How Do Condensate Pumps Work? | Spec. Sense
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- Опубликовано: 28 мар 2019
- What is that little pump at the bottom of my furnace? How does it work? In this episode of Spec. Sense, Vance explains how a condensate pump works to remove excess water. Condenser furnaces and air conditioners create water as a by-product. If there's no floor drain the water can still be removed by a condensate pump.
Learn how to troubleshoot and replace a condensate pump: • Condensate Pump Replac...
Need a new pump? Buy one here: www.amresupply.com/catalog/Co...
If your furnace isn't working, then watch our troubleshooting guides: • Furnace Troubleshootin...
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Pump not working? Learn how to troubleshoot and install a replacement condensate pump: ruclips.net/video/dcLhyLu0-y8/видео.html
Thanks for the well explained tutorial on this matter.
Glad it was helpful!
THANK YOU. Quick and easy.
You're welcome, we're glad that you found it helpful!
Great video!
Thank you Raven!
Appreciate that helped a lot actually 👍🏼
You're welcome!!
very helpful
Thank you for watching, we're just happy to share some good information!
Great video!
Now there’s a new automated in-line condensate pump available with a programmable timer.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much for this! Just bought a house with one of these. I had never seen one and didn't know what it was or how it works.
You're welcome, we're glad you found the video helpful!
My water heater doesn’t have a drip pan and is nearing the end of its life. Instead I built a box around it and siliconed it to be water tight. I was thinking of putting a pump in there for when it does eventually leak to pump it out. Any thoughts
Thanks for watching. As the tank ages, the most likely parts that will leak are the relief valve and the drain valve. This is shown in this video: ruclips.net/video/u_MTFlN5Rjs/видео.html Those are likely to be slow continual leaks. The relief valve will open up if the pressure or temperature inside the tank gets too high. This is a good amount of water but the valve will close shortly after. If you don't have a drip pan and there is no floor drain near by then a box and a condensate pump would be a way of dealing with any water that might leak.
So what happens to the water in the OUT pipe that is being pumped out when the motor shuts off..?? Is there some kind of check valve that keeps that water from dropping back into the tank ..?? Im sure there is water in that pipe when the motor shuts down and that water is heavy and wants to come back down and into that tank ..
Thank you for watching. There is a check valve that prevents water in the outlet pipe from flowing back into the pump. Its shown in this video but wasn't fully explained as it is was in this later video. ruclips.net/video/tO_dkn69mCY/видео.html Hope this helps you visualize it!
Help. I just bought my property, when I bought it the furnace was not working. I had a new furnace put in a month or so back and the condensation pump began working. I have lived in Utah for decades, owned several homes and have never seen one of these. My unit (it's a codo) was built in the 70s, and and was originally total electric, therefore the only drain is in the shower in the finished bathroom {and of course the sewer}. The furnace was reto-fitted for the unit in 1996 at the latest (the furnace I replaced was 21 yrs old} I am currently catching water in a gallon jug at a gallon on slightly more in a 24 hour period.As an otr truck driver this is simply not going to work. Are they necessary? Can it be disconnected? How can I effectively drain the excess water? Suggestions please.
side note: the AC was not replaced. Will the amount of water reduce when I get a an AC? Back to is this a necessary piece of equipment in a desert climate (Utah)
Hi Sharon, thank you for watching. Older furnaces usually do not condense water. When you installed the new furnace you likely upgraded to a condenser furnace. You can learn more in this video: ruclips.net/video/tVLtJwix-_8/видео.html If there is no drain on the same level as your furnace then you can always run a drain line to a drain somewhere else in the home. The drain line can be run vertically but keep in mind that the flow rate will decrease as you increase the amount of head. Note this chart listed here: www.amresupply.com/part/554542-LG-NXTGEN-84GPH-COND-PUMP-115V#gallery01-10 At 20 feet of head, the flow rate will drop to 10 Gallons per hour which would still work in for case. As for an AC unit, even living in the desert the air will contain some moisture so you will still need an active condensate pump to run an AC unit. Overall it might be worth contacting a plumber to asses your situation and set up an effective condensate pump and drain combination.
mine was overiflled with water dripping on the floor and the furnace never shut off. the installers of my furnace wrapped insulation around the pump. i think this blocked the airways of it and made it burn out possibly. and then the lines were also frozen in the attic which didnt happen last year. im wondering if the wrap they put around it where they thought it was keeping it warm just blocked the exhaust andburnt it out. still doesnt explain why it didnt shut off though unless it was a cheap pump they threw in
Thanks for watching. Some condensate pumps have an overflow cutoff switch that is wired to the furnace. Others will not have this connected, which means an overflow will not shut off the furnace.
You are right that any frozen condensate drain lines will prevent the water from draining and can cause it to overflow so it's best to identify any areas that might freeze up, any pinched lines or any other blockages. Any insulation put around the drain lines should not interfere with the furnace exhaust, however it doesn't hurt to check the exhaust vents outside for any ice buildup or debris.
@@AmreSupply hi, i had someone check it out. basically the attic is just to cold and the flexible plastic line is going to freeze no matter what. even if we wrap it and put it back in the pvc pipe, the pvc pipe will freeze. there was no wire hooked up to the safety shutoff therefore it never turned off and started coming out of the seams of the pump. there is pretty much no where to run the water. the only solution my new furnace guy could come up with is coming back and routing pvc pipe into my stink pipe and wrpaping the pvc pipe in heat tape and insulation. there is no where is to drain it or no other way to keep it from freezing. the old pvc pipe is about 30 yrs old in a victorian house that goes under 3 feet of blown in insulation in the corner through the wall outside into a metal pipe so even trying to fiddle with the old pvc pipe to make it work, and hope for it to work, prob wont work. im trying to find any topics on hooking it into the stink pipe but cant find any info. right now i got it temp draining into a bucket until the furnace guy can come back on the weekend. this is so stressfull its 8 degrees outside
My pump has an open valve that you see water. It's higher than the floor pump. It's this open pipe for air flow? Should it be secured?
