AC condensate plumbing

[PoorOwner]

This is for a mini split. I mounted it on an interior wall so a little pvc plumbing is needed. Normally they just wanted you to run the drain hose to the yard by gravity.

I was wondering since I am doing the plumbing and I will place the hose into the piping. do I need to add a WYE and maybe drill a small hole for vent?
I have put a bucket and the unit would put a batch of water once in a while instead of a continuous drip. It scared me a bit.
Anyway I think either way it would drain since the pipe is bigger than the hose. Just wondering if adding a vent would be quieter plus it can be removed for cleaning out. However a wye fitting needs to be special order online, plus I don't want the air infiltration if this isn't needed. i could also clean the pipe from the AC side.

 

[monkeyspanners]

Just follow the manufacturers instructions for draining. I have never seen a mini split that requires a vent on the drain line.

 

[PoorOwner]

Just says to terminate the hose near the dirt outside.
Thanks. So the vent probably isn't necessary or there is one in the unit already.

 

[going4speed]

I plumbed mine per manufacturer and added a rectorseal trap to the end:

 

[PoorOwner]

I plumbed mine per manufacturer and added a rectorseal trap to the end:

Hi. Why do you need the trap ? Is yours draining to a house drain?

 

[csp]

The purpose of a trap on an AC unit is to prevent the negative pressure from the unit running from sucking water out of the drain and into the moving air stream. This would be on a system that has air pulled through the coil rather than pushed through it.

 

[Radix2]

I cant see any need for a vent - there is no seal around a condenser, all that happens is the water drips into a tray then flows down the drain.

It is wide open - as wide as the condenser.....

 

[going4speed]

i use a trap to keep 3" long texas roaches and angry wasps out of the system

 

[Jackfre]

Condensate drains on minispilts are one of the biggest problems in their installs. Follow the instructions which will say that you grade it to atmosphere with no traps. If you trap it you should have a vent.

 

[PoorOwner]

Is it true the condensate is slighty acidic? Is it ok to drain condensate onto concrete?

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Is it true the condensate is slighty acidic? Is it ok to drain condensate onto concrete?

Only condensing burners like on boilers, water heaters or furnaces create acidic condensate and by code it must run through a neutralizer of some sort. A/C condensate is basically distilled. If you're cheap you can use A/C condensate in your steam iron. Mom did it for decades...

Tommy

 

[csp]

Yep, acid is the result of combustion, which doesn't exist in a mini-split.

 

[PoorOwner]

Thanks for helping me understand better. The hose coming out of the air handler insert into pvc pipe in a non air tight fashion.. So there is plenty of vent for water to drain

I am going go plumb it outside with an elbow facing down. And I am getting a strainer fitting I will push on and stop critter from crawling in.

 

[rlitman]

Be careful with a strainer. If there's algae in the pipe, it can get clogged.
I'd suggest using the grey PVC you find in the electrical section, over the white stuff you find in the plumbing aisle. Not only is it UV rated for outdoor use, but it stops light from reaching the interior. Algae needs light to grow.

If the elbow is too high up, the drip can start to carve a crater in the ground. I use one of those plastic rain diverters you put under a downspout to stop the erosion.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Thanks for helping me understand better. The hose coming out of the air handler insert into pvc pipe in a non air tight fashion.. So there is plenty of vent for water to drain

I am going go plumb it outside with an elbow facing down. And I am getting a strainer fitting I will push on and stop critter from crawling in.

My mini split hose runs through the wall, outside the house down into an open 3/4" PVC line that I use to drain the condensate away fro the house. It runs about 25' along the foundation and drains at ground level just past the corner. Never had a problem in 5 years. I'd skip the strainer.

Tommy