How to Clean Out a Condensate Pump
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- Check out a non-contact tester here: amzn.to/2USutpK
And another one here: amzn.to/3imceB8
In this video I will show you how to do maintenance on a condensate pump by cleaning it out. This video features a Little Giant pump. 
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Thank you as a single woman you were very helpful and you took your time and explained it. Thank you so much.
No problem. Glad I could help!
5:25 Thank you so much for this video. I just bought this house and the furnace and air conditioner is approximately 30 yrs old. This pump was a mess and the tubing also. I did what you said and it runs like a charm. This also took care of a bad musty odor. You got yourself a like and a new subscriber.
Thank you for the like and the subscribe! Glad I could help!
Thank you so much! I don’t think the previous home owner EVER cleaned this in the 10 years they owned the home. Just cleaned mine out and it was filled to the top with mold and a clay like substance. Works like brand new, now! You are the man!!!
I'd say most people don't realize it needs done. Glad I could help and you're welcome!
Just saved me $100 on a service call!! Thank you sir!
No problem, glad to help!
@@fixitFlip so what does it mean if my drain pan is still filling with water even after I cleaned the condenser?
Dude! You just saved me a $500 visit from the A/C guy, plus the cost of a new pump that only needed a little maintenance. Rock on, Sir Fixer of the Flip! You have a new subscriber.
Right on! I'm all about getting things done yourself and saving some cash. Nice work and welcome aboard!
Saved me a call to my HVAC company right in the middle of a snow storm. Thank you!
No problem, glad I could help!
Thanks a million. Worked like a charm. Saved me $$$$ on a trip to the Big Box hardware store. I'm happy. The wife is happy. The wallet is even happier
Awesome. Making people happy makes me happy! You're welcome.
I watched your video after my condensation water pump failed. I took it apart and found the sludge. Yuck. It covered the float and the side walls. This pump is dated 01/05.
After hosing the sludge off of everything and then scubbing with Dawn liquid soap. I took the housing off the "impeller" and cleaned it out.
I put it all back together and wired it up. I filled the tank and turned the ac back on. It worked !!!
I recommend cleaning the water pump every couple of years, I will now😅
That's great! Love hearing stories like this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks a ton. I am a new immigrant in Canada, who is completely new to all these furnace and stuff.
I had the same problem and fixed it myself after watching ur video.
Thanks you so much.
No problem and glad I could help!
Thank you! This was very clear and easy to follow. I am horrified that no one ever told me to check this - not the company that installed it nor the HVAC guy I had come in to check things when it overflowed. So, nine years later, I have learned something new!
No problem and glad I could help you learn this!
YOU ARE SO AWESOME, SMART, GENEROUS and HELPFUL
Wow, thank you for the kind words!
Thank you !!! My pump is hard wired - I will be cleaning it today. Love the vinegar tip !!
No problem, glad I could help!
Thank you so much. When I went to add the vinegar to my pump, I discovered that my son-in-law had forgotten to replace the little plugs which allowed debris to get into the pump reservoir. That is why the line got clogged and caused an overflow of water on my carpet. Please stress in your next video the importance of keeping those plugs in place. Thank you again for solving my problem.
Glad I could help.
Thank you! This was so straightforward and simple even I was able to do this. You definitely saved a lot of people some money!
No problem. And that's what I'm hoping to do! We all need ways to save money these days!
I have a high efficiency furnace. My condensation pump is running longer than normal.
How fast should the water be coming out of the tube? The tube that goes into the sum pump.
Great video. This will be very helpful when I have to clean my pump in a few weeks.
Thank you! Good luck with the project.
Loved the video because it's just like my model and the vinegar funnel water trick is helpful.
Glad I could help!
Perfectly explained. Thank you!
You're welcome!
Congrats on 20K!
Thank you!
Thanks! I wasn't sure if I was approaching this correctly, but you validated everything I was doing. Still looking to see if there is or should be any kind of filter in this system. Also my condensate pump has a tray for some tablets that I assume act like the vinegar to keep it running clean.
Excellent video. Answered all my questions.
Thanks. Glad I could help.
Step by step easy instructions. Thank you
No problem!
EXCELLENT VIDEO & NICE WORK TOO ! THANK YOU MY FRIEND , I AM GOING TO MY BASEMENT TO DO THIS , CAUSE MY HEATER IS NOT RUNNING BECAUSE MY PUMP IS CLOGGED ? THANKS AGAIN & STAY BLESSED !
You're welcome and you stay blessed as well!
Was about to hit buy on a new pump.. Then I came across this. Thank you!
No problem. Glad I could help save you some cash!