Thanks for watching. Without seeing the system it is difficult to say. Are you referring to the air intake for the furnace? What size and color is the pipe?
It's been suggested to me to use a condensate pump to collect condensation from ac unit and send it to a tank. How would this work?
Thanks for watching. In most cases it's best to funnel the water into a drain. Is there some reason it was suggested to go into a tank?
Is it ok to drain the resivor every once in a while ?
Thanks for watching. A little bit of water in the bottom of the reservoir is normal but you can for sure drain or clean the reservoir once in a while without issues.
So it's normal for one to remain on even after I turn off the AC as the pump is triggered by the water level and not the AC unit, right?
Thanks for watching. As the pump runs, the water level should lower and the pump should turn off. If the pump doesn't stop running then the switch could be stuck.
Would it still pump water if it's reverse polarity?
Hi Marty, thank you for watching. Yes a simple AC motor will likely still run when the polarity is switch its just not as safe from a circuit point of view as the load is positioned before the switch. We did a video on circuits that might help you visualize: ruclips.net/video/SnRXD-0oXZo/видео.html
Can a bad condensate pump flood your yard? I don’t think so but wanted to ask.
Thanks for watching. A faulty condensate pump is unlikely to flood a yard based on how it is hooked up. Does your home have a sump pump? It might be worth checking the drain pipe to see where it is aimed: ruclips.net/video/P8U7ufvUY-Y/видео.html
I've got a beckett CB201UL - the float switch seems to be backwards? When the float is down, it runs the pump indefinitely. When the float is pushed up by water, the pump stops completely. Any ideas?
Thanks for watching. Does the float switch have 3 wires? In some cases the wrong wire on the wrong terminal could cause the switch to work in reverse.
@@AmreSupply It does, but it was working perfectly fine up until 4 days ago at which, without provocation seems to have reversed its function entirely.
@@jaybrotatoe5367 Maybe check to see how the float is triggering the switch. It is usually a piece of plastic. Over time with wear and tear, things can warp or might have shifted. That would be the next thing to check. You can also disconnect the wires to the switch and check for continuity. There might be a C - common. NO - normally open - and NC a normally closed terminal. You can test this in the same way that a oven or refrigerator door switch is tested: This video explains more ruclips.net/video/sWSUzTuvFRI/видео.htmlsi=24IepEf5FnaePZHY&t=220
Just curious, could you have the condensate pump dump into a toilet? Just wondered since these usually dump down a drain, could it save money/water?
Hi Tony, thank you for watching. The condensate could technically drain into a toilet but it might not be as useful as it originally seems. Since the toilet will automatically fill after the tank is flushed, any additional water added to the toilet tank will go above the overflow tube and drain out of the tank. Also consider that your condensate pump produces water at a different time then when it would be needed by the toilet, so its mostly likely going to be adding water to a tank that is already full.
I thought maybe for people who live alone, if they shut off the main supply and had this flowing into the tank, they could save some money. I was hoping to find a video on it but apparently I'm the first to think of it.
You are right there are ways existing water can be used to save water and money. There are grey water systems that recycle water from the sink, which is treated and sent to fill up the toilet. In whole house systems treated grey-water can be used to fill a septic tank and eventually be used for irrigation.
Problem is once the toilet water tank is full it would start to overflow, because the pump would have no way to know that that toilet is full.
@@moedogger21 the toilet tank has an overflow stem that flows into the bowl. The toilet cannot overflow without being clogged or water being put in faster than it can drain.
Thanks
You're welcome!
I have received a quote of $550 to have a condensate pump installed. Is this a reasonable quote?
Hi Sue, thank you for watching. it depends on what other work is needed. If they are installing a drain line or need to do anything special then they will charge more, but $550 does seem a little high. Condensate pumps cost $50 - $100. www.amresupply.com/catalog/Condensate-651475-HA1A If you are simply replacing the old pump its easy to do ruclips.net/video/dcLhyLu0-y8/видео.html Hope this helps!
How many metter. Water throwing distance
Thanks for watching. This will depend on each pump. You'll have to look for a PDF of the product specifications, from there you'll see a chart which will specify the flow rate at different feet of head (which is the vertical distance that the water is traveling) Scroll to the bottom to see an example PDF for the model used in this video: www.amresupply.com/part/554530-LG-NXTGEN-84GPH-COND-PUMP-115V
How to un block the humid fire in a furnace
Thanks for watching. What part of the humidifier is blocked? If the drain of the humidifier is blocked then it might be because of a mineral buildup. You might be able to use vinegar to help dissolve the calcium.
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Thanks for watching.
Most Americans have no idea what you are talking about, unless they are science teachers or government scientists. Pease have the courtesy to use American standards like gallons or quarts in addition if you so please to use metric units. A lot of us don't live in Canada or Europe or overseas. Of course if you are not addressing Americans then do as you please.
Thanks for watching. We are a Canadian based company so most of our customers are in Canada but we try to make our videos accessible to a wider audience especially with temperatures and other measurements. To go from liters to gallons, simply multiply by 4.