Boiler help

[trader4]

I guess that depends on your definition of "very acidic". I'd say it's slightly acidic. Very acidic would be hydrochloric acid you use to etch concrete. And whether it's healthy or not for your drain system depends on the drain system material. I have ABS and that's where my condensate goes. Condensate isn't going to do anything to it. If you have cast iron or copper, then I guess it's another story, especially if the condensate is the only thing that's in that waste line. If it's a cast iron main sewer line, with all the other water that typically goes down it, I would think it would probably take a very long time for the condensate to have an effect on it. All kinds of slightly acidic or slightly base liquids that are slightly corrosive go down sewers all the time.

Around here they go into the sump pit with no neutralizer. I haven't seen or heard of any bad things happening.

That must be fun. I can't imagine many people doing it.

Only if they have special circumstances that require it or local code requires it. I've seen dozens of condensing furnaces installed here in NJ, not one has a neutralizer.

They might

If most people were doing that cleaining/maintenance, you'd be hearing a lot of bitching.

Did you seek therapy? Maybe some Prozac would help.

[willshak]

Reading further on this topic. Filling the tank with expanding foam will be much lighter than concrete.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Do you have a PH number? I don't see a problem with either clay or plastic drains. If it goes into a washtub or similar drain, it is so diluted I doubt it would bother anything. The cast iron, maybe, but that may even be coated with a protective coat of scum.

Condensing boilers have been around for a long time and I've never heard of anyone actually having a drain related problem from them. Have you?

I do know that with steam heat, the condensate pipe will rust out before the steam feed pipe. But we are talking gallons of condensate per hour over years.

Seems rather extreme and a lot of work. How about dumping in some baking soda once in a while and eliminate the other filters?

I'm getting tired just reading about it.

[Stormin Mormon]

Light empty tank might float up out of the ground, during wet weather? Years ago, I think I remember hearing of empty inground swimming pool rising up a bit.

. Christ> snipped-for-privacy@>> Good point, that is one other factor. And if it's an

[nestork]

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If you mean dumping a bunch of baking soda into my sump pit, it'd be concerned about it clogging my sump pump and/or my drain lines. I'd also be concerned that if it didn't clog the sump pump, it'd be pumped out into the city sewer system and do no good at all to protect my property.

If you mean using baking soda in my neutralizing bed, baking soda is far too fine a powder to be used in the neutralizing bed. You have to remember that it's only a pressure difference of about 4 inches of water that drives the condensate through the neutralizing bed, and a fine powder like baking soda simply would't be permeable enough to allow water to flow through it with that small a pressure driving it. And, of course, CO2 bubbles are produced as the condensate dissolves the carbonate, and those bubbles have to be able to pass through the neutralizing bed as well, or else everything gets clogged up.

What you need for a condensate neutralizing media are stones somewhere between the size of peas and grapes that will allow condensate to flow through them easily but still provide enough surface area for all of the condensate to be neutralized.

[krw]

A cow-orker had a pool do that. He emptied it to scrub rust stains (hair pins) off the bottom. He didn't get finished until late at night and didn't want ground water backing up unto it so closed the drain. In the morning the whole boat was 4' out of the ground. He forgot about the tide. Oops.