Most central a/c units drain condensate into the household sewer via a toilet vent stack or some such. Drippage from the exposed drain line outside is due to the normal drain line being clogged and typically indicates a problem is happening.

YMMV.

dadoes, i have had 3 homes with central air, and installed 2 new central air systems during that time, and ALL had the condensation lines either drip out into a gutter or sump pump..There is also an overflow line to which you speak that drips "over" the gutter to let you know the main condensation line is indeed blocked..I know of zero homes that have the condensation line drip into sewer line,probably for this purpose..If you get a reverse syphon situation the sewage would get into your AC sytem, for this reason, i bet it is illegal to do so

Do I remember correctly that using a dishwasher uses less water than hand-washing dishes? We have Fisher Paykel dishdrawers that use very little water (or detergent). Breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes for two fit in one drawer and get washed once a day, using a light cycle. Heavily soiled pots could go in the second drawer on a longer cycle, but I usually hand wash those.

My 'cheapo' Frigidaire front-load washer uses *very* little water or soap and has a choice of short cycles for lightly soiled clothes.

I like the 'water off' soaping in the shower idea -- in summer. LOL DH uses the shower. My tub is only 2' X 4' inside and I fill it about 6" - 8" deep. Anybody know how many gallons that is?

Dadoes, I spoke to my DH after reading your post. He's be a HVAC contractor for 40 years. Your method is illegal in all 50 states.

1 cubic foot = 7.5 gallons
2ft x 4ft x 0.5ft = 4 cubic feet

soo... 30 gallons for 6 inch depth

Here is a link that might be useful: as for the dishwashing

I have an electric pump that collects the condensation and then pumps it to an outside line.

For me, I have that line going into a bucket.

When I first bought the house, I asked the a/c guy why he didn't just run the line into a nearby sewage drain. He said that it would be illegal.... stressing the city sewer system.

It has been very humid and hot over the past few days here in Tennessee ... after having an amazingly cool July... so now it seems that I'm getting over 6 gallons a day from the a/c.

I never have enough dishes for a dishwasher. I have heard that dishwashers use less water than hand washing, but it's hard to believe. I try to be pretty darn conservative! Further, I rarely make greasy foods, so the stuff I wash cleans off real easy... so it doesn't require that I use a flood of water to get the job done.

To tell you the truth, I use one specific plate for myself (or one specific bowl)... when I'm done, the dog gets to lick it clean. Then, when I wash, I am washing a plate with nothing visible to clean off... just need to wash the plate of the dog's "wetness".

I use the same plate/bowl so that I don't expose my guests to me and my dog's little secret!

quirk -- Thanks for the math! Would you mind running the numbers for water used in the shower -- with one non-water-saving spray head, excellent water presure, for...oh 5 minutes? (I'm afraid of the big old dark basement, where the water meter is located. There are spiders down there!)

Interesting stats on dishwashers. I feel reasonably green about using ours. (The study didn't consider arthritis, chapped hands or hand lotion. Or the use of pets for pre-wash!)

haha chisue-- sometimes it's easier to do the math, sometimes it's easier to just measure it. if you **really** want to know...
1 take bucket and timer to bathroom
2 set timer for... oh, how about 15 seconds
3 start shower.
4 stick bucket under showerhead. be sure bucket catches entire flow. simultaneously start timer.
5 when timer alarms, remove bucket from shower. turn off shower
6 measure amount of water in bucket. multiply x 4 to get volume of water used per minute. multiply that x 5 to get volume of water used in 5 minutes.

(you could let it run for the full 5 minutes and not do any math, but you'd need a big bucket and it would get really heavy...)

(i know, i'm a geek)

OK, ok, I'll get the bucket. Geez. Here I was all into the math stuff, having just watched "21" on DVD. LOL

this is what you get for asking an engineer... what's the cliche? ask for the time, get a lesson on how to build a watch? ;-)

Guess what was in my morning paper? There was a story on water conservation that said showers run 5 - 8 gallons per minute. Guess I still have to get the bucket, but we have such great water pressure that I'm betting my tub use *saves* water.

quirk -- Have you read the post about 'Building a House' where the engineering student asks if he is 'to young' to build?

Our two central A/C units drain the condensate outside the house into a rainbarrel. This water is used to top off the pool.

We line dry most clothes. We bathe rather than shower, but unless we are really grungy, we share the bathwater.

When we built this home 18 years ago, our county flat-out refused to consider our gray-water recycling system. We're still ticked off, LOL, especially since it is now allowed, but retrofitting a sensible system is not cost effective.

chisue- i have now.

um.

well.

Engineers are weird. And engineering students... sigh.