Very simple looking. Replaced my pump a few years back because it was so noisy. New one is much quieter, but I wasn't sure on how to proceed with cleaning it
Yep it's pretty easy.
I dont have a pump still a great movie bro 👌
Thank you.
Thank you for this, helped so much!!
No problem, glad I could help
This was super helpful. Thanks!
No problem, glad I could help.
Thank you for this video.
No problem!
Excellent video
Thank you!
My furnace was installed 6 years ago, and I don't ever remember seeing my pump cleaned out during annual contract maintenance. I have been told to add vinegar and water, but never why. In the past 4 days, my furnace will not start up because of pressure switch (3 blinking red lights) malfunction. I did some googling, and found how to reboot the system by turning off the power for 20 seconds and reboot it, and it's good to go for about 18 hours, then it starts all over again. When I disconnect the drain line from the lower pressure switch, about 2 tbsp of water will come out. When I add vinegar to the disconnected drain line, it backs up real quick. Tomorrow, I'm going to do as you demonstrated in your video, and hopefully everything will be work out. Being on a fixed income, your fix might save me the cost of an HVAC service call. Just had my annual tune up in Oct.
Hopefully cleaning out the pump helps. They can get pretty grimy in there!
I have been replacing this every 3 years. I didn’t know I was supposed to clean it. 😂 oh well.. now I know
Better late than never, ha ha!
Nice thank you! i wish you could have a focus shot on the floating device, ours keeps running continuously and im suspecting its dirty.
It's the part I am holding at the 3:39 mark of the video!
Good job! Good camera work. Clear narration. Consider doing professional training videos?
My pump looked like the slime from ghostbusters. Im not kidding! Cleaned it. Motor was frozen. Broke it loose, works fine. Saved $100.
Glad you got it freed up and working. Thanks for the kind words. I have never thought about doing professional videos but maybe I should.
Thank you, second time watching this video!
No problem, glad I could help!
Great vid, appreciate the help!
Thanks and glad I could help.
Thank you, extremely helpful. At the end I will pour the vinegar and water in. I'll probably mix it ahead. Should I use white vinegar 50/50 with distilled water?
Just pour about 1/4 to a half cup of distilled white vinegar in the tank and that should do the trick. It won't damage anything, but will smell like vinegar for a little while.
Thank you! You saved me from having to call HVAC people due to tank not draining.
No problem, glad I could help save you some cash!
I noticed my pump will make a loud buzz noise then moments after it will drain normally. What gives with the noise? I've been putting 1/4 cup of vinegar in it monthly also.
Helpful thank you.
No problem.
Thank you!
No problem!
thank you.
You're welcome.
Thank you! Great video! My condensate reservoir tank was all sludgy and slimy (I just moved into this house that is 8 yrs old and I guess the condensate tank was never cleaned), the HVAC maintenance guys just replaced the slimy water with some soapy water and didn't do any cleaning. The transparent discharge tube is dirty and moldy but dry as I haven't used AC for two months. Hope vinegar won't damage the metal parts of the pump if any. I would like to know how to clean the transparent discharge tube as well? Also, where does this moldy water goes? I'm sorry if I'm sounding silly. I'm new to all this and have a severe fear of mold.
A little bit of vinegar here and there won't hurt anything, and it will also help clean the lines. Every house is different, but your water probably gets pumped to a sump pump, then pumped out of the house, or directly out of the house. Just follow the line if you want to see where it takes it. If the lines are too nasty to clean, you can just replace them like I do in my video here: ruclips.net/video/yK0HAeKXils/видео.html
Thank You So Much!
No problem!
Hey Hey so what if the discharge tube is sucking water but stops in the middle like air is inside?
Excellent!
Thank you!
Thank you for this video. The check valve on my Little Giant condensate pump broke at the point that is flush with the plastic top lid. Obviously water shoots out when the pump runs now. What is the best way to remove the portion of the check valve that is below the plastic lid? Also this condensate pump is 22 years old and seems to work fine despite never being cleaned. What is the lifespan of a condensate pump and is it a good idea to replace it after a certain number of years as preventive maintenance. Thank you again.
You have done very well to get a pump to last 22 years! Typically a lot shorter than that. I would have to see the check valve, but there should be a way to get it out. Either take the lid off and get it off from underneath or use a pair of needle nose pliers.
I was wondering...if after a good cleaning of the unit -and- the drain-to-outside line...if pouring maybe a cup of vinegar into the pump tank once a year would suffice for having to do the actual full cleaning job every couple of years? Or maybe every 6 mos even...?
Running a cup of vinegar through it once a year or so helps but I would still do the deep clean from time to time.
