INSIDE THE FORUM

THE QUESTION ::

What are your thoughts on this condensate discharge location?

Scott Patterson :: Not a proper way to discharge condensate. It is also a good way to suck sewer gas and bacteria back into the system… Think Legionaries disease!

Kenny Hart :: Scott’s comment are the primary concerns…health concerns. There are a number of factors that determine just how bad that could be.

Is the system a blow-through or draw-through system? Does the unit run in cooling through out the year keeping the trap primed, etc.?

As a plumber I had a system like this venting into a lavatory stack and it flooded the house. In my case it was draining to a lavatory vent. The lavatory got plugged below the sanitary tee in the wall. The condensate ran the sink over. The people were away for a few days and came home to a huge mess.

When I walked in and saw the sink standing full and a trickling amount of water was running off the edge it puzzled me. It was a single story house and no water was running from any of the fixtures. Until I realized the condensate line was connected to the vent in the attic I thought I was seeing things.

The humidity in our area is high and AC systems produce a lot of water.

THE TAKE AWAY

Don’t do this.