Condensate Line

Malcolm · 07-24-2007, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob nichols

the reason i focused on the condensate line is it has been clogged with corrosion in the past and leaked all over the floor, and doesnt seem to be draining well to the side of the house. the house was repiped recently before I bought it and the drains all flow well. a condensate pump seems like a good solution. It would however need to pump up 2 stories to the roof and drain there? is flexible tubing an option? - thanks

Two stories is a long vertical run. You would have to check the manufacturer specs to see what the maximum vertical run is. Condensate pumps usually come with flexible tubing. I would run 3/8" OD copper and just attach the copper to the pump with that cheap flexible tubing that it comes with.

bigMikeB · 07-27-2007, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob nichols

I have a similar problem but have a condensate line below or in slab on grade and believe it is leaking some due to being clogged and have some ceramic tile buckling about 1/2" on the flooring above. Is this a case where there is no way out of sawcutting the slab to replace the line that currently daylights
to an outside wall. What options are there to tie-in to plumbing -there maybe a sink drain near under slab...is this a likely code violation to tie-in to? thanks

Where is the a/c unit located now? Where does the drain line run? Is the a/c from an airhandler or a furnace?

Chimichanga31 · 06-02-2008, 04:16 PM

You can directly tie your condensate to your sanitary drain. But you can only do it 3 ways. 1) run it to a hub or floor drain that is trap primed. You must have a minimum of 1" air gap above the rim of the hub drain. 2) Run it to a sink p-trap. You'll need to get a p-trap with a dishwasher fitting. It has a nipple on the upstream side of the trap seal to prevent sewer gas from entering thru the condensate. Look under your kitchen sink if you got a dishwasher. You'll see what i mean. 3) to a waste stack with a trap primed p-trap.

Both of these options are mechanical and plumbing code congress approved methods and local inspectors should not fail the installation if he is a knows what the hell he is looking at. (I hardly deal with city inspectors in rural towns anymore if they even have one. Most of them are clueless to large commercial/residential installations because they only deal with small houses. The clients usually have a third party inspector come look.)

A pump can be directly tied into sanitary sewer. The check valve in the pump that is holding the water from flowing back into the pump reservoir will do the job of making a seal. Just loop your line coming off the pump to ensure there is a water trap.

The drain problem in the inital post. If all else fails and since you got nothing to lose. I would try Drain-o. Otherwise you need to get it replaced.