Anyone know anything about HVAC? Buried condensate drain line?

[Will]

We have a separate A/C unit for upstairs that cools a bedroom and the over-garage bonus room.

Some wet spots on ceiling in my sons' bedroom. 95 degree days right now.

I am assuming condensate overflow due to blockage. Drain pipe is small white pvc pipe that goes down through the walls past 1st floor into crawl space, then out the side of the foundation.

Was just at or below grade with mulcjh coverage in past and always making a decent size wet swampy spot. A couple of months ago however we had the grade built-up a couple of feet and french drain put in around that corner of the house due to crawl space water penetration.

I'm pretty sure they didn't extend and tie in the A/C condensate pipe into the french drain, so now it's terminating right into dirt and well below grade.

Can I just make a makeshift drain field with a large 15 gallon plastic tote? Drill a hole in the top on one side for the condensate pipe to enter, and drill a bunch of holes in the bottom of the box for drainage?

[Stangkiller]

Where does that drain line connect to your AC? Does it hit the big pan under your unit? If so thats your emergency/ overflow. The big pan under your unit should always be dry. You should have a primary line thats likely tied into a sink somewhere, which is also clogged.

Look at all your sinks, do you see a random drain line thing into one of your sink drains?

[markids77]

My condensate lines run inside the wall cavity and exit just above the sill plate. I keep them open by attaching a shop vac to the outlet twice a year and sucking out the crud.
In Will's scenario I would dig a trench after exposing the outlet and install a weeping tile surrounded by gravel, wrapped in landscape fabric... a "french drain" if you will.

EDIT: Or just tie it in to the drain you just had installed.

[Jeff '79]

Sometimes it's as easy as unscrewing the drain at the furnace and unclogging that with a pipe cleaner or coat hanger.
If that's clogged, that would cause the pan to overflow onto the floor.

[Will]

I'll dig it up and try the shop vac in the A.M. if the water doesn't just come spilling out once the pipe is unburied.

It's a small baseball sized wet spot, and then a couple feet over a small line of wetness.

Nothing major yet, but we've had some rainy weather and some breaks from the heat, but now we're in the middle of a bunch of 95 degree days. It gets DAMN hot in that attic. AC control being in the hall doesn't help. Stairwell & hallway is always warm compared to the 2 rooms. My damn regular A/C servicing/check-up for both units was supposed to be this morning and I called and cancelled it because I went to get tested for COVID due to being under the weather. Now if it comes back positive I'm going to have to wait a couple of weeks to have the A/C guys come back out.

I can't go to the lawn store to buy fabric, stone, etc. unless/until I get a negative test result, hence the thinking of just doing a poor man's french drain with a big ass storage bin. It's only an issue 3 months or so a year, and before it just made a swampy spot about the size of a baseball base bag or home plate. I'm guessing now with it being below grade it's creating a big mud stoppage with this heat.

[mrvette]

I assume the grade runs away from the house foundation, IF so, I would just cut the line a couple feet above the grade, and put on a larger hose that is run across the lawn, or just under it by an inch or two.....let it exit about 8' from the house.....to run down hill.....

Another solution, access a drain vent....let it drip down there to the main drain....that's where my a/c drips.....

[Will]

I THINK they made some sort of half-assed dry well. I would THINK that if this thing was tied into the french drain line, it would be draining.

Dug up a pit of sludge this AM. They put a 90 degree elbow on the end of the condensate pipe, and had it going down into some sort of black plastic tube/bucket with a green lid. Surrounded by dirt, not rock and fabric.

I can't dig further now anyway because of the water, but I'm betting I won't hit any pipe leading to the french drain line which is running perpendicular to the condensate pipe and I think about 4 or 5 feet away from the foundation.

Glad I've been lazy about putting down landscaping fabric and stone over this bed after the drain was put in. I'd be pissed if I had and then it had to be torn up.

[Will]

[Will]

No rain forecast for the next 5 days, just 96-97 degree days.

I figure with it dug up and the lid popped like that, we should be OK and water can rise and pour out of that container.

Gonna call the A/C guys on Monday morning. Maybe instead of a dry well, they could extend the pipe, go under the sidewalk that is just out of view, and into the top of a collection box connected to a second french drain like that's just on the outside of sidewalk bordering this bed.

[mrvette]

NO WAY IN HELL would I approve a constant line dripping most of the year next /under my house foundation......bad news.......I would have that thing extended out like you said, other side of sidewalk at min distance....

[Jeff '79]

I'd wait for the a/c guy's advice.
That's a weird set-up of the likes that I've never seen.

[Will]

Instead of going under the sidewalk, there's another drain box inside the bed out of view in the photo to the top right.

I guess they could just run pipe at an angle towards that one instead. Probably easier than doing some big ass dry well.

Water level has risen about halfway from where it was this AM towards the top of that container. Another 5 hours to go until 7pm and darkening skies. Running upstairs A/C on 72, have a small fan in the hall pointed at thermostate, and a bigger fan in my sons bedroom pointed out the door at the thermostat.

Need to get some insulaiton work done too I guess. Using temp gun there are some hot spots, especially on one side of the AC intake in the hall. 80 degrees vs. low 70s for most of the ceiling. Ditto attic door. 80 degrees on and just around vs. low 70s for the rest of the wall in the hall.

[Aerovette]

Different topic, but the weep holes in your brick are non-functional being buried like that and I'm not even sure brick can withstand constant moisture from the ground. That's a really unique situation.

[Will]

Had to dig a bigger hole at 4pm. Looks good to go to finish the day now though.

To hell with a dry well, I'm just going to tell them to run 6 more feet or so of pvc and go right into the side of the drain box connected to the french drain.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by Will

Had to dig a bigger hole at 4pm. Looks good to go to finish the day now though.

To hell with a dry well, I'm just going to tell them to run 6 more feet or so of pvc and go right into the side of the drain box connected to the french drain.

Cut the pipe above ground level, attach an elbow, buy a length of pvc gutter and run it away from the house.
The amount of drained a/c water will be negligible and will not affect the foundation if drained at least 6' from the house.
Pretty simple.
Why hire someone that'll charge you hundreds when you can do it for $6.00 ?

[snide]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

Cut the pipe above ground level, attach an elbow, buy a length of pvc gutter and run it away from the house.
The amount of drained a/c water will be negligible and will not affect the foundation if drained at least 6' from the house.
Pretty simple.
Why hire someone that'll charge you hundreds when you can do it for $6.00 ?

Will could always ask his husband to do it...

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by snide

Will could always ask his husband to do it...

Uwww...

[Will]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

Cut the pipe above ground level, attach an elbow, buy a length of pvc gutter and run it away from the house.
The amount of drained a/c water will be negligible and will not affect the foundation if drained at least 6' from the house.
Pretty simple.
Why hire someone that'll charge you hundreds when you can do it for $6.00 ?

If I test positive for COVID I can't go to the store. But if I get a negative result tomorrow, then I suppose I can take the boys to the hardware store on Monday A.M. and do it myself.

Eventually I need to cover that area with landscaping fabric and then rocks too.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by Will

If I test positive for COVID I can't go to the store. But if I get a negative result tomorrow, then I suppose I can take the boys to the hardware store on Monday A.M. and do it myself.

Eventually I need to cover that area with landscaping fabric and then rocks too.

You think you have the Covid ??

[Will]

Just remembered Tractor Supply is open on Sunday! And has plumbing stuff! So I can mess with this tomorrow if we get my test result early enough in the day.