Great vid. I got a question. I had tape on one of my safety switch wires that go to furnace. The tape came off. Now not sure which wire is which. If i cross those wires will it still work correctly? Shows you how much i know
Either wire can be connected to either side. Just make power is off when you connect the wires!
My experience is: The pump "on time" should be about 15 seconds to drain the tank. Drain time was about 20 seconds in the video after cleaning. A dirty check valve is a common problem. Clean or replace the check valve as needed. I prefer replacing with a new one. I keep some spare new ones. They are cheap. A wet/dry shop vac is an easy way to suck dirty water out the tank while still mounted to the furnace. My Little Giant pump is still working good after 14 years. :)
Thanks for the tips!
How do you feel about bleach in pumps Lowry?
Put a couple pan tabs in it
Id rather take it off than infect my shopvac with gross mold
Thank you. Saved me a service call $$$$ !!!! Buy yourself some MVIS stock!
No problem. Is that a tip?? lol
Yes. Start reading reddit mvis board. Good luck!
@@reinhardkruger2536 Thank you!
Thanks for the video. Besides periodically using vinegar, what could I do to clean the discharge tubing? It's real gunked in there and I'd love to not have to take it off (could probably require cutting into drywall).
Long wire brush as far as I can get it in there maybe?
@@BenRoth4 Yes, that would work. But the vinegar actually does a pretty good job as well.
Much appreciated! Thx
No problem.
Thanks brother
No problem 👊🏻
I am about to attempt this cleaning! A little nervous about all the electrical stuff. Should I just turn the furnace and all A/C breakers off before I begin? I do not have a non-contact tester.
Yes if you turn the furnace off then flip the breaker off then you should be good to go! I put a link to the tester under the video, though, if you want to be sure!
I normally would pour bleach down it wait a couple of minutes then flush some water down after the bleach breaks things up to help keep the tuning and pump from old debree
Doing that every now and then is a good way to help keep it clean.
Is there anyway to adjust the float level? It wouldn’t get so disgusting if old dirty nasty water got evacuated.
Good video. Mine pump is noisy and vibrating. I suspect the impellor is imbalanced due to the dirt. Have an ideas on how to remove the impellor cover?
I do not, sorry. My old one was doing the same thing and I finally just replaced it with the one in this video.
@@fixitFlipThanks. I just flushed my pump with white vinegar and then some water. Seems to have did the trick, although I'm sure it's only temporary.
Would a clogged and corroded drain pan and pump that isn't leaking cause the AC fan to stop running? I am trying to diagnose why my A/C stopped and whether this could be my issue
Do you have the safety switch wired?
How do you clean out the hose? Our hose that leads to the sink from the condensate pump is super moldy. Its causing mold in our plastic sink as well.
Flush vinegar through the line. Or if it’s too moldy, just replace it.
The video is very straightforward and I can follow it... except I get blocked on my own attempt: the drainage hose feels really stuck, I can't seem to get it detached. I'm afraid if I tug too hard & improperly it will break something. Any thoughts on what I may be doing wrong?
The lines can just get stiff overtime. They lose a little bit of their stretch. Try giving it a little twist as you pull.
@@fixitFlip Thanks Flip! That makes even MORE sense! I appreciate you
@@lizmade2296 No problem!
Could have sealant around it.
Nice
Thanks.
Just one thing I would add, the plastic pipe feeding the pump should be cleaned too because they build up and clog there as well
Good tip! Input always welcome, I'm far from perfect!
I cleaned mine today with a plastic auger, a metal auger, and Dawn soap. Cleaned in around 30 minutes
i have the same pump. My issue is the water reached the max point and it turns off and it doesnt start back up. i will have to empty out the water so it can kick back on. Any susgention to what i should do. So i wobt have to keep emptyibg the water out the pump myself?
Is the float stuck or freely moving?
i will have to disconnect the pump and check, i havent got that far yet.
Hi so I have this pump for my rental property beside the furnace. There’s no drain beside the unit. So the tenant has a buck which fills up in few days. What if I turn this pump off will it do anything. Not sure why this pump is installed
Does the pump drain into the bucket? Or does the furnace drain straight into the bucket?
@@fixitFlip the hose off the pump drains into bucket but it fills up quick in a few days
@@sukhipandher9090 Okay, so it's pumping into the bucket. Yeah, that bucket will definitely need to be dumped out every so often. It should typically pump the condensate water outside or into a sump pump to be pumped outside or down a drain.
Great video but my condensate pump is right on the ground and there’s no way to move it slightly down any further to clear the drain pipe that goes into it. I was thinking of taking a turkey baster and sucking out all the slimy water and replacing it with a mix of water and vinegar. Thoughts?
Can you lift the pipe up and out of the pump? But yes, some vinegar would be better than nothing for sure.
