Electrics and gas
A combi condensate pipe discharges into a rainwater hopper on an outside wall. What boiler-service record is separate from that visible pipe?
The boiler-service record is separate from the pipe you can see. The combi condensate discharges into a rainwater hopper on an outside wall, and that is a visible arrangement only. The survey has recorded where that pipe goes. It has not produced a service record, has not combustion-tested the boiler, and has not decided the hopper connection is a service. A service record would say when a registered engineer last attended the appliance. The hopper does not contain that history.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Condensate is the water a condensing combi produces as it runs, and the pipe is there to carry it away. Putting the end into a rainwater hopper shows a route into the rainwater side, not a record of maintenance. The hopper can block, and the pipe can be fragile in cold weather, but those are observations about the route. They are not a service. The home survey did not open the boiler casing to service it and did not adopt a Gas Safe record it has not been shown.
Ask the solicitor for any boiler service record, and keep that paper apart from the photograph of the hopper. If you need the condensate route and the appliance checked, instruct a heating engineer. Do not send the visible pipe to a lender labelled as a service history. The survey has described a discharge. It has not serviced the combi. A dated service visit is a different document from the pipe.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the condensate pipe discharge into the hopper, or only run towards it?
- Did you see any boiler-service record on the day?
- Was the boiler combustion-tested, or only the pipe route noted?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor for any boiler-service record, separate from the hopper.
- Instruct a heating engineer if the condensate route itself needs checking.
- Do not send the visible pipe to a lender as a service history.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the rainwater hopper is clear, has the combi been serviced?
No. A clear hopper only means the rainwater fitting was not blocked on the day. It says nothing about when the combi was last serviced, and the survey did not produce that record. The pipe and the service history remain different things. Leaves in a hopper are not a substitute, and nor is their absence.
Can the visible pipe be sent to a lender as the service history?
No. The visible condensate pipe is not a boiler-service record. It shows a discharge into a rainwater hopper. A lender asking for a service history needs the engineer's record, which this survey has not created and has not replaced with a pipe run.