# Whats this pump?



## bud16415 (Jan 9, 2018)

Our furnace came with the house and seems to be an upgrade they did 10-15 back. it is somewhat modern as it vents with PVC pipe here are to photos one of the works and the other is this pump box that sits behind the furnace. 

During the cold spell we had below zero the furnace ran a lot but this pump ran 24/7 and it has water dripping out of it. Now that the temp has warmed up into 30s it seems like it shut off. 

What does it do? How do I know if it is working correctly? Do I even need it? How do I know it is installed correctly? 

It is wired into the Jbox in the lower right side of the one photo. Has tubes and PVC running to it.


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## nealtw (Jan 9, 2018)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzyxRlG_iJE[/ame]


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 9, 2018)

It prevents your AC "A" coil assembly from rusting.  
Should be no condensate with heating, maybe the level switch fails intermittently to a short circuit.

You may need to clear the condensate line occasionally.  
Coat hanger wire or garden hose pressure should do it.  Sometimes they don't glue the PVC joints because there's no pressure and to give you access.

Code may say the pump needs its own GFCI, what with the water and all.


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## bud16415 (Jan 9, 2018)

We don&#8217;t have AC that is part of my confusion as to why I have one in the first place. I always thought that the exhaust gas even with high efficiency should remain above the dew point. Lots of steam goes out of the house with the waste products.


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## nealtw (Jan 9, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> We dont have AC that is part of my confusion as to why I have one in the first place. I always thought that the exhaust gas even with high efficiency should remain above the dew point. Lots of steam goes out of the house with the waste products.



All the high efficiency furnaces have them.


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## nealtw (Jan 9, 2018)

Why do high-efficiency furnaces create water, anyway?

High-efficiency furnaces create water because they have something that normal furnaces don&#8217;t: A secondary heat exchanger.

What&#8217;s that?

Well, a primary heat exchanger extracts heat from combustion gases and then imparts that heat to your home&#8217;s air. A secondary heat exchanger can extract even more heat from the combustion gases before sending it out the exhaust pipe.

Because the secondary heat exchanger steals so much heat, the combustion gases lose enough energy to condense into a liquid. That liquid is what may be pooling around your furnace.

The condensate line isn&#8217;t the only cause of this issue. It could be that the...
https://www.binskyhome.com/help-guide/2016/october/-why-is-water-leaking-from-my-furnace-/


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## bud16415 (Jan 9, 2018)

Thanks Neal

I have to back down and really check this out and see what&#8217;s going now that I have a half idea what its doing. I have no clue where it is running the water. 

I have a dehumidifier down there also that is a pain because we are dumping it every day. I have been thinking about a small sump and pump to get rid of that water as well. Maybe this little pump could do both jobs. 

So in my original picture the big PVC draining down is the water coming in I take it and the clear hose is the water going out someplace. There is a check valve in there. The other PVC is just a breather or something I guess. 

Could I dump the water from my dehumidifier into that port and let it get pumped out in the summer? Seems like it would work. 

If I cant fix this one and I have to buy a new one I might as well get it sized for both jobs.


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## nealtw (Jan 9, 2018)

Above my pay grade. Watch out for a tube just run outside where it can freeze between cycles.


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 10, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> During the cold spell we had below zero the *furnace ran a lot* but this *pump ran 24/7* and it has water dripping out of it.



Furnace seems right-sized.  Pump or collection tray or both may be undersized.

"Condensate pumps are typically sized at three times normal condensing or evaporation rate. ..."  Your furnace maker can tell you how many qts per hour-of-furnace-runtime you can expect.

You may want to time how long it takes to fill a container with this drainage.


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## bud16415 (Jan 14, 2018)

Well I cleaned up that little pump unit and it is working fine. I took a half gallon of water about the amount it holds between cycles and filled it up thru the second inlet and it took off and pumped that water out in maybe 20 seconds at most seemed like 10 I didn&#8217;t time it but it was quick. The tube leading out of the house is run along with the exhaust so it stays warm all winter when the furnace runs. 

I moved my dehumidifier closer to it and cut an old garden hose to about five foot long and ran it between the dehumidifier and the fill of the pump. Testing it right now to see if this setup will save me going up and down the stairs with a bucket. 

If it overloads the pump all it will do is overflow so I should be able to see if it works. Going to let it run a while and see if I can figure out how much flow I&#8217;m getting. 

Only one way to find out is try it. I have been told if I mess that furnace up my *** is grass and she is the lawnmower. If it works I&#8217;m going to hear how many years she lugged water up the stairs. I can&#8217;t win on this one.


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## nealtw (Jan 18, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> Well I cleaned up that little pump unit and it is working fine. I took a half gallon of water about the amount it holds between cycles and filled it up thru the second inlet and it took off and pumped that water out in maybe 20 seconds at most seemed like 10 I didnt time it but it was quick. The tube leading out of the house is run along with the exhaust so it stays warm all winter when the furnace runs.
> 
> I moved my dehumidifier closer to it and cut an old garden hose to about five foot long and ran it between the dehumidifier and the fill of the pump. Testing it right now to see if this setup will save me going up and down the stairs with a bucket.
> 
> ...


 I wonder if that would work to pump water out of a rain barrow to water plants up on the deck.


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## bud16415 (Jan 18, 2018)

nealtw said:


> I wonder if that would work to pump water out of a rain barrow to water plants up on the deck.



Mine is doing about 6 of lift without a problem. So far it seems like it will work doing furnace and dehumidifier. Normally it sits all summer now it can run a few times each day. 

Just wire it with a switch and every gallon or so let it rest I bet it would do your plants fine.


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## nealtw (Jan 18, 2018)

bud16415 said:


> Mine is doing about 6 of lift without a problem. So far it seems like it will work doing furnace and dehumidifier. Normally it sits all summer now it can run a few times each day.
> 
> Just wire it with a switch and every gallon or so let it rest I bet it would do your plants fine.


 Right now she fills, well not right now but she fills a watering can to water her 20 or 40 plants. I ran a 1/4" line but that to slow and a full sized hose would be more trouble. I have been looking at those drill pumps but they look like junk. And then there are fountain pumps.:hide:


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## tuffy (Jan 18, 2018)

nealtw said:


> Right now she fills, well not right now but she fills a watering can to water her 20 or 40 plants. I ran a 1/4" line but that to slow and a full sized hose would be more trouble. I have been looking at those drill pumps but they look like junk. And then there are fountain pumps.:hide:



On all of my wife's plants I used drip irrigation hooked up to a timer took some time to get the timer adjusted but in all it was worth it . just a thought.


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## nealtw (Jan 18, 2018)

tuffy said:


> On all of my wife's plants I used drip irrigation hooked up to a timer took some time to get the timer adjusted but in all it was worth it . just a thought.


 
Yeah did that then the next time I was there she had re arranged the plants which apparently happens often. :rofl:


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