Plumbers, PVC Masters, HVAC-know-it-somethings, get in here!!

[Alex Kenivel]

Let's say I have a PVC pipe that is supposed to drain condensation runoff from my furnace and it doesn't do its job. Is there some sort of inline pump that I can install to have the water drain without needing to go out and pump it myself?

Context: some idiot installed our heating furnace in an our attic crawlspace some 14 years ago and the runoff drips down into drywall and insulation. I just got the induction motor replaced for a thousand dollars and they tell me the drainage pipe is pitched upwards causing the water to pool up into the system and onto everything below.

Before syphoning out:

After syphoning out:

 

[la szum]

Sorry, but that is awful---especially being above you like that. I repaired a
similar shit install a few years ago and just re-piped the entire thing so it drained
properly. That's the proper fix, but it sounds/looks like that would involve chasing
that PVC and not something you want to do.

 

[la szum]

Does it drain to the outdoors through a doorwall, or is it tied into a vent-pipe from
your plumbing and drains that way? Or do you not know?

 

[la szum]

Paging @the swede . You make house-calls stateside??

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Does it drain to the outdoors through a doorwall, or is it tied into a vent-pipe from
your plumbing and drains that way? Or do you not know?

It runs above my son's room and out through the wall into my backyard

My ghetto syphon attached to the bottom

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Sorry, but that is awful---especially being above you like that. I repaired a
similar s**t install a few years ago and just re-piped the entire thing so it drained
properly. That's the proper fix, but it sounds/looks like that would involve chasing
that PVC and not something you want to do.

Yeah I've been trying to track down any shred of paperwork in regards to whoever put the furnace up there but the only person who knows anything is my father in law and he's forgetting things left and right.

Right when I moved in there was a lot of repair work happening around the house and somebody decided to tie off that runoff pipe because it was Dripping onto them. Needless to say that backed up and ran all the way down the wall doing some electrical damage and we had to redo the walls.

A plumber I just talked to said they'd probably just repipe it the right way, maybe lead the pipe elsewhere.

Im still hoping for an option where I can spend under $500 for a pump and a timer lol

 

[la szum]

Man, I hate to say it, but re-piping it properly is the best solution. If you install an
inline pump its just complicating things and really only a temporary fix that doesn't
address the real problem.

 

[la szum]

Since it is not a pressurized line and just a drain---if you can chase that PVC and pull back boards
and insulation in the attic you could DIY.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Looks like the new inducer motor just drowned so i might have bigger problems

 

[la szum]

Fuck, dude. What a shitshow. Sorry. If I was closer I'd help you get that
straightened out. I know you know it, but that condensate pipe needs to be
rerun ASAP!

 

[la szum]

Just a stop gap..... but if you have a water source where that siphon line you attached
to the condensate drain in your backyard is (even a 5 gallon bucket of water!) then get
some suction going and stick the end directly into the water and it should maintain a
vacuum and keep that condensate flowing into the bucket. That line has to be submerged
in water to do it, though.

 

[the-trooper]

Maybe a stupid question, but can't you just hack of this part by a centimeter, push the pipe up and jam something underneath it?

 

[JiveTurkey]

I hate this thread. Ugh! Mojo sent Alex!

 

[DrewJD82]

Ugh, that’s not an ideal spot.

I deal with condensate drain line issues daily at work. You could put a 90 degree PVC pipe on that pipe coming out of the unit, drop it into a condensate pump and then shove the condensate pump tube down the line exiting the wall, once the pump fills up with water it activates a floatswitch that’ll push the water out. That looks like a pretty tight space to work in though.

I can’t remember all the physics surrounding a p-trap, but I’m curious if that would help out just by dropping the the water down instead of straight across, but you’d have to re-drill through the wall for the PVC to exit to the other side, without seeing how much room is actually there it’s tough to gauge.

I’m thinking the condensate pump would be your best bet, but I’d definitely check with a tech first. They’re only about $75 and as long as you clean them out or drop some AC tablets in them, they stay functional for quite a while.

 

[Bruce]

I hate this thread. Ugh! Mojo sent Alex!

Same. Our home is 122 years old and I’m always waiting for yet another shoe to drop.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Maybe a stupid question, but can't you just hack of this part by a centimeter, push the pipe up and jam something underneath it?
View attachment 2975

Hmm, that's something to think about, only that's part of the heating unit itself and I don't really want to modify that part of it if I can help it.

 

[jay mitchell]

The primary rule of plumbing is: water runs downhill. If the line is not blocked and has downhill slope along its entire length, it will drain.

The plumbers who ran the condensate drain lines from our air handlers when the house was being built apparently hadn't gotten the memo. Fortunately, we caught it right away becase the overflow soaked through and stained our upstairs ceiling, and the builder had to fix everything under warranty.

 

[paisleywookiee]

This is the most dad post ever on a forum. I hope you're all wearing New Balance crosstrainers, khakis, and a polo shirt.

 

[the-trooper]

that's part of the heating unit itself and I don't really want to modify that part of it if I can help it.

Are these two the same pipe?

I ask because it's hard to tell what's going on by the photo and what the black space is, but if they are the same, can you take out what ever is holding it up by this distance and pull it down?

EDIT: Oh, just saw that "runs above my son's room and out through the wall into my backyard". So maybe the same pipe, but it runs thorough the house, so pulling it down a bit on the outside wall probably wouldn't help.
Doesn't hurt to try though, if possible.

 

[DrewJD82]

The primary rule of plumbing is: water runs downhill. If the line is not blocked and has downhill slope along its entire length, it will drain.

The plumbers who ran the condensate drain lines from our air handlers when the house was being built apparently hadn't gotten the memo. Fortunately, we caught it right away becase the overflow soaked through and stained our upstairs ceiling, and the builder had to fix everything under warranty.

For plumbing/gravity-dependent designs, sure, but with AC sh*t it starts getting funky because a lot of it is based off pressure within the air handler; case in point, we just had a unit replaced a few months ago and immediately after it started backing up with water, despite everything being perfectly level and/or pitched, turns out this unit requires a 3” drain line leaving the unit because of the design/size of the unit accumulating too much water for a standard 3/4” drain line to keep up with. And there’s a bunch of ‘rules’ around p-traps and where they need to be placed, not using more than one and a bunch of other stuff I forgot from my HVAC class.