Sewer backup into A/C condensate drain
Great get this… I have guests over and the forced air gas heater stops working. I check the circuit breaker and it is indeed tripped. Reset – trip – repeat.
The handler, which is on a slab in a “basement/closet” is sitting in water. I climb to the roof and attic – no leak. Under the house – dry. As best I can tell about a gallon of water flowed back into the A/C condensate drain and flowed over the electricals. Nice.
It will be easy enough to clear the blockage, but one has to question the wisdom of hard plumbing the A/C drain to the sewer. What were they thinking? There is a 3/4″ PVC trap so no sewer gases escape which is good, but given the right conditions/blockage, the A/C drain becomes the lowest fixture.
I plan to disconnect the drain today and plumb the A/C to the outside even if it is a long run. Any words of wisdom.
Edited 12/5/2005 1:32 pm ET by HealeyBN7
Replies
can you run the condensate line into a sump pit?
There are currently no provisions for a sump, as this is not supposed to be a wet area.
sorry about that....pump to the outside seems the only option
What were they thinking?
That's a hard call to make. My town practically mandates "wet venting" the condensate drain into the nearest stack (and the pan drain out the nearest gable and/or soffit) for a/c installations.
Go to the "sister" town, and that's not permitted at all. Except in commercial, where bothe drains can (if the inspector ok's it, a big if) just drain into a mop sink . . .
Healey BN7?
Maybe Lucas made the unit?
SHG
'64 Healey BJ8
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong.
-H.L. Mencken
Now if Lucas made the unit - All the smoke would have escaped, before that one fuse let go.
Good to know there are other Healey fans here online. Here is the only shot I have on this PC.
Regarding my problem, looks like I will need to pump the condensate up a couple of feet to make it outside.
Healey Pic for SHG
Nice. but you need a bigger pic. My son wants me to put a number on the car, but I don't know where the get them. Here's mine.
View Image
That's my 11 year old son practicing, so that when it's his car (the day after I die), he'll be able to look cool and meet chicks!
Very nice - my eight year old is always ready to take a spin regardless of the weather.
I had my numbers made at a local sign shop. I selected the font after looking at vintage photos, and they cut the vinyl from standard sign stock. I was thinking about having them reproduce some of the old sponsor decals, but that is a later project.
FWIW - I tried the magnetic circles, but they slid right off the doors when provoked by the slightest bump. My son old got quite a laugh that first time we tried them. "Dad, I think your numbers are back there at the last stop sign...." Oh well.
The Healey Digest is a great resource and if you are not a member (it's free) you can sign up here http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool. Rich Chrysler and Gary Andersen are experts and frequent contributiors. Rarely does a question go unanswered and has international contributors (for example, when I rebuild my engine, I ended up sending my distributor to a Healey expert in Australia for recurving).
Here is a shot without the numbers ...
the car looks great, but I'm really jealous of the garage.
Signed up for the digest too.
I'm not sure I want a permanent number. But I've now decided to pass on the magnetic ones. Just one more thing to cross off my list.
Scott