@@fixitFlip No, the drain pipe is glued in at the elbow so it would have to be cut. I figured, at least with a turkey baster, I could suck the sludge out and refill the pump with a mix of water and vinegar until it starts up again.
@@valerie4707 Yes, that would be a cheaper technique then cutting the PVC and having to put a new coupling on. I would suck as much crap out as you can like you were saying, then run some vinegar through it. That's better then nothing. As long as you can free up that float it should help it work better. They should not have installed it like that. Silly.
@@fixitFlip Thank you, and tell me about it! I will be sending a note to have it on file because they never told me to run vinegar through it regularly either. If it fails prematurely, I can maybe get a deal on a replacement. Brutal.
@@valerie4707 Can't hurt to try!
How much vinegar do you want to use half a cup enough or more?
A half a cup would work just fine and you can run that through thee every so often and won't damage anything.
I recently found that my parents have this on their furnace, but they never had it serviced. Both now deceased. What exactly is the function of this device? Thank you kindly!
Sorry for your loss. This pumps out all the condensation that drains from you furnace/AC unit.
@@fixitFlip Thank you kindly
No problem.@@keithp115
Can you add and run diluted borax or baking soda to clean it out instead of vinegar?
I've never tried using either one, sorry!
@@fixitFlip Ok, thanks for the response!
@@esoterico6062 No problem.
No. The grit will damage the pump.
I have a green rheem system and don't see anything like this around it? Is it in the unit?
Not every system comes with one.
@@fixitFlip we have water in our floor return but didn't see a clog in our drainage hose but no water coming out so I.thought that's got to be the problem I used the wet vac but hasn't fixed the problem and when we wet vac water out of the floor return it fills back up instantly.
@@sgt.zombie Sounds like a leak in the system somewhere.
@@fixitFlip ok thank you, any idea what the repair cost should be?
@@sgt.zombie I do not, sorry. I'm just a DIY dude.
Does this pump evaporate water? Like a humidifier?
Nope, just pumps it out.
I just put a new one in after 2 weeks it’s making a loud buzzing noise, what’s going on?
Hmm, that is not normal. Sounds defective to me.
Does it matter that my safety switch wires are not connected to anything? I see that my hvac guy didnt do that.
They do not have to be connected to anything but they should at least be capped off.
Ours is in tight quarters so this'll be fun lol but necessary
Ha ha, yeah definitely not my favorite job either.
Well it turns out my main problem was my hose that goes out the back wall had bent from the guy who cut the grass. It caused the water not to go out the hose and start flooding the garage floor. Also cleaned it out/Clorox.
That will do it. If that hose gets kinked you'll have problems.
Ok so did you actually unscrew that bottom piece from the top of pump and clean inside it
I did not. Just scrubbed it with a toothbrush.
@@fixitFlip I did the same!
Great minds. @@mattg551
pero el bicoin..hay que emviarlo de afuera verdad.
Nice vid.. my pump makes this gurgling noise Everytime my furnace comes on..when ac turns on. It does not make the gurgling noise.
Interesting. It shouldn't make a big difference either way unless its getting a lot more water from one or the other. I had to replace mine couple years ago because it was getting really loud.
Why do you need to disconnect the wires?
So you don't die
What about those tablets on Amazon that are on sale at 100 for about 23$
Never tried them.
Could this cause?
Not sure I understand the question.
I like the vinegar idea. I had someone suggest bleach IDK?
Bleach is a little more corrosive, so I would stick with the vinegar periodically.
Thanks, another public service by Flip
Ha ha, no problem, Jack.
how many decibels is that pump. Mine's 10 years and I'm going to replace it even I think I just needs a new valve; however, the motor did sound very labored. So I'm just going to replace it but my hope is after 10 years perhaps they are quieter but I doubt they would do anything different regardless if it was made 10 years ago or yesterday. Mine is the 554401 little giant and I don't care that it doesn't have a kill switch.
I can't seem to find the decibels anywhere but it is very quiet. Here is a link to the one in the video:
amzn.to/3tfDtEr
Would have like to see you actually clean the pump itself.
Noted.
1&2& pump it pump it
Yes ma’am pump it up.
Just a note to those that can't seem to find the condensate pump or think the pump may be internal. YOU may not have a pump at all! You may have a catch tank beneath the coils and a pipe that drains the catch tank by gravity ONLY! The water will drip from the coils into the tank and then flow down the pipe. If such is the case, and you have a clog, you generally only need to break up or remove the clog and pour water down the U-Trap's access port to literally flush the clog away. Just thought I'd mention this because it literally caught ME by surprise with my own HVAC system.
Thanks for the input Jerry!
You never showed what parts to actually clean WTH lol....