Going to replace hot water tank. Need some advice

[dstig1]

Lots of misconceptions on what condensate is here... It is slightly acidic. Basically it is pure water as it is directly chemically formed from combustion and has had no time to pick up minerals or anything like well water does in the ground. As a result, it REALLY wants to pick up some minerals to get back to neutral so it is corrosive. This is not freak-out worthy corrosive, but you do have to think a bit. Put it into a cast iron drain pipe as-is? Bad idea. Over time it will eat away. PVC drain pipe? could care less. Straight into a concrete septic tank? It will eat the concrete over time. But if the condensate is a small fraction of your house's waste water output, it will be so diluted it will be inconsequential. And how much condensate does a furnace or HW heater put out vs even one shower? Keep in mind all soaps are very basic and will quickly neutralize the mild acid. If code requires, run it through a neutralizer which is nothing more than some limestone. All driveways and roadbeds up here are crushed limestone, so it isn't something weird or unusual or toxic.

So use your head but relax a bit. if you have cast iron or clay pipes or something that might be affected, then neutralize it first. If you are going into any plastic drain pipe, relax as long as there is more wastewater going into the same feed to dilute/neutralize it down the line.

My $0.02