Comments on: How to Replace a Broken Air Conditioner Condensate Pump

By: Jerry D.

Jerry D. — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 02:07:06 +0000

The last time my repairman took the pump apart and I clean all the muck out. Started to have issue water leaking out of unit etc. Come to find out the hose and the elbow coming out of the drain was clogged. Don’t forget to clean the hose when you clean the pump.

By: Bob Jackson

Bob Jackson — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:08:43 +0000

It varies with the how well the pump is maintained and how much the pump is operating. A home in a southern climate where the air conditioner runs for a longer part of the year will wear out sooner. My pump lasted about 10 years. The motor still worked fine, but the switch float deteriorated and submerged parts were coated with sludge.

By: mary

mary — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:23:44 +0000

how long does a condesate pump last. small house one yellow color

By: Bob Jackson

Bob Jackson — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:20:26 +0000

To check the pump operation, attach a new length of discharge line tubing to the pump outlet and run it into a bucket. If the pump is moving a strong stream of water, then the pump is probably OK. A more realistic test would be to loop a 15 foot section of new tubing from the pump over the top of a step ladder and back down to a bucket on the floor. The pump will have to overcome a 7 foot “head” of water pressure. A taller ladder or maybe loop the tubing over a hook near the ceiling is an even better gauge of the pumps ability to work against the head, or column of water pressure. A condensation pump in good working order will push the water uphill with no problem. Lookup the model # on your pump to see that it’s rated for the head-of-water (vertical feet) that it needs to pump the water uphill.

Are you able to trace the discharge line to the outlet? It shouldn’t be collapsing as you describe unless it’s clogged. If you can follow the line, look for any kinks or maybe algae clogs. You could try blowing the line clear with a rubber nozzle on a portable air compressor. Dial the compressor hose gauge down to 10 or 15 psi so you don’t burst the tubing if it’s really clogged. Have someone watch the discharge end of the tube to see if water, air and crud is blown out. I would think that replacing the discharge line would be similar to pulling (or fishing) electrical cable in the drywall. Use the original tubing to pull the new tube. Worst case, you can pull new tubing by cutting small access ports in the drywall to avoid ripping open a floor to ceiling section of drywall.

By: Kevin p

Kevin p — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:15:00 +0000

My problem seems a little different, the condensate pump drain line is completely compressed, basically flat. I can see a small amount of water moving through the line but water is already spilling over the sides of the pump. The hvac guy says the line needs to be replaced, he said the lump is fine but I would tent to look at the pump as the source of the problem. To replace the line in the basement we will need to remove sheetrock to run the new line. My question, should I replace the pump and or the line? Wih a new pump will the line expand again? I beleive by code the line is run outside, but can I drain it into another line in the basement safely, I probably won’t because of the code, but just checking.

Just seems like a big expense to install a little plastic line and the house under two years old.

Thanks for the great article!

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Thanks very much for providing these useful insights, Bob. This should work with the system we have; I don’t see any reason now not to run the condensate pump into the sump reservoir (plenty of room to spare) – the last thing we need to do is encourage termites.

Also, my apologies for not replying to your message before now; I thought there was an email alert for this thread, and I only just remembered to check for your response while I was actually in front of the computer.

Thanks again – have a great weekend!

- Joe

By: Bob Jackson

Bob Jackson — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:25:42 +0000

If the condensate drain tube is properly sloped the last few feet as it exits the house under the deck, then there won’t be standing water in the tube to freeze. The concern I have is the water is being dumped next to the foundation in a dark place under your deck – persistently damp ground invites termites and rot.

> Am I correct in assuming that it would be unsafe to route the PVCI tube into an open sump pump reservoir in our basement?
That would be fine if there’s an air gap between the tube and water level in sump pump reservoir. You don’t want the tube to be submerged which will invite algae growth and clog it up. For example, if you have a grate over floor drain, it’s OK to lay the tube on the grate.

> By the way, we’re on septic if that has any bearing on any of this.
Septic is fine. The air conditioner will produce between 5 to 20 gallons per day of condensate water – that’s about the amount of water used when taking a shower. The big concern with septic tanks is to minimize the organic load on the system – table scraps go into the trash can instead of down the garbage disposal – to protect the drain field and maximize the time between visits by the honey truck.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:42:41 +0000

Thanks for all of this useful information, Bob; we recently had a new HVAC installed in our home, and the installers routed the PVCI tube from the Utilitech condensate pump to drain out through one of the basement vents under our deck.

We live in North Carolina so we do stand a chance of condensate freezing in the line. Am I correct in assuming that it would be unsafe to route the PVCI tube into an open sump pump reservoir in our basement?

By the way, we’re on septic if that has any bearing on any of this. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

- Joe

By: Bob Jackson

Bob Jackson — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:59:20 +0000

As best I can tell from the owner's manual drawings, it appears the pump cover snaps on to the tank. Page 2 of the pump manual clearly says to remove the motor/pump cover for testing and cleaning - it's just doesn't say how to remove the cover. If the cover won't snap off without damaging the unit, best to wait until you can speak with Customer Service on Monday. Thanks for reading!

By: Jay Torchio

Jay Torchio — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:57:29 +0000

EXCELLENT article! As previous posters have indicated – such a great resource. Thank you for all the time and effort you’ve put in. Quick question for you (or others). I just had a Little Giant Condensate pump put in (model #554425). I see that one of the keys to a long lasting pump is cleaning it periodically. Unfortunately, I have NO idea how to access the inside of the reservoir on this unit. There is only one screw that is visible from the top. When I unscrewed it, the cover came off but exposed what seemed to be the motor and other electrical parts. At that point, I thought it best to put the cover back on and do a little more research. On this model, am I relegated to just pulling one of the caps out and putting a little bleach? Any advice would be much appreciated. I called the Little Giant people but they’re not open until Monday and my neurotic nature makes it difficult to wait until then. :-)