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A/C condensate drain line produces a ton of water. What do you do with it?………
Posted on 8/30/23 at 1:35 am
Posted on 8/30/23 at 1:35 am
What vegetation can you plant near it that is really thirsty to help absorb the runoff?
6
Posted on 8/30/23 at 7:11 am to Rip N Lip
You’re main line might be clogged and the you might be seeing water from your secondary line
Posted on 8/30/23 at 7:54 am to Rip N Lip
Shouldn't this be going to a drain somewhere instead of outside. I thought the outdoor line was a backup for when the pan got full of water. This would indicate your main line is plugged.
This reminds me I need to run some vinegar through mine.
This reminds me I need to run some vinegar through mine.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 7:55 am to wickowick
quote:
You’re main line might be clogged and the you might be seeing water from your secondary line
I would think the same. If that water isn't going down a drain, you have issues.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:04 am to mdomingue
quote:
If that water isn't going down a drain, you have issues.
It could be a package unit where every thing is outside. When I lived in a house with a package unit. I extended the drain pipe with a garden hose and watered my tomato plants.
This post was edited on 8/30/23 at 10:05 am
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:09 am to Rip N Lip
I had a backed up line that ruined my ceiling recently while I was out of town 
AC guy said during the heat this summer, the AC will produce about a gallon of condensate per hour. I was pretty shocked that it was that much.
AC guy said during the heat this summer, the AC will produce about a gallon of condensate per hour. I was pretty shocked that it was that much.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:19 am to idlewatcher
quote:
I had a backed up line that ruined my ceiling recently while I was out of town
No float switch?
I started having this problem earlier this year. Apparently I wasn’t cleaning out my drain line good enough and my pan kept filling up. Luckily my float switch works. But I’d get home to a hot house and would have to pump out my secondary pan. I was worried about the same thing happening to me with it being up in the attic.
Finally I bought a rubber tip for my blowdown gun and used my air compressor to really clean out the drain line. Poured a bunch of bleach down the line. Then I started using these flow tabs that I found on Amazon. It’s supposed to help prevent buildup in the drain line. Flow tabs. Hopefully they work well. So far so good. Haven’t had the secondary pan fill up in months.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:27 am to idlewatcher
quote:
the AC will produce about a gallon of condensate per hour. I was pretty shocked that it was that much.
I have seen many mobile homes where the underbelly/insulation under the home will be holding 100s of gallons of HVAC condensate water. It looks like a water balloon ready to pop. Cut a slit in the plastic and it looks like a dam burst.
Most mobile homes drain the condensate to the outside on the ground even the split units.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:37 am to weadjust
These work pretty well. I would usually wire them to break the cooling stages and allow the fan to run, as in most overflow situations the unit's internal insulation would be soaked and leaving the fan running gets a jump start on drying it out.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:42 am to Rip N Lip
quote:
What vegetation can you plant near it that is really thirsty to help absorb the runoff?
My neighbor spent a day running PVC pipe off the condensate drain from the side of his house all the way to the front just for some bushes under the front windows. Probably plumbed himself a future repair bill that's going to be way higher than what he thinks he's saving on watering some plants.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:48 am to idlewatcher
quote:
. I was pretty shocked that it was that much.
I have a 6,000 btu portable AC unit for my office for when the building's AC goes out periodically, drains into a 12qt bucket and it would fill that bucket easily in an 8 hour day. Just one 250 sq-ft office so I can easily believe a space 10x that produces gallon(s)/hour. My house's condensate primarily drains into the sanitary sewage with an auxiliary routed outside from the attic. I have an electric float pump plumbed in as a tertiary backup.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 10:56 am to mdomingue
quote:
You’re main line might be clogged and the you might be seeing water from your secondary line
I would think the same. If that water isn't going down a drain, you have issues.
This isn't true at all. It may be a newer code to drain into a drain, but plenty of homes drain directly outside. In fact it may be more normal to drain outside then into a drain, idk.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 11:58 am to weadjust
quote:
It could be a package unit where every thing is outside.
True, I did not consider that.
quote:
I extended the drain pipe with a garden hose and watered my tomato plants.
Excellent thinking
Posted on 8/30/23 at 12:12 pm to baldona
quote:
This isn't true at all. It may be a newer code to drain into a drain, but plenty of homes drain directly outside. In fact it may be more normal to drain outside then into a drain, idk.
The building codes may not require that, the international plumbing codes do not, it is just best practice and highly recommended. My house is over 40 years old and it drains into a drain line as did my previous house and the house my mom had built in 1972. I didn't take into consideration that it may not be typically done in many areas. So I would say it isn't more normal where I live based on my own anecdotal experience but I cannot be certain that is not the case.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 12:54 pm to mdomingue
I see direct drain lines in a lot of older homes. Not 30-40 years old, but more like 50+. Remember, 1993 was 30 years ago!
Posted on 8/30/23 at 1:39 pm to dragginass
quote:Thanks a lot, now I have to forget that again
Remember, 1993 was 30 years ago!
Posted on 8/30/23 at 1:59 pm to idlewatcher
quote:
I had a backed up line that ruined my ceiling recently while I was out of town AC guy said during the heat this summer, the AC will produce about a gallon of condensate per hour. I was pretty shocked that it was that much.
I had a similar issue early May, but instead of secondary pan it went through a vent placed after a trap between the 2 units in attic on primary drain line and not secondary pan so not noticed until too late even though we were in town. Vent was borderline low to begin with but worked for years, but pest control or someone else crawling over or really on the drain line following vent as it crossed the attic floor for years shifted it low enough & decreased slope of drain enough just in time for first true clog in awhile. The vent opening became lowest point. We usually get it checked in May or June annually, but it was week or two early at the time.
This weekend it plugged again but noticed it coming out of secondary drain near driveway. My neighbor had his primary clogged and then cleared a week ago after also having them cleared and checked in May. Blowing compressed air through opens things but can still leave stuff behind. Using bleach multiple times after blown open in May still wasn’t enough to clear out everything. A month hitting 100 and then more than a week or more of even hotter temps had the AC units keep up but not the primary condensation drain.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 2:21 pm to Rip N Lip
quote:
A/C condensate drain line produces a ton of water. What do you do with it?………
Main condensate line should be run to a drain, not to outside. If it isn't, it is installed incorrectly. You should only be seeing water draining outside from your pan. Your main line is clogged. Clear it out and you solve your problem.
Posted on 8/30/23 at 2:31 pm to Rip N Lip
quote:
A/C condensate drain line produces a ton of water. What do you do with it?
IIRC the make something like 3/4-1 gallon of water an hour.
its run to you main drain line or tapped into the nearest vent stack.
the only thing that drips outside is the overflow (secondary) drain line and it does this to tell you the main drain line is clogged up. if it didnt do this, you wouldnt know you had a problem until your ceiling got wet and caved into your house
Posted on 8/30/23 at 2:33 pm to idlewatcher
quote:
I had a backed up line that ruined my ceiling recently while I was out of town AC guy said during the heat this summer, the AC will produce about a gallon of condensate per hour. I was pretty shocked that it was that much.
A properly operating HVAC should remove 3 to 4 pounds of condensate water per ton per hour. So, for example, a 4-ton unit could be removing 12 to 16 pounds of water an hour, and since a gallon of water weighs roughly 8 lbs, about 1.5 to 2 gallons an hour for a 4-ton unit.
(This bit of info I got from HVAC-Talk AOP forum from a retired engineer who designed whole house de-humidifiers for Aprilaire and posts answers for homeowners on the website; all the HVAC techs that post on the site defer to him on all matters associated with humidity control/removal as he is a legitimate expert on the topic).
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