Routing A/C condensation... dry well?

9 years ago

The A/C condensation line drains through a hole in my siding and puddles against the foundation. Bug man says this is an invitation for termites and that I need to route it away from the house. I thought about building a gravel drywell 20 or so feet away.. but how big does it need to be? Would a 5 gallon bucket size well be enough? The house is ~1300 sq ft, 2.5 ton A/C, in GA (hot) and on clay soil. I am not going to run pipe on top of the ground and it is a long way to the street or any other natural low point. Are there any other ideas for where to channel the water?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Featured Answer

klem1

9 years ago

The bug man makes a vailid point. Buried condensate line would worry me. Options include a rain barrel and running into sewer line. The primary drain doesn't normaly exit soffit,secoundary usualy does. Have you checked for clogged primary?

Comments (6)

mosquitogang201
Original Author
9 years ago
Here's what I have. Both drains exit here. I was thinking to let the water drip into some sort of collector at ground level which would drain through underground PVC pipe into the dry well. So not physically attaching to the pipes in the wall. That way if the pipe underground backs up I'd be no worse off than I am now. We're on septic here.. might be possible to tap into that but would be a bit more work.
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SaltiDawg
9 years ago
An obvious, but yet unasked question: "Is there a way to tie the condensate lines into drains inside the house?"
klem1
9 years ago
"So not physically attaching to the pipes in the wall. That way if the pipe underground backs up I'd be no worse off than I am now."
That is correct and addresses my concurn over the buried line. So back to the 5 gallon basin. You will generate 7 to 10 gallons +/- every 24 hours so the well needs to purculate more than a quart of water per hour. Maybe dig a hole and repeatedly fill it with measured amounts of water to establish the rate water will purculate. There is a post over on the soil,mulch and compost forum where they poured water in a 15 gallon size hole and tadpoles apeared before it drained.
dovetonsils
9 years ago
I jam a cut-off garden hose to the condensate line in the summer and use the water to water the garden. Gets it away from the house and the garden appreciates it!
mike_home
9 years ago
Here is a suggestion. See if you can get a fitting that you can attach to the end of the one inch PVC pipe that will allow you to attach a flexible one inch or .75 inch flexible pipe. Then run the flexible pipe around the edge of the condenser pad and secure so it to the ground so it doesn't move. I think running it to the edge of the condenser pad should be fine. Make sure it has enough pitch to drain away from the house. Have the open end visible so you can check it for an dirt accumulation. Perhaps having it rest on brick would help keep it clear.

Here is a link for a flexible PVC. I have never used this, but it might work. I know you can buy flexible clear tubing in Home Depot. You just have to find a connector to adapt to the PVC pipe. You want something that has UV protection.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flexible PVC pipe