Condensate line looks wonky

Morrison

Please forgive my ignorance. Not even sure I’m posting this in the right category. Just moved in to a new house and noticed the HVAC (AC in this case) isn’t really impacting humidity levels. When I saw this in the basement I wondered if it might be the reason why. Or maybe I need a dedicated dehumidifier installed...

Anyway the line from the condensate pump to the drain pipe(?) is badly kinked and looped multiple times. My question: Is this essentially rendering my condensate pump useless?

Thanks for your time!

ChrisJ

I don't know if it's rendering it useless, depends on how restricted the line is.

But if it was mine I'd be redoing it. If you're going to use hose like that get new and run it fairly straight and no loops. You can also do 3/4" PVC.

ethicalpaul

That is insane. I'd be wondering where the water is going

JUGHNE

If the hose is pinched shut then the pump should just over flow onto the floor. However, if the two little wires that typically just hang out the side of the pump going nowhere, are connected to the AC circuit the overflow switch might be shutting your outside unit off until the water squeaks thru the pinched hose.

mattmia2

My dishwasher was like that when I bought the house...

bio_guy

For me, that unreinforced vinyl tubing is destined to collapse sooner or later. If it is hanging, it puts the right kind of stress on it to promote collapse. If it carries weight from above, a little compression, it puts the right kind of stress on it to promote collapse. Curves put the right kind of stress on it to promote collapse.

I think corrugated tubing is better, but my bias is that it clogs more easily because junk can get hung up in it and it has a higher surface area for biofilms. Since you can get to it, yea, PVC, no excuse.

I'd be just as concerned with the nature of the insulation. In a raised home in a humid environment, there would be condensed water dripping off the joists. They are great thermal bridges to the cooler living space if it is cooler. If the basement is below that dew point, you got mold problems because the moisture is high. I'd check that out before they get fuzzy. Of course, if you want to do or store things down there, a dehumidifier might be a good idea, but try to cut off ingress as much as you can. What are the "stripes" that I can see on the joists, something holding the fiberglass in place?

Are you in a radon zone and was your house checked for that as part of the sale?

mattmia2

There was wood lath and plaster on the bottom of those joists for some reason at some point in the past.

Morrison

Yeah I’m not a fan of the insulation either and I’m considering getting it all taken out. Although I don’t want to think about how much that might cost. (I also don’t like thinking about tiny glass shards raining down from above as the insulation ages. It would be nice to have the basement be human friendly.) In the meantime I’m installing a Sylvane Santa Fe dehumidifier to hopefully prevent any significant mold growth.

The radon numbers were good. We also have a radon mitigation system which is just out of frame on the first photo, on the right.

There is a janky looking board propped underneath the vinyl tubing which I guess counts as a “support” but it’s not great. I appreciate your thoughts on this and everyone’s feedback so far.

unclejohn

That tube comes in 100' rolls and is very inexpensive. Although it cuts very easily that gentleman decided since you paid for a 100' your getting a 100'.