condensate trap works some of the time...

Nom_Deplume

I am a homeowner who cleans his own boiler (HTP Elite FT). After cleaning the heat exchanger and pouring water into it to wash the CLR off, I removed the condensate trap for cleaning. As soon as I did so, a large amount of water gushed out of the boiler and onto the floor.

Now the trap had worked fine until then, and it works fine when I dribble water into it from a tap. It also works fine now that I have reassembled everything.

I guess I can't figure out how the trap operates, in order to understand what could get stuck. Would pouring a pint or two of water all at once, rather than slowly like normal condensate, cause the trap to block up somehow? If not, what could be the problem?

Many thanks!

PS There was only a small amount of coffee grounds in the trap, no evidence that it was choked up with coffee grounds. The amount of coffee grounds on top of the heat exchanger was also small, and I vacuumed them out first, I didn't push them down into the trap.

JUGHNE

Are you sure the water did not come out of the trap, rather than the boiler?

Nom_Deplume

I didn't remove the bottom of the condensate trap. I removed the entire trap, holding it straight, and that's when the water came out.

Nom_Deplume

anybody?

Solid_Fuel_Man

Where does the Trap drain into an open floor drain perhaps? Or is it connected tight onto something else also what does the condensate neutralizer look like. You may have an airlock or something somewhere between the trap in the neutralizer or the drain.

JUGHNE

If it is the cond trap I am thinking of, it is a 2" upright PVC pipe with caps.
Some have a small pinhole air vent on the top cap.
You do realize that this trap is always full of water and just tipping it will spill water?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I suspect it may have clogged when you cleaned the boiler. Make sure the trap inlet and outlet pipes have no sag in them that could make another trap. A pipe with two traps in it will not drain

Paul Pollets

Clean any flexible or corrugated piping to and from the trap. Sometimes the debris will stick to the corrugations and greatly reduce flow.