No. All condensate neutralizers should be installed and serviced by a qualified installation and service professional, who will assure that all local and state plumbing codes are followed. This is important because most plumbing codes prohibit the disposal of acidic liquids without treatment.
We recommend that the neutralizer is serviced annually. The neutralizer can be serviced at the same time that your service professional maintains the appliance, as most appliance manufacturers recommend yearly preventative maintenance service.
As the media inside the tube neutralizes, some mineral salts will be left in the tube. There may be several different colors, from blue-green to red-brown, depending on the chemical make-up of the gas and the combustion air. This is normal and shows that it is working.
Our products offer several advantages:
- Clear tube so you can see what is going on inside.
- Proprietary blend of calcite and magnesium oxide provides a proven advantage over the competitions as it prevents clogging
- All of our units are refillable, saving money and contributing less waste into the environment.
- With Neutra-Safe’s integral patent pending unions, a service professional can quickly and easily recharge the neutralizer
- The media in our two-inch recharge kits is conveniently encased in a sack for quick and convenient service.
Condensate is the water that is left after ignition has burned gas in a high-efficiency boiler, water heater, or furnace. It is extremely acidic and needs to be neutralized before it goes into piping systems, sewerage systems, septic systems, treatment facilities, and other items it may contact so it does not cause damage. Many communities now insist that condensate be neutralized before it enters the common drainage system. The most efficient way to accomplish this is with the addition of a condensate neutralizer.
A condensate neutralizer is a device that raises the pH of acidic condensate in a high-efficiency, gas-burning appliance to a safe level before it is disposed into piping, sewer, septic systems, and treatment facilities.
Condensate neutralizers are installed in residential homes and commercial buildings in which condensing gas-fired appliances – such as boilers, water heaters, and furnaces – are installed. All new high-efficiency, gas-fired appliances have a drain line connection and all of these installations should include a neutralizer. The neutralizer should be installed between the appliance and the drain, before the condensate pump, if possible. Not all systems will have a condensate pump. If you have an installed appliance that does not have a neutralizer, contact your plumbing or heating contractor to request that one be installed.
A condensing appliance can produce up to one gallon of condensate for every 100,000 BTUs, or therm, of gas consumed. This condensate is acidic, generally in the range of 3.8 to 4.2 pH, although we have seen some as low as 1.8 pH. To prevent damage to piping, sewer, and septic systems, the condensate needs to be in the range of 5 to 7 pH.
The pH scale is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The solution is assigned a pH number on a scale between 0 and 14, with 7 representing neutrality. Lower numbers indicate increasing acidity and higher numbers indicate increasing alkalinity. Keep in mind that each unit of change on the pH scale represents a ten-fold change in acidity or alkalinity.