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Ac drain line diagram12/8/2023 ![]() If you have water pouring from your ceiling, the leak could be from a clog in your plumbing system or it could be your HVAC condensate drain overflowing because it is stopped up. Older homes may have HVAC condensate drains that drain to the outside. It is easy for homeowners to maintain an HVAC condensate drain by pouring vinegar down the drain on a quarterly basis. If you are in an older home, a plumbing clog in the house won’t affect the condensate drain, but the condensate drain is still at risk of clogs too if not regularly maintained. Sinks or other drains that are not used often are at particular risk of causing these problems. If you have a slow-draining sink or other drain anywhere in the home and your home’s HVAC system is tied into your plumbing system, it can cause problems in the form of water leaking where it shouldn’t be when water backs up through the system. If the drain is in your bathroom sink, you can remove the p-trap (curved pipe underneath the sink) to clean out any clogs pretty easily. If you have a slow drain anywhere in the house, fix it or have it fixed right away. Skip harsh chemical-based drain clearing products, like Drano or Liquid Plumr, which can damage fixtures and pipes and is dangerous to people and the environment. Plumbers often recommend regular maintenance by adding a biological/enzymatic cleaner that can organically remove sludge, algae, slime, and gunk. It pays to be vigilant when it comes to keeping your home drain lines clear of clogs. Maintaining drains and your home’s HVAC system Whether your HVAC system is tied to your plumbing or not, when drains get clogged, they are a messy business. ![]() They may have a separate exit point from the home. In older homes, condensate lines located in the attic where the evaporator coil is busy removing humidity and cooling the air with refrigerant-charged lines are not tied to a home’s plumbing system. The trap in the bathroom sink also prevents the sewer gasses from coming into your home and into your air conditioning system. ![]() The thinking is that any water that is collected by the condensate drain can be swiftly and efficiently drained out of the home through progressively larger pipes as it exits your home through the sewer line. Typically, those 3/4″ pipes are plumbed into a bathroom sink’s drain that is on average 1-1/4″ or 1-1/2″ in diameter. In new homes, city codes require drain lines from the air conditioner’s condensate line which are often located in the attic to tie in or be plumbed to the home’s plumbing system. More than likely the owner wanted to avoid excessive septic cleaning/pumping.In newer homes, HVAC condensate drains are tied most often to bathroom drains.Ĭommon drain lines inside your home include in your bathrooms (sinks, shower or tub, toilet), kitchen (sink, water line to your freezer), laundry room, and water heater. ![]() Routing condensate lines to the septic tank is acceptable. The property in question above was on a septic system rather than city sewer. Picture shows condensate drain discharging to the exterior of the house and pooling water While keeping your foundation moist is a good idea, you do not want isolated water pools at any time. The condensate pooled up at the foundation of the house. On one home inspection that I performed, I came across a condensate drain line that discharged onto the ground directly outside the wall. The illustration below shows acceptable condensate drain tie in locations. Condensate should never drain into any vent stack. The discharge location should ideally be tied into an existing bathroom or kitchen drain. The piping should be sloped to allow gravity to drain the condensate from the pipe, unless a condensate pump is used. Whichever piping material is used, it should be no less than 3/4″ Nominal Pipe Size, and should not change size throughout the length of the pipe. PVC piping is the most common material, but cast iron, galvanized steel, copper, polybutylene, polyethylene, ABS, and CPVC piping can also be used. The best place for this condensation to go is the city sewer system. Condensation is produced by your HVAC system as it removes humidity from the air as it is conditioned. Your HVAC System can produce up to 80 gallons of condensate per day. During a Professional Home Inspection performed by Blue Star Real Estate Inspections, one of the items checked is the HVAC condensate drain.
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