condensate knocking in the gutter annoys neighbours

Hi,

I would like to put some questions about a problem.

We live in a condominium (please find attached the photo). The drain pipes of our air conditioners are led into the gutter (which is made of tin). There is a bend (see the red circle in the photo) in the gutter at our lower neighbours 3 m below the binding points of our drain pipes (see the green circles in the photo) The problem is that our condensate water knocks quite loudly at the mentioned bend for some time and it annoys our lower neighbours. They want us to decrease this noise.

This knocking noise is quite intense in about 15-20 minutes after switching off our air-conditioners and it becomes gradually lowered and stops approximately in 40-50 minutes. The length of the lower drain pipe of us is longer than the upper one. The lower one is approximately 6 m long (from the inner unit to the gutter junction point). When the condensate drops from this longer pipe into the gutter, the sound seems to be more intense.

I wonder if anyone has ideas how to solve this problem. Leading the condensate into a sink etc. inside our flat is not possible due to the conditions of the condominium and our flat. Maybe should we pull the drain pipes a little out of the gutter? In this way the whole condensate would flow down on the inner wall of the gutter (maybe this is not the situation for now).

Or shall we put a kind of filter to the points of the drain pipes indicated by green circles in order to decrease the size of condensate drops? Or should we exchange the tin bend of the gutter for a plastic one, or cover the tin bend inside with silicone, or should we carry the drain pipe in parallel with the gutter (but separately from it) downwards to the ground?

Thank you in advance,
Marko

Extend and run the plastic condensate pipe to below the 45 elbows ... Problem solved

Do your neighbours complain when rain water runs down the pipe during a storm?��

That is a very good idea, thank you. Could you explain, please, that the extension and run of plastic condensate pipe should be inside or outside the gutter?

What about running the condensate pipe completely to the ground? Otherwise the lowest gutter elbow at the ground may trigger some noise, I am afraid.

I wonder if plastic condensate pipe elbows can trigger significant noise. According to your solution we should use them due to the design of condominium façade.

What kind and diameter of plastic condensate pipe could you suppose? I think that a weather and UV resistant one (even with a covering if it is needed) may be the best choice. I am not sure about the proper diameter, but if I use narrow one, then the condensate pipe may get blocked in the future, I am afraid.

Thank you in advance!

No, they do not. I at least know nothing about it.

That is a very good idea, thank you. Could you explain, please, that the extension and run of plastic condensate pipe should be inside or outside the gutter?

cut back the 3/4 overflow and run it externally to just above the ground

What about running the condensate pipe completely to the ground? Otherwise the lowest gutter elbow at the ground may trigger some noise, I am afraid.

there will be virtually no noise from a plastic elbow

I wonder if plastic condensate pipe elbows can trigger significant noise. According to your solution we should use them due to the design of condominium façade.

What kind and diameter of plastic condensate pipe could you suppose?

3/4 overflow pipe
I think that a weather and UV resistant one (even with a covering if it is needed) may be the best choice. I am not sure about the proper diameter, but if I use narrow one, then the condensate pipe may get blocked in the future, I am afraid.

your drain route has a good fall- so 3/4 would suffice for all 3 units-you can T it all together
Thank you in advance!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marko_J

Hi,

I would like to put some questions about a problem.

We live in a condominium (please find attached the photo). The drain pipes of our air conditioners are led into the gutter (which is made of tin). There is a bend (see the red circle in the photo) in the gutter at our lower neighbours 3 m below the binding points of our drain pipes (see the green circles in the photo) The problem is that our condensate water knocks quite loudly at the mentioned bend for some time and it annoys our lower neighbours. They want us to decrease this noise.

This knocking noise is quite intense in about 15-20 minutes after switching off our air-conditioners and it becomes gradually lowered and stops approximately in 40-50 minutes. The length of the lower drain pipe of us is longer than the upper one. The lower one is approximately 6 m long (from the inner unit to the gutter junction point). When the condensate drops from this longer pipe into the gutter, the sound seems to be more intense.

I wonder if anyone has ideas how to solve this problem. Leading the condensate into a sink etc. inside our flat is not possible due to the conditions of the condominium and our flat. Maybe should we pull the drain pipes a little out of the gutter? In this way the whole condensate would flow down on the inner wall of the gutter (maybe this is not the situation for now).

Or shall we put a kind of filter to the points of the drain pipes indicated by green circles in order to decrease the size of condensate drops? Or should we exchange the tin bend of the gutter for a plastic one, or cover the tin bend inside with silicone, or should we carry the drain pipe in parallel with the gutter (but separately from it) downwards to the ground?

Thank you in advance,
Marko

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All the others have offered a solution to the problem and
I can't add anything much to that but I'm curious about
the AC units in the picture.

You can see the pipes for the higher units but there is
a unit lower down on the wall. Is this your unit also
or is it the neighbors?

I see three drains and the edges of two AC units, is the
lower unit yours or the neighbors? As said above if they
are all yours just run a separate plastic overflow pipe all
the way to the floor.

If you use the water pipe that is used for overflow water
from toilets cisterns and water storage tanks, you will be fine.

But if the lower unit is not yours? It is contributing to the
noise and will need to be drained separately, also.

