after coming home to the carpet in my basement being wet once again due to the drain line from my condensate pump freezing, i pulled it out of the wall and now need a place to put it. I have no drains in basement. My sewer line is about 20 feet away. In researching this problem, I've read i should be able to do it, BUT I'm getting conflicted information as how it has to be done regarding server gases, etc. I live in Pennsylvania and I've seen pumps running into sewer in new construction so I think it's permissible, just looking for the best, and easiest ( I'm no plumber) way to do this without creating a whole new set of issues with the sewer, sewer gas, a back up, etc.

thanks in advance for any help.

do you have a laundry on the first floor?
if you do, just run the discharge (3/8 vinyl) into the standpipe for the washer.

Keep in mind Air Gap requirement. You can not stick that 3/8"-1/2" hose into washer stand pipe.

Do you have a Floor Drain in 1st floor laundry room? One way would be a Trap Primer drain, install a simple swing check with a barbed inlet screwed to it. Then cut and install below drain, above trap. Are you on a "Private Sewage Disposal System"? Your house must be 150 years old with no drainage in basement. Or have a Licensed Plumber come out and cut in a wye on Building Sewer and install a vented waste line. With the use of Air Admittance Valves this should be permitted. Hard to say with out picture or diagram. Code Officials do look at Air Gap on condensate pumps when discharging into a fixture other than a floor drain.

Hopefully the pictures work, not sure how to get them rotated. I do not have a floor drain, or any type of drain in the basement. My basement is finished which leaves me very limited access but where the furnace is I have storage and it is open. the condensate pump is roughly 25ft. from the pictures. I believe the image 142715 comes from the master bath. There is some sort of vent (I have no idea on terminology) I assume that the cap is a clean out. this is all the access I have to this pipe as it is concealed by a wall, but this pipe goes about 15 ft and exits the home and ties to the main sewer I assume. There is also a vent outside about a foot away from there is comes out.

Hopefully this will help and I can do something with what I have asses to.

thanks for everyone's help.



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thats an unvented trap and may be subject to syphoning which would let sewer gas into the house.
chances are if it has been this way for years that you will be OK.
anyway, cut a tee into that standpipe, put a short piece of pipe in it with a 90 looking up. put a short piece of pipe in the 90 to bring it up higher than the current opening.. now you can put the 3/8 into the new pipe with no need for an air space as the old opening is below the new opening. so any nasty water that might back up will spill out the lower pipe and never reach the upper pipe.

I've been in the house 20+ years, so fingers crossed i never have a problem. Excuse my ignorance but so I'm clear and don't make a mistake, I'm going to install a T on the black pipe, between the vent and where it goes into the trap, elbow a piece of pipe it get it above the air opening and drop my plastic hose from the condensate pump in into the pipe...is this correct??

thats how i would do it. the existing lower opening is a place for any backing up sewage to spill out without ever being able to reach the new opening. we must always protect against any sewage backing up no matter how remote the possibility..

There is NO air gap requirement for a condensate pump, unless you plan to drink from the pump's resevoir.



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That is the 'hard way" to do it.