Damage Likely from Boiler Plume?

[michaeld121]

My neighbour's got a new boiler & the flue now vents into the passage between our houses. It's about 155cms from the end of the flue to my side wall. The flue has an angle in it, which means it's not directly pointing at my house. The emissions appear to be very light in that they drift away quickly and don't always blow into the same spot on my house.

I've posted a photo here:

(My house is the one on the left with the hideous light blue paintwork).

My concern is that it could damage the woodwork or rendering (apparently it's ''Tyrolean Finish') on my house. I don't know if that's likely given the nature of the emissions, and if it's a problem that's become frequent with the plumes from condensing boilers

Thanks,

Michael

[TheOldFellow]

It's just steam, it is much less likely to damage a wall or render than the invisible hot flue gasses from a non-condensing boiler.

There is even more steam in a normal flue gas, but it's so hot it doesn't condense as a visible plume. The plume is only there because the condenser has cooled the exhaust to the dew point, and some of the exhaust steam has already condensed and run down the condensate drain.

R.

[Harry Bloomfield]

[e-mail] explained :

The plume is just condensed water vapour, unlikely to do any damage unless it is actually condensing on your property making it permanently wet - very unlikely at that distance.

[Frank Lee Speke-King]

Have a look at these on page 43:

if the white pipe is the condensate drain, you may have all kinds of problems from wind-blown acidic condensate products impacting your property.

[Ed Sirett]

Realistically the plume is not likely to do much damage at 1.5m (or more on the diagonal).

If the distance from the terminal to the property boundary (let alone your house) is less than 2.5m then you have grounds for a complaint. Your neighbour's installer should have been aware of potential problems with the plume and and made provision to: direct the plume elsewhere resite the boiler elsewhere use a different model with a different flue system etc.

It seems likely to me that the white over-flow pipe could be an inadequately installed condensate drain....

HTH

[Doctor Drivel]

A black coloured plume kit should be installed taking the centre pipe of the flue upwards following the drain pipe to above roof level. Also check out the white overflow pipe. If it is the condensate pipe, tell the neighbour to get the cowboy back and do it properly. It will drip continuously.

[legin]

That's interesting as I had a meeting with a rep from a boiler company on Monday. We were discussing various and the subject of plume management was one. The Co do a specific plume management kit which takes the plume vertical till out of way and then vents. We also discussed this 2.5m distance and he was saying that it was a recommendation. He also said that building regs stipulated 0.6m. After the meeting my understanding was that it had to be min 0.6m from the boundary if it was considered a non nuiscence. I have one which is

1m from a boundary and is so high it vents above the neighbours property which is 5m away and he said that it was okay. Very interested to know what others think.

Legin

[michaeld121]

I've just looked back at some old photos & the white over-flow pipe was there well before the new boiler. I'm pretty sure it relates to the bathroom as it's in exactly the right place for that.

I think that the condensate drain is probably the copper pipe which appears a little below the white overflow & runs downwards for a few feet. It appeared at about the same time as the flue.

I've also just noticed that she's having an extractor fan fitted in a new downstairs shower room (you can just see a bit of the fitting - it's a white blob near the small, white downstairs window). I'm assuming that this is also not something to get myself too worked up about?

Thanks for the responses,

Michael

[Doctor Drivel]

That will be the pressure relief pipe from the boiler. It should go to down to ground level, stopped a few inches from the ground and an elbow turned back towards the wall. If boiling boiler discharge emerges it should be below people and turned to the wall. If not she should get them back.