The difference between steam and condensate is the condensate is the water droplets and water that appears on the outside of pipes, surfaces etc.
Steam is the vapor of boiling water that creates pressure and forces.
Condensate is the liquid formed when steam passes from the vapor to the liquid state.
In a heating process, condensate is the result of steam transferring a portion of its heat energy, known as latent heat, to the product, line, or equipment being heated.
The temperature at which a boiler condensates is between 80 F to 120 F degrees.
Boiler condensation is caused by the flue gas falling below the dew point.
Flue gas will form and condense on a heat exchanger and in the boiler stack when it falls below its dew point, and this occurs when the return water temps of the system are around 135°F.
The vapor of the flue gas undergoes a phase change into a liquid which is now acidic with a pH typically between 2–5.
A condensing boiler uses condensing technology to make better use of the heat it generates.
When a fuel such as gas or oil is burned, gasses are released via a flue.
In a non-condensing boiler system these gasses would be released into the atmosphere and their heating potential would be lost.
The only way to avoid sustained flue gas condensation is to monitor the boiler's inlet water temperature and react to that temperature by limiting the rate at which heat moves from the boiler to the distribution system.
Furnace condensate is not a toxic liquid; however, it is an acidic solution that consists of water, carbon dioxide, nitric acid, and, in some cases, traces of metal, mold, and mildew.
This condensate is corrosive and has to be neutralized before getting drained into the wastewater system.
A typical hour-long operation of your boiler may produce around 2 or 3 liters of the condensate water waste.
This waste generally gets released in 300ml increments, and is often the reason you might hear water traveling through your pipes during intervals.
If you have a white plastic pipe coming out of the bottom of your boiler you have one of these.
Another way to tell is your flue (exhaust) if this is plastic it's a condensing high efficiency boiler, if it's all metal a non condensing boiler.
The lower the return temperature to the boiler the more likely it will be in condensing mode.
If the return temperature is kept below approximately 55°C (131°F), the boiler will be in condensing mode and working at its most efficient.