Confoozled
New Member
Hello all. First, thanks for this resource. I've spent a lot of time reading threads and have learned a lot. My issue:
I noticed a ground-level PVC drip pipe recently began flowing, about a quart a minute. First time in 20 years. Not huge, but enough that the patio and ground around it are now soaked. I know where my primary and overflow drip tubes are for the AC condensate and it is not one of them (plus I checked to verify AC pan is dry, normal condensate line running per usual).
The water is quite hot. I pulled the basement drop ceiling above where the PVC pipe exits the wall and find a hot water pipe (copper) directly in line above it, which turns downward at that point as if it runs down the wall to the PVC pipe exiting the house (I haven't ripped out the wall board to directly prove this, but circumstantial evidence link the two).
This copper pipe runs off the water heater pipe shortly above the hot water exit, runs up to the joist/deadspace level, and then straight across to that basement exterior wall and then down that wall as mentioned. There are no sinks or water-using fixtures on that wall.
Does anyone have a guess what this mystery pipe is for? It's not connected to the heater's TPV, which is side-mounted and its pipe just runs to the floor. I keep a bucket under it just in case and few minutes ago tripped it for 10 seconds to ensure it ran/stopped as expected.
Also, there must be some sort of valve (perhaps another pressure valve?) inside the wall, just upstream of where the hot copper pipe meets the PVC drip pipe, or surely this thing would just be shooting water out all the time like an opened tap. There's no shutoff on this mystery pipe, but I wouldn't shut it off at this point anyway since I don't know what it is and it might be some kind of safety feature. House was originally plumbed in 1999 if that helps, for example if there was some short-lived piping fad from around that time.
Many thanks in advance if you've ever heard of anything like this and know why it might have been installed.
I noticed a ground-level PVC drip pipe recently began flowing, about a quart a minute. First time in 20 years. Not huge, but enough that the patio and ground around it are now soaked. I know where my primary and overflow drip tubes are for the AC condensate and it is not one of them (plus I checked to verify AC pan is dry, normal condensate line running per usual).
The water is quite hot. I pulled the basement drop ceiling above where the PVC pipe exits the wall and find a hot water pipe (copper) directly in line above it, which turns downward at that point as if it runs down the wall to the PVC pipe exiting the house (I haven't ripped out the wall board to directly prove this, but circumstantial evidence link the two).
This copper pipe runs off the water heater pipe shortly above the hot water exit, runs up to the joist/deadspace level, and then straight across to that basement exterior wall and then down that wall as mentioned. There are no sinks or water-using fixtures on that wall.
Does anyone have a guess what this mystery pipe is for? It's not connected to the heater's TPV, which is side-mounted and its pipe just runs to the floor. I keep a bucket under it just in case and few minutes ago tripped it for 10 seconds to ensure it ran/stopped as expected.
Also, there must be some sort of valve (perhaps another pressure valve?) inside the wall, just upstream of where the hot copper pipe meets the PVC drip pipe, or surely this thing would just be shooting water out all the time like an opened tap. There's no shutoff on this mystery pipe, but I wouldn't shut it off at this point anyway since I don't know what it is and it might be some kind of safety feature. House was originally plumbed in 1999 if that helps, for example if there was some short-lived piping fad from around that time.
Many thanks in advance if you've ever heard of anything like this and know why it might have been installed.