Want to Remove Condensate Pump, Good Idea?

zackwatt

I have a relativity new boiler (2010), and the installers did not remove the existing condensate pump setup.

I'm not entirely convinced I even need it with the current setup. I see it as a single point of failure and it stops the water from boiling every time it kicks on. More importantly, there is nothing in place to keep the mud from the returns being pumped directly into the boiler. I'm thinking about having it removed, and having the returns properly piped for gravity.

Thoughts? Comments?

Jamie Hall

Most residential systems don't need a condensate pump. Before you take it out, though, make sure your pressure setting is low enough (1.5 psi cutout should be ample) and look through the system to make sure that all traps are functioning and that there are no returns which should be wet, but are a little higher than they should be.

But if all that's good... give it a shot, I'd say.

JUGHNE

It looks like you have wye strainers and drip legs before the traps, that would keep some junk out of the cond pump. Cond pump piping is shown with a wye strainer just before the pump inlet.

If you throttled down the discharge of the pump and had the water flow into the boiler slower would that keep the boil going?

But yes, I think no pump is one less future headache. However, the pump may be venting most of the air that the traps pass before closing to steam. That will have to be taken into account if the pump goes away.

zackwatt

Those wye strainers are only on the main steam returns, I don't have any on the condensate return. And yes, the pump is the main vent for the system.

zackwatt

Any more thoughts on removing my condensation pump?

Jamie Hall

Not really, @zackwatt -- I''d say to check the elevations of your various pipes to make sure that what is supposed to be wet is, and will stay that way, and that what is supposed to be dry is, and will stay that way. As @JUGHNE notes, that may be functioning in part as a main vent for the dry returns -- a very necessary but often overlooked function -- and, if so, when you do remove it make sure that you have adequate venting on the returns.

zackwatt

Jamie Hall said:

As @JUGHNE notes, that may be functioning in part as a main vent for the dry returns -- a very necessary but often overlooked function -- and, if so, when you do remove it make sure that you have adequate venting on the returns.

My setup is almost identical to the one in Dan's book:



It is definitely the main vent on the condensate return portion of my two-pipe system. So I will need to add vents as you and @JUGHNE have mentioned.