Heat Pump Hvac Condensate Drain Line Design

Condensate switches imc 307 2 3 states that all hvac equipment that produces condensate must have either a secondary drain line or a condensate overflow switch a secondary drain pan with a secondary drain line or condensate switch or some combination of these installations should be used to prevent overflow if the primary drain line blocks.

Heat pump hvac condensate drain line design.

With no overflow safety switch no clean out and no vent one is just asking for several thousand dollars of damage due to condensate water backing up and overflowing the cooling coil drain pan flooding out this interior furnace closet. Plumbing code citation for installation of air conditioning condensate drain piping. Its job is to efficiently funnel condensation away from your hvac unit. Carson dunlop associates sketches left illustrate both acceptable and not recommended locations for the discharge of an air conditioner or heat pump condensate drain line discharge.

Little giant condensate pump. Just pour a cup of bleach in the drain line s access opening near the indoor air conditioning unit. Over time it can become trapped in your condensate drain line causing blockage. Signs the ac drain line is clogged.

If the condensate drain line is clogged you will need to use a wet dry vacuum or a special pump to unclog the line. This will kill any algae mold or mildew that has formed in the pipe. Build up of this debris can be carried off as condensate drains from the coil. The growth can clog the drip pan or even rinse into the condensate drain lines causing a clog in the piping.

Uniform mechanical code section 310 0 310 1 condensate disposal. Clear condensate line clogs. It can air lock because there is no vent after the trap. It connects directly to the hvac unit and leads outdoors often through an exterior wall.

This is commonly seen in residential and commercial sites where no floor drains were provisioned to drain condensate. If you spot any of the tell tale signs of a condensate line or drip pan clog the average homeowner is more than capable of clearing simple clogs if confident. Condensate lines are typically made of plastic commonly pvc or sometimes metal although plastic is prefered. Why would a condensate pump line into a drain be a problem when the pump has a check valve which allows no back leakage of gas or water and if the drain ever clogged it would back up either way anyhow.

Questions why it s not advisable to pump condensate into a sewer drain mar 16 2014 anonymous said. As indoor air circulates through the evaporator coil dust dirt and other airborne particles can be trapped by moisture. The piping from the cooling coil to the condensate pump reservoir should be installed with minimum 1 8 inch slope to enable gravity flow. No trap clean out no vent.