new heater question. drip

[Znott]

So, I had an old heater/air conditioner for the 27 yr old home and just had it replaced with a new unit. So, I just noticed a puddle forming on the concrete over the past few months in the same area where the air conditioner pumps out water. Anyway, the air conditioner hasn't been on this year at all and the new heater appears to be pumping out some water as the drip tube that exits out of the house is dripping about 1 drop every 1 to 2 seconds.

Is this normal? It's annoying and it looks like it's going to ruin the foundation over the next several years.

[terry]

Heaters don't normally drip; unless they are hot water operated and faulty. Air conditioners (and dehumidifiers) reduce the temp of the air which is naturally going to remove the moisture from it! That cooling and humidification, using electricity, is part of the process's of making hot humid air more comfortable for humans. The removed or left over moisture/water has got to drain somewhere and all A/C installations should be designed to have means of disposing it! Not just have it drip somewhere inconvenient or damaging! Can it be directed into a roof gutter ground drain or onto a grassy area or flower bed? In hot humid weather if the AC is doing its job there will be quite a lot of it. Each human body, alone, quite apart from other sources of moisture within a residence, for example, breathes out etc. a considerable amount of humidity each 24 hours.

[fpbear]

does this heating unit have a de-humidifier?

[Mark]

Is the new unit high efficiency? I thought these would generate mostly moisture the vents thru PVC pipe. Mine has a drain line on the outlet side that I assumed was to drain the moisture that formed in the pipe during operation. It connects to the same drain line the A/C uses, but I don't know how much water actually drains since it goes into the floor drain far enough I don't get any puddle on the floor.

[David L. Martel]

Jack,

The heater may not be making this moisture but you clearly have moisture. If you have a crawl space or basement I'd start looking for signs of water. You indicate that there is a water pump on your air conditioner so I'd look there and then follow the the moisture to the source.

Dave M.

[ransley]

Is it a high effeciency condensing unit where the drain comes out the furnace, its the same one for the AC coil, they drip. Mine drips but it goes into a drain in the basement so it wont freeze out side during the winter and stop my furnace from working, or just make a big ice pile.