Rob

.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by install monkey

That is a very good idea, thank you. Could you explain, please, that the extension and run of plastic condensate pipe should be inside or outside the gutter?

cut back the 3/4 overflow and run it externally to just above the ground

What about running the condensate pipe completely to the ground? Otherwise the lowest gutter elbow at the ground may trigger some noise, I am afraid.

there will be virtually no noise from a plastic elbow

I wonder if plastic condensate pipe elbows can trigger significant noise. According to your solution we should use them due to the design of condominium façade.

What kind and diameter of plastic condensate pipe could you suppose?

3/4 overflow pipe
I think that a weather and UV resistant one (even with a covering if it is needed) may be the best choice. I am not sure about the proper diameter, but if I use narrow one, then the condensate pipe may get blocked in the future, I am afraid.

your drain route has a good fall- so 3/4 would suffice for all 3 units-you can T it all together
Thank you in advance!

---

Thank you very much.

Could you give me a link to the mentioned 3/4 overflow pipe, please (I guess I should have a light-coloured one due to the colour of the façade). I am unfortunately not an expert.

Concerning the exact placing of the pipe, the lower neighbours would prefer a little bit other solution. I mean that the vertical condensate pipe should be run between the gutter and the edge of the façade. There is approximately 10 cm space behind the gutter at the points indicated by green circles where the first, horizontal section of the condensate pipes could be slipped through.

What do you think about this solution? How much space is needed for it, and how much space is needed both from the gutter and the edge of façade? If the pipe is too close to the gutter, then they could touch each other during e.g. windy or stormy weather.

Thank you!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rob White

All the others have offered a solution to the problem and
I can't add anything much to that but I'm curious about
the AC units in the picture.

You can see the pipes for the higher units but there is
a unit lower down on the wall. Is this your unit also
or is it the neighbors?

I see three drains and the edges of two AC units, is the
lower unit yours or the neighbors? As said above if they
are all yours just run a separate plastic overflow pipe all
the way to the floor.

If you use the water pipe that is used for overflow water
from toilets cisterns and water storage tanks, you will be fine.

But if the lower unit is not yours? It is contributing to the
noise and will need to be drained separately, also.

Rob

.

---

Thank you.

The lower unit belongs to my lower neighbours. They use it quite infrequently, I think, and according to them, they do not experience the loud knocking noise. I guess, that an additional reason for their lower noise would be that the binding point of their condensate pipe is closer to the gutter elbow indicated by red circle than ours.

the higher drop of water allowes it to build more energy for impact making it louder, geting some neoroprene rubber and put it on the insie of the tin on the lower edge will remove the sound

once it is running on the insides of the pipe no further noise will be made as the water will cling to the sides of the drain pipe, a really siple trick is put string from the exit of the pipe to the first bent, the water will follow the string in a stream rather then drips all so removing the sound, use a good nylon string.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The MG Pony

the higher drop of water allowes it to build more energy for impact making it louder, geting some neoroprene rubber and put it on the insie of the tin on the lower edge will remove the sound

once it is running on the insides of the pipe no further noise will be made as the water will cling to the sides of the drain pipe, a really siple trick is put string from the exit of the pipe to the first bent, the water will follow the string in a stream rather then drips all so removing the sound, use a good nylon string.

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Thank you for your answer very much.

Could you tell me please that how thick neoprene rubber you suggest and how I should fix it on the inside of gutter?

If I am right, then according to your solution, I should put the nylon string into the gutter, and the nylon string would hang out downwards from the horizontal condensate pipe. Ok, but how should I fix the upper end of nylon string to the condensate pipe and how should I fix the low end of nylon string below in the gutter (in order to span the string)?

I think that the nylon string has no significant weight and hardness. However, regarding noise, can possibly the water flowing down in gutter hit the string against the gutter wall?

Actually, I was previously wrong because the gutter of condominium is made of aluminium, not of tin.

Thank you in advance!

Our local bi-laws prohit the termination of condensate drain pipes into storm water gutters. You would have run the piping all the way down to the ground if you were here.

no need to secure the other end of the string, when we did it we just drilled a tiny hole on the pipe and tide it on.

As for the neroprene not too thick it is just to attenuate the tin, alu rather then a knock would be a tap.

Some small string is all that is needed to guid the water (Ever see rain chains?) doesn't need to be under tension, it just has to be long enough to make physical contact with the first bend.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The MG Pony

no need to secure the other end of the string, when we did it we just drilled a tiny hole on the pipe and tide it on.

As for the neroprene not too thick it is just to attenuate the tin, alu rather then a knock would be a tap.

Some small string is all that is needed to guid the water (Ever see rain chains?) doesn't need to be under tension, it just has to be long enough to make physical contact with the first bend.

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As for the neroprene not too thick it is just to attenuate the tin, alu rather then a knock would be a tap.

Some small string is all that is needed to guid the water (Ever see rain chains?) doesn't need to be under tension, it just has to be long enough to make physical contact with the first bend.[/QUOTE]


Thank you for your detailed answer. I consider the solutions.

Sorry, what do you mean by "first bend"? I think it should be the upper bend in the photo.

I think I could get some self-adhesive EPDM rubber band. I hope it is as good as Neoprene. I suppose that it can be fixed to the aluminium gutter when I degreased and cleaned the surface of the gutter. Hope that the rubber will not be flushed out later by the rain water.

Thank you