Do I need a Condensate Pump

Regulation covering UK properties states that all gas-fired boilers fitted after 1st April 2005 and oil-fired boilers fitted after 2007 must be condensing boilers. This applies to both brand new installations and boiler replacements.

What is condensate?

Like many heating systems, air conditioning systems and industrial refrigeration units, condensing boilers use water to control the environment’s temperature. During this process steam is produced; when cooled, this is converted back to water droplets. This waste water (known as condensate) is acidic and must be disposed of through the property’s existing drainage system or through a condensate soakaway. This presents a challenge when the drainage system is not immediately evident. If gravity can’t take condensed water away from the home (e.g. when a boiler is placed in a basement or a long distance from the drainage system) a condensate pump can be used. This will also improve the interior aesthetics of the installation by avoiding the need for unsightly pipework.

How do condensate pumps work?

The principle behind condensate pumps is a simple and proven one, ensuring reliable and effective operation. Working in the opposite way to a water turbine (whereby energy from flowing water is transferred to a propeller), a condensate pump transfers energy from a powerful motor to the condensate water via a rotating impeller. This action creates the pressure needed to pump condensate water up and away through an unobtrusive, thin clear tube (provided with the pump). Condensate water is then disposed of in a soil stack or outside drain point. Condensate pumps usually run intermittently through the use of a small tank in which the condensate water accumulates. When it reaches a preset level, a float is raised to energise the pump. This then runs until the level of liquid in the tank is suitably lowered. Intermittent – rather than constant – operation ensures minimal energy usage to keep your costs as low as possible.

We stock a condensate pump from the leading manufacturer Grundfos as well as condensate neutralisers and soakaways to ensure safe, easy and efficient disposal of condensate waste for any property.

We hope this has answered your question, but if we can be of any further assistance please let us know!