Just had a Worcester CDi installed. At present there is lots of steam from the flue (which I expected), but no water from the condensation pipe, but a steady drip of water from around the flue.
Is this correct or might there be a problem with the condensation pipe?
Thanks
Timothy
Our Worcester (an Ri) has a small collecting chamber (100ml) for the condensate. It only dumps when it is full, the idea being that a steady trickle is more likely to freeze and block the pipe. So it's 'usual' with ours not to see any condensate unless you're prepared to sit it out! Not sure about the water round the flue. I guess it also depends on the boiler setting.
Is the flue tilting upwards?
The instructions specify a 5 degree upward tilt, but hard to know if the installer achieved this as the flue is entirely contained within a very thick stone wall.
Timothy
The "steam" that you are seeing isn't steam but condensed water droplets forming a mist.
There are really two issues with a condensing boiler in this respect:
1) At what point is the steam (really the steam in the form of water in the gaseous state at > 100 degrees) condensing to visible water vapour and droplets that you can see. This is important because it is the change of state from invisible steam ( gaseous phase of water) to the visible mist (actually liquid state) that releases latent heat of condensation and hence improves efficiency of the whole combusion process. As long as that is happening within the envelope of the house, you are getting the benefit of the extra heat produced. That aspect is part of the boiler design.2) The second issue is the water dripping from the flue outlet. This doesn't matter from the energy perspective because the water has already cooled substantially at this point whether it flows (correctly) back into the boiler, or as you are getting with it dripping from the flue. The condensate is mildly acidic and will over time tend to mark and stain concrete and other surfaces
(2) is happening because the flue should be tilted upwards at a few degrees to allow water that has collected in the flue to drain back towards the boiler and the condensate trap
Whether you want to do anything about it is up to you. I don't think that there is any significant difference from the energy perspective, it's more about whether you care about what the drips are landing on and that the installer didn't do the job properly. If it were me, I'd make him do it again. This will imply some more drilling of the wall and making good underneath the flue outlet.
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