On of our high-efficiency furnaces has its condensate pipe draining directly to a patch of dirt in the far corner of our crawl space (the rest of the crawl space floor is covered in black plastic).
The furnace itself is small (it heats only the kitchen and a guest room above it) and the condensate which drips out slowly seems to get absorbed immediately into the ground -- there is no pooling and only maybe a 12inch diameter area of moist soil. There are no wood columns near any of the moist dirt.
Is it ok to leave the situation this way or should I extend the pipe back from the far end of the crawl space to the regular basement where I can then drain it into a proper drain?
The reason I ask is that the crawl space is tight so it would be a PITA to run properly sloped rigid pipe there. Also, the current drainage area is about 40 feet from the actual basement opening so I'm afraid that it might be a bit far for a standard condensate pump.
Could one even argue that in the winter (which is when the furnace runs), it is not even that bad to have a little moisture in the crawl space/basement since the air is so dry then anyway (vs. the summer when the basement and crawl space require a dehumidifier).
Note that the other 2 (larger) furnaces in the home are located in the basement proper and are properly drained by a condensate pump.
Please advise... Thanks, Jeff