AC condensation / Plumbing question.

Bob Luken

I have an AC condensation line that is creating a miniature swamp next to the slab foundation. I've read up on this and I know there are other solutions but before I try any of those I want to know if I could try this idea that I have. Almost directly under the condensation pvc pipe is a 4" pvc sewer clean out. Is it somehow possible to route that AC condensation drip into the sewer clean out?

The3Stogies

I did that in my basement with my de-humidifier. Got tired of emptying it so I ran the drain hose into a drain hole in the floor but it wasn't sewer. Not sure about draining through a sewer clean out, wouldn't want to leave it open, maybe drill a hole through the cap for the hose to fit. Is there any way to get the swamp flowing away from the slab, on the surface, to the edge of your property?

Bob Luken

The3Stogies:

I did that in my basement with my de-humidifier. Got tired of emptying it so I ran the drain hose into a drain hole in the floor but it wasn't sewer. Not sure about draining through a sewer clean out, wouldn't want to leave it open, maybe drill a hole through the cap for the hose to fit. Is there any way to get the swamp flowing away from the slab, on the surface, to the edge of your property?

I'm looking at all my options. It's in a bit of a corner and would be more of a chore to do any sort of traditional drainage away from the area. The first thing I noticed was how close the sewer clean out was and a light bulb went off above my head. And I told myself "Hey! There's a drain right there! Wouldn't that be easy?",.........and simple as long as it doesn't cause more trouble than it solves." I just want to pursue this clean out drain option first, or rule it out as an option first before I move on to other more labor intensive solutions.

danielzreyes

I dont see why that wouldn't work.

I had that swamp problem too. I just added piping as an extention straight into my lawn.

Bob Luken

danielzreyes:

I dont see why that wouldn't work.

I had that swamp problem too. I just added piping as an extention straight into my lawn.

The house is new to me and I will consider that as an option as long as I can figure out the slope. It looks pretty flat so far. I've been researching about dry wells and french drains and even some thirsty plants that I could keep in containers to absorb the condensation.

Bob Luken

Another thing I want to do is to figure out how much water is dripping out in a typical day. Then I can research to see if any container plants can make use of that much water.

0patience

Not supposed to run a drain into an open sewer line without a trap.
Sewer gases can come back up the condensation line and you wouldn't want that.

Bob Luken

Thanks. I'll make sure to have a trap. I have a little bit of plumbing knowledge but I'd never heard of anybody doing this. There's a shallow trap in the attic where the condensation originates but I figured I'd also add a more standard trap down low just to be sure.

matkn293

Take a pic of the area. I had an issue with a gutter drain in a landscape area with no where to route it to due to concrete. I dug a 12x12x12 hole and filled it with 1"clean and sand then covered it with my landscape rock. Provides excellent drainage without destroying my plants due to too much water and does not wash my deco rock out anymore.

Bob Luken

Thanks for sharing your solution. That sounds like a dry well. It's one of the options I'm considering.

The3Stogies

Remember water flows downhill