Most durable flexible vinyl tubing and condensate pump?...

wcweaver3

Hi All,
My HVAC company is recommending a condensate pump to drain water from my 2nd floor Unico AC unit. The original drainage PVC pipe runs behind a knee wall and on top of my living room ceiling. The pipe shattered causing a flood of water to pour out all over my living room causing all kinds of damage (which is being fixed).

The current PVC pipe runs 18' behind a knee wall - for the first 9', the current PVC pipe has an appropriate pitch, but because there is an intervening window, the original installers elected to run the remaining 9' of PVC pipe flat along the rest of the floor behind the knee wall and then out of the house. The suspicion is that at some point, the pipe had water in it over the winter, it froze and shattered the pipe. I've gone around and around with the HVAC company and there just isn't any option at all to create a PVC pipe system that drains well via gravity for my system. The system seems to be putting out about a gallon an hour on hot, humid days. This is only an AC system - the heater is a totally separate hot water radiator system.

That leaves me with the condensate pump option. I want this new system to be pretty much bullet proof as I never want to do this again. Can anyone offer any recommendations as the most durable flexible vinyl drain tubing and the most durable condensate pump brand?

Thanks much!!!

pecmsg

How did the pipe Shatter?
probably not pitched properly. 

I will always use gravity over a pump that will fail in one or two years. 

wcweaver3

Because there was no gravity feed, water pooled in the pipe over the winter, froze and shattered the pipe. Here is a picture. I also prefer a gravity feed but unless I want to run the pipe in the room, across the interior wall and in front of window, my only choice is a pump. Do you have a recommendation as to the most durable pump brand and most durable flexible vinyl tubing?

hot_rod

The clear vinyl hose you see at hardware and box stores is inexpensive and works fine for this application 

This brand is sold by the condensate pump manufacturer 

you can get a pump with an alarm contact that could via a relay turn iff the AC to prevent a flood

Those small condensate pumps probably are not designed for 20 year service, probably all come out if some factory in China

mattmia2

You're going to need to drain the water out of the tank for the condensate pump and the tubing in winter. If you can't make it drain by gravity it will require attention.

clammy

Your pvc drain pipe was it thin wall,or sch 40 pvc ,personally I ve never seen sch 40 pvc split unlesss not properly supported or pitched and sagging and holding water . I ve seen plenty of the thin wall pvc that’ some hvac companies do exactly what has happened to you. This is why I always use sch 40 pvc . As for condensate pumps and vinyl tubing I’m biased being I ve found that especially when used w condensing equipment that the tubings wall get crappy and it usually starts to sort of cave ins so many years ago I switched and started using 3/8 pex ,it seems to stay round after more then 10 years and is unaffected by the ph of whatever type of fluid is being pumped through it unlike most of the un re enforced vinyl tubing . I find even deposit 3/8 pex is better and cheaper than the reenforced vinyl tubing. Which is what I use on mini splits being the corrugated drain tubing w the ridges is excellent on building up slime and getting clogged .
Possibly your ac contractor should use a level be sure the drain pitched properly and supported is the blown clear every season? and possible insulate the line if it’s running long distances in un condition spaces to prevent it from sweating durning the cooling season. As hard as it is to believe it’s nearly impossible to have a hvac contractor use Unions on each side of the trap and drain assembly it a cost they will not spend but it amazes me on how can you blow out and clear a drain line with out discounting the trap must be magic . . I install pvc unions on every ac system I ve installed to ease yearly removal ,inspection and blowing clear the condensate line . Also adding anti batercial tablets to the drain pan which usually lessons the chances of drain blockages . I also install a vent tee after my trap to break any vacuum and help the condensate line drain
As I get older I see more and more of less or no proper maintaince on equipment I think it’s not being a salesman and not hounding the customer to do service if there not interested and see no value or thinks its not needed that’s fine just call me when it blows up I make more money that way plus finally doing proper maintance on something 20 years does
not make it new it’s still 20 years old and now a days a 20 years old unit is ancient and everybody gonna pull the doom and gloom and can’t touch it no responsibility dealo and
want to replace in a lot of scenarios its 100% true .
Peace and good luck clammy

Mad Dog_2

Little Giant...Mad Dog 🐕 

JUGHNE

Instead of unions, I use a short piece of clear vinyl that will fit over the PVC.

It is a very tight fit and you have to chamfer the PVC and a little wire lube, SS clamps secure it in place.

This also gives a visual of cond flow and how clean the drain system is.

A 5" length is good right at an A coil to get the slope for complete drainage.
I get Sch 80 threaded nipples, cut them in half and screw that half into the coil drain pan fitting and attach the vinyl.
This avoids a failed fitting right at the drain pan that can be difficult to resolve.

I might use a couple of these joints so sections can be taken outside for flushing.

Eventually the vinyl becomes to discolored to view the flow and I simply replace it.

jumper

Back in eighties I used garden hose. Your problem began with pump that fills tube completely. It should have been set up so that tube siphons when pump is off. How often do we see that in real life?
Code required trap often thwarts ability to gravity drain. If I won't be caught I just drain to outside. Those who worry about sucking air can install a little flap at exit.

wcweaver3

Thank you everyone for the very useful comments and recommendations. Looks like I have a solution with my HVAC company, so I will close the discussion.

109A_5

Hello wcweaver3,

Where are they going to put the pump in your situation where the water can't puddle in a hose or pipe and then freeze, think about it ??? Is the whole pump / drain system being relocated to an environment that can't freeze ? Just because you are pushing or pulling the water along does mean it still can't puddle and then freeze. And I doubt a condensate pump will evacuate the drain hose of all water. And if the pump retains any water and freezes it probably destroy it.

IMO you need a drain system that won't be damaged by freezing water, as I illustrated in the other post. Also Silicone tubing is pretty elastic, but more expensive than Vinyl. Water expands about 9% when it freezes.

So many posts for the same basic issue, the time line is confusing as to what resolution is actually being attempted.