The condensate line from my air conditioner/furnace was pointed into this floor drain, along with the waste line from the reverse osmosis system. The floor drain started backing up and creating a puddle on the floor, so I temporarily routed the RO drain to the nearby toilet tank and cut the a/c condensate line so it drains into a bucket. As installed, the a/c line extended down to the floor, incorporated a trap and ended right on top of the floor drain cover.

HVAC is a heat pump connected to an all-electric forced air furnace. With this humid weather we've been having here in the midwest, the system appears to be putting out around 5-6 gals/day of condensate. House was built in 1980 and has well/septic.

Option #1 is to fix the floor drain, but not sure how practical that is. I thought it was draining into a sump pit in the crawlspace, but where I thought it was draining into is dry. It's possible that's how it was set up and now the line to the sump pit is no longer connected to the floor drain. It seems like it backs up when we get a lot of rain and the water table is high, we have very clay-ey soil here and it's slow to drain. Based on the condition of the drain, it looks likely to self destruct if I put a snake down there. I have not removed the cleanout for the same reason, is this is even worth working on?




Option #2 is to route the drain line outside, the wall behind the furnace is an outside wall, and you can see the dryer vent in the pic. Can I just add a 90, a running trap, and send the PVC pipe out through the wall right above the dryer vent? Do I have to worry about freezing in winter? Does an electric furnace create condensate during the winter?




Option #3 is less than ideal, but I can connect some vinyl tubing to the drain line and route it over to the washing machine standpipe and drain into there. I know code doesn't allow to drain condensate into waste where there are muni sewers, is it OK if you have septic?



I recall Bernabeu posted a while back about about the importance of using a trap in a condensate drain. Any/all ideas/comments welcome here.

get a washing machine hose. attach one end to the water heater drain and shove the other end into the floor drain. stuff a rag around the end and open the washer drain. there might just be some debris in the floor drain pipe? its a quick job and worth a try.

i've never seen a warm air furnace make condensate in the winter. just the opposite is true.

Tried the garden hose that I use to drain the HW heater, but it wouldn't snake through the trap. I have a spare 3/8 sink supply that I'll try later. Do you think there's any hope of opening that cleanout?

Are floor drains ever connected to the mains? Looking at the orientation of the cleanout, it's angled such that it could be wyed to the drain running from the toilet to the main behind the washer where the stack ties in. Although flushing never siphons the trap. All these pipes are below concrete, this is the basement of a split level.

the hose doesn't need to go thru the trap...
the water pressure from the hose will go thru the trap'
just need to seal the end with a rag
btw.. don't wear your sunday go to meeting clothes when you do this.

there is a pretty good chance the cleanout plub will come loose. it is brass. heat it a little with a torch. that always helps. yes it does give access to the pipe beyond the trap.

probably looks like this [www.jonesstephens.com]

Agreed. That floor drain looks like it's plugged with debris and rust. With a bit of heat you should be able to work that cleanout plug loose, but make sure you get a solid grip on the square socket so you don't strip it! Get a wet vac and and a coat hanger and get that P trap cleaned out!

Here in Ontario, Canada it is more common than not to see floor drains connected into the main house drain/waste to municipal sewer.

Unless your regulations are different, I cannot see the reason to have a P trap on the condensate line from the furnace. If it is dripping into the floor drain, then the floor drain has a P trap, and if it is being pumped into the drain/waste of the house, then it requires an indirect drain. Or you can drip it into your laundry tub sink.

Something to be aware of is that condensate can often carry ions or pH that make it very corrosive against certain types of metals. I'm not fully up on the science of it, but I have seen in my 20 years of experience multiple brass and copper fittings completely eaten away by constant exposure to condensate. The solution is to use a neutralizer cannister filter in line with your condensate drain, or to use only plastic fittings in the condensate drain system.


Also here in Ontario, Canada, our high-efficiency natural gas furnaces DO create condensate in the winter.

There is also no restriction in my particular city about the condensate drain not being allowed to go into the city sewer. But if you're on a private septic, then even more so the condensate can drain to wherever you see fit.