Heat Pump Hvac Condensate Drain Line Design

Plumbing code citation for installation of air conditioning condensate drain piping.

Heat pump hvac condensate drain line design.

Just pour a cup of bleach in the drain line s access opening near the indoor air conditioning unit. It connects directly to the hvac unit and leads outdoors often through an exterior wall. Clear condensate line clogs. This will kill any algae mold or mildew that has formed in the pipe.

No trap clean out no vent. 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. Uniform mechanical code section 310 0 310 1 condensate disposal. Over time it can become trapped in your condensate drain line causing blockage.

The growth can clog the drip pan or even rinse into the condensate drain lines causing a clog in the piping. As indoor air circulates through the evaporator coil dust dirt and other airborne particles can be trapped by moisture. 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. Signs the ac drain line is clogged.

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. 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. Condensate lines are typically made of plastic commonly pvc or sometimes metal although plastic is prefered. The piping from the cooling coil to the condensate pump reservoir should be installed with minimum 1 8 inch slope to enable gravity flow.

This is commonly seen in residential and commercial sites where no floor drains were provisioned to drain condensate. Its job is to efficiently funnel condensation away from your hvac unit. 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. Condensate pumps shall be used where gravity drains are impossible to install.

This drain deserves an f. If the condensate drain line is clogged you will need to use a wet dry vacuum or a special pump to unclog the line. Little giant condensate pump. Build up of this debris can be carried off as condensate drains from the coil.