Neutra-Safe

Job Scope:

• Remote lake home with hydronics ceilings & panel radiators
• Dual-fuel system (Electric boiler w/ High efficiency back-up)
• Septic waste system for onsite waste removal

The majority of new or replacement heating system installations include high efficiency condensing appliances. The condensate is produced as a product of the appliance operation; in this case the boiler extracts additional btu’s contained in the water vapor of the flue gasses. When the flue gas temperatures drop below the approximate dew point of 135°F the water vapor condenses and the resulting liquid is acidic. This acidic condensate liquid requires treatment to avoid damage to piping systems, septic systems, treatment facilities and other items it may come in contact with. Many municipalities now require condensate treatment with all new installs and permitted replacements.

Read more about condensate neutralizing here:

The importance of neutralizing condensate produced by high efficiency gas fired appliances

 A recent family lake home project gave me the opportunity to install the Neutra-Safe clear tube style neutralizer model CN-220V. You may be familiar already with neutralizers but I assure you this one is different than others I have installed in the past. The expected wholesale cost of the kit should be approximately $50-60.

Product Specs:

• Capacity – 220,000 BTU/hr
• Connection/fitting size – ½” MPT / ¾” PVC Female Solvent Weld
• Tube body size – 2”
• Integral unions w/ O-ring seal (for servicing)
• Stainless Steel screen on inlet to prevent plugging of unit
• Media (included) – Calcite & magnesium oxide pellets (bagged/contained)

The CN2-220V is an “up-flow” or vertical neutralizer. This means the condensate enters the neutralizer at the bottom of the 2” clear plastic body, as the condensate passes thru the filter media it exits out the top center where piping is routed to a nearby drain or pump. This design assures all condensate passes thru the media where other designs do not require the entire media area to be flooded; thus allowing for small flow rates to pass thru a neutralizer without fully filtering and neutralizing above the typical PH of 2-4. The photo below shows a typical installation with the [included] mounting hardware and drain tubing routing.

Body & Media pictured here. Media shipped and installed bagged to prevent media materials clogging drain tubing.

I’ve installed multiple brands of neutralizers in the past, the CN2-220V is the first to include all the necessary mounting hardware, fittings for initial tubing connections and bagged media for ease of installation, this being all in one package negating the need to source additional parts to finish the install. Of course drain tubing is field supplied, along with the needed fittings for full installation.

The Neutra-Safe tube style neutralizers feature integral unions with O-ring seals that greatly simplify removal for service and recharging. Un-threading a lock ring on either end of the unit allows the main body to be removed without disturbing the drain line. Replacement O-rings are included with tube style recharge kits and all tube style neutralizers are available with a snap-in mounting clamp option.

The media replacement schedule is one year, they’ve even included a model number sticker on the tube where you can write the date of installation/replacement for reference. You should expect the wholesale cost of media replacement, which includes the o-rings and bagged media, to be approximately $25-30.

Being that this installation was the first time I had held the product in my hands I can say it did take me a few minutes to figure out how the included fittings and tube were to be assembled but the included instructions made for a simple install.

I’ve seen many times the effects of acidic condensate can have on piping systems, floor drains and concrete surfaces and that is why I include a neutralizer with all my high efficiency installs. Furthermore, many of the municipalities in my area are requiring them for both new installs and replacements.