HVAC Maintenance – How to Prevent HVAC Condensate from Draining into Crawlspace

crawlspacehvac

I recently purchased a home that had been remodeled by the previous owners. They installed a new furnace and A/C unit in the basement crawlspace. Initially, the crawlspace was dry and everything seemed fine.

Now that it's warmer where I live, i've noticed heavy water build up coming from the A/C unit condensation line which is just a small tube that drains into the crawl space. This leads to water collecting at a low point (where there is no drain) and building up. This is coming both from a plastic tube in a plug in the drain pan and an unplugged outplet in the drain pan.

I've cleaned up the large standing water with a shop vac, and i'm catching the condensate in a bucket and emptying it daily. While this stops most of the water build up, i'd prefer a more automated solution.

The only nearby drain in the crawlspace is a sump pit.

  1. Is this a normal setup? I'm surprised this passed inspection if it's not.
  2. Should I have my A/C unit checked out? or is this just a drainage issue?
  3. Any recommendations on how to solve this? I'm not above PVCing this to the sump if that's an acceptable solution.

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Best Answer

Draining to the sump pit is a common choice.

Another method is to use a small, automatic condensate pump to lift the water up high enough that it can be directed to another drain.