Central Air Condensation Drain

[Mike]

Central air conditioning system was installed about 18 months ago. While under my house today (crawl space) I noticed that the drain for the a/c is connected to the drain pipe for the washing machine. We recently got a new washing machine that must have a stronger pump than the old one because now water from the washer is going back up the a/c drain tube. Can the drain from the a/c be disconnected from the washer drain pipe (use a plug on the pipe) and have the a/c drain onto the ground in the crawl space?

[Nexus7]

Don't know where you are, but if it gets cold, a hose exposed to the elements could freeze. Can you reposition the connection of the condensate drain to the washer drain, so that the flow of washing water doesn't go towards the a/c?

Have you checked whether the washer drain is blocked or the drain is not sized adequately, causing pressure in the line and back-flow to the a/c?

[Mike]

Washer drain pipe was resized with new washing machine primarily because of the power of the pump. Would there be enought condensation in the winter to be concerned about freezing. The a/c and furnace are on the main level of the house and the condensation drain is approx. 3 feet long from the a/c pan to the washer drain pipe. I guess my question is: Is there enough condensation in a low humidity climate (Utah) to be concerned about draining to a pail in the crawl space ?

[Nexus7]

Does it get below freezing there? It does for sure in Chicago, but the installer still said it'd be OK to run the hose for the condensate through the wall and draining onto the patio. The heat from the furnace will keep it from freezing, I suppose. I, however, ran a line to my plumbing drain.

The condensate is from the combustion of the gas (assuming you have a condensing furnace, which the 90+% AFUE ones are). It wouldn't depend on the humidity of the air, but how much gas you burn, that is, how cold it gets.

How far does the washer drain go? If a few feet, you can extend the condensate hose to that point.

[MLD]

Yes, if the drain is strictly AC condensate, than there should be no problem letting it drain wherever. You don't use it in the winter so freezing is not an issue. My A/C drain is piped outside and there has never been a problem. MLD

[CJT]

He said it's the A/C drain.

[CJT]

But route it where the sound/sight of dripping water won't be annoying.

[Stormin Mormon]

AC condensation is just water, with a trace of dust. So, yes, it can be poured into the ground. Will raise the humidity under the house.

[mwlogs]

But as mentioned, it can be a good bit of water - and water can do a lot of damage if dumped in the wrong place, including mold, rot, bug and insect infestation (termites need water to build their tunnels, and mosquitoes will breed indoors!).

When I first installed my A/C I drained it into a 5gal bucket until I could get the materials to get to the basement floor drain. It filled the bucket after about half a day. Of course humidity levels very, but even so, a gallon of water a day in the wrong place is too much.

Find a solution to the drainage problem or route the drain to another suitable location where the water will be drained away from the home.

[sylvan butler]

Yeah, and to make it worse, the higher the humidity the more condensate, and the higher the humidity the more critical it is to keep any water away from the "wrong place".

They sell condensate pumps. Easy, but not what I would call "cheap" and I find them utterly unreliable. I cannot count the times a failed pump has flooded my utility room in the past 10 years.

I'm currrently draining into a dry sump pit. This requires a PVC pipe laid almost flat across about 6ft of floor. Works great. The ground absorbs the water faster than the A.C. condenses it out. (Fill the pit with water while the A.C. is running, the pit is empty in 30m or so.)

sdb

[Dottie]

My ac condensation tube runs out into a flower bed. I live in FL where there is high humidity but there is not a great deal of water coming out of there. It probably wouldn't cause any problem to let it drain into the crawl space ... I never heard of one of those drains connecting to a washer drain. Sounds like somebody messed up.