furnace condensation (?) hoses

[Nate Nagel]

Hi all,

got a Ruud "90 plus" furnace, a little over 10 years old, recently retro'd with A/C. Came home this PM and was disappointed to see that the floor in my basement was slightly damp, even after my recent escapades with regrading the side yard. (I was checking because it rained today for the first time in a while, and I wanted to make sure I didn't have an issue.) Anyway, the dampness seems to be coming from

*INSIDE* the furnace; there are two hoses in the bottom section of the furnace that I am guessing have to do with draining condensation (they attach to a small black plastic thing inside the case which is also connected to the PVC pipe going to the condensate pump.) They're completely rotted and crack at the slightest touch. So, I ASSume they need replacement.

Question is, do these need to be any special kind of hose? They appear to be standard black rubber, 1/2" i.d. and I was figuring on going to the Despot and getting some of that clear stuff in a similar size, just so I don't have to turn the furnace off to get this cleared up. However, is this a permanent fix, or should something else be used? The "real" appliance repair shop isn't open after 5 PM and the odds of me getting home before then are about nil.

thanks,

nate

[ransley]

Im no furnace pro but maybe the problem is inside under the AC coil , such as a clogged drain hole, or something improperly done at the retrofit. Mold can block things up

[Nate Nagel]

No, the hoses are definitely the issue, they're just shot. I've already replaced them with the braid-reinforced clear vinyl (couldn't find plain

1/2" i.d. vinyl,) just curious if this is somehow unsuitable for a permanent repair. I'm waiting for the furnace to cycle off so I can pull the covers again and see if any of them are exposed to unusually high temps. I suspect that they had to be disturbed to do wiring connections etc. as they are close to the circuit board enclosure and that caused them to start leaking. I'm a little annoyed that this wasn't noticed and mentioned to me during the install, but only a little

- it's understandable that someone might not have been looking too closely, esp. on a furnace that is only 12-13 years old.

nate

[EXT]

My furnace uses clear vinyl tubes to drain condensate.

[Nate Nagel]

Thanks for the reply, I popped the covers immediately after the furnace cycled off and the hoses didn't feel particularly hot, I'll consider it done (see my other post, I used clear vinyl with the internal braid only because HD was out of the plain vinyl. Also used real hose clamps as the vinyl is a lot stiffer than the old rubber hoses.)

thanks,

nate

EXT wrote:

[Stormin Mormon]

The condensate is somewhat acidic, as I've heard it. Vinyl should do the job well, it's reasonably chemical resistant. I'd check it in a couple months to be certain. But, the condensate hoses typically don't take much heat.