plume from condensing boiler ?

[throckenholt]

Help ! Does anyone have a condensing boiler ? Does it make a plume of water vapour from the outlet to the outside? If so, how big is it and how much of a nuisance ?

We are trying to work out where to put ours (very limited choice because it has to be a certain distance from a window), and are very unsure about how much of an issue the plume really is.

anyone ?

is there really no-one out there who has a comment about plumes - good or bad ?

I've got one, comes up through the flat roof in the garage and on cold days it rises about 2 feet above the garage.

Ours comes out at the side of the house about waist height. Not had any problems with it. The installers did say that some people get concerned if it is near an opening window but that it is just aesthetic because all that is coming out is water vapour, nothing dangerous.

do you get any problems in winter with icing up or condensing on to windows ?

We are having a major debate whether it can go in the place we had earmarked (flue coming out of wall between front door and kitchen) at about 1m high), or go for an outside one and have it sitting on the patio with a chimney taking it up to higher levels, or (noooooo) have it in the dining room.

I don't know about problems in winter because we only had it fitted a couple of months ago. So can't help you there, sorry.

Ours is in the bathroom. Never even seen a plume.

I want a plume. Why don't I have a plume?

Is water vapour different from steam?

I guess most people would call it steam, but given that it is below boiling and DH has an inclination to physics I have to use the right term . Whatever it is the white stuff that comes out of a boiler chimney/outlet made up mainly of water.

shimmy - I think the plume is likely to be more evident when the weather is cold - when it is warm the water just evapourates, when it is cold it will condense forming cloud - hence the visible plume.

just you wait - you may get one if you are patient

anyone from the evening crowd ?

Our house is a through-by-light terrace, so the back of the house is straight onto another street, iyswim. Our condensing boiler comes out of the back wall onto the street so we had to have it put in above head height so that it didn't blow steam (or plume ) into people's faces.

It's not been a problem where it is at all - it's right next to our kitchen window and our next door neighbours' front door (complicated Pennine housing layout) and it doesn't bother them in the slightest.

thanks folks - it helps

Hi - I've got a plume! had a condensing combi fitted in November and the pipe out is by our side door, about 7 foot from the ground. The pipe looked very odd sticking out of the house at first, but we're used to it now, and the steam/water vapour is fine - is near a window but doesn't steam it up, and is high enough not to bother anyone walking past it.

thanks Dotty - that is exactly the sort of thing I wanted to know!

I think we are going to go for an outside condensing combi and use the space we had earmarked inside as an extra cupboard.

Will it work as well if it's actually outside though, throckenholt? (As opposed to being in an outbuilding I mean)

Ours is in our bathroom if it helps. V large bathroom mind you!

apparently it is designed to go outside (in a very attractive gun metal grey box ). It will be right outside the backdoor (nowhere else for it to go), and the pipes will go directly into the wall. So in answer to your question - I hope so !

DH went through all the options of where it could go (pros and cons) yesterday - and it is either that or in the dining room (definitely NOT !).

Oh well then - you'll just have to train something heat-resistant to grow over it. Or box it in with trellis. Or paint it an interesting colour. They are not things of beauty

no - they're not - but I guess if we want to be warm in winter we can't be too fussy