so it looks as though something is maintaining the system pressure
despite the leaks.

Possibly, as suggested, the pressurising loop is permanently open?

or letting by...

Noted that this would not maintain any inhibitor in the system.

The boiler is noted as needing replacement but I'm wondering if at the
moment the fact that it is working is enough to justify leaving it
alone and keeping a wary eye on it.

It could be as simple as a failed (or run out of air) expansion vessel.
That would result in the pressure rising excessively every time the
system got hot, and water would be vented outside. If the filling loop
is open then it would auto reset.

You can check if the valve is still letting by - attach a plastic
sandwich bag over the blow off pipe with a rubber band and see if it
collects any water over a day or so. If you suspect the pressure vessel,
then you can make a stopgap one by bleeding some water from a rad and
leaving a pocket of air in the top of it.

Thanks - good advice.

My priority now has switched to the kitchen waste pipe.

Photos and grumbles to follow shortly I hope. Working away from home so
not 100% sure I can post pictures on the Wiki. All my useful bits and
pieces are probably sitting next to the PC at home.

However, onwards and upwards!


Cheers



Dave R

P.S. Moved flat contents to house in 7.5 tonne truck on Saturday and
realising that I am no longer 25; or even 40. :-(

--
Dell XPS laptop running W8.1

On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/images/c/c...or_a_while.jpg

This is looking up at the copper pipe sticking out of the wall.

This is in the category of "less broken than some other things".

Cheers


Dave R




--
Dell XPS laptop running W8.1

On Tuesday, 21 August 2018 18:18:55 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:
On Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:39:14 +0000, David wrote:

The ancient Radiant combi is mounted on an outside wall, and there is a
copper pipe (I assume the condensate drain) sticking out of the wall
with a downwards bend which is more or les constantly dripping.

I assume that this should go into some form of drainage. This may
explain why the concrete lintel below is rotting away.

Anyway, there is a rainwater down pipe close to it. Is it acceptable to
put some kind of joint in the downpipe so that the copper pipe drips
into it? The drain below is where some of the condensate will go
eventually.

Guttering is "interesting" and I'm not looking forward to fixing it
although it looks as though most of the grass growing out of the shonky
joints has been killed by the recent hot dry weather.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/images/c/c...or_a_while.jpg

This is looking up at the copper pipe sticking out of the wall.

This is in the category of "less broken than some other things".

Cheers


Dave R

Likely it's not had any inhibitor in it for years.


NT