Where to drain water (condensation from HRV)

[DIYer101]

I'm planning to put in a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) that will generate a little bit of water from condensation. That water needs to be drained somewhere.

Can I just put in a drain anywhere I want?

I have existing pipes running through a basement closet I'd like to install the HRV in. So I'd like to just tap into that line, but I'm not sure how: do I just put a full floor drain in mid-air (I assume you'd use a sani-tee to tap into the line), or is there a better way?

The picture below shows more or less what my house is like. The red line is where the condensate drain would be (?). It's just like 1/4 inch vinyl tubing I believe.

Thanks for any ideas.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

One common way to do it would be to install a drain tee on the sink tailpiece and route the line to that.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[JRC3]

One common way to do it would be to install a drain tee on the sink tailpiece and route the line to that.

Reported.

LOL

 

[Bluebinky]

Not a pro, but have dealt with this before a few times.

You will need a way to keep the trap full. One way is to use a trap primer from a frequently used fixture (a big pain IMHO). You'll also need to vent the new trap somehow.

Another option is to tap into an existing floor drain (which should already have a way to keep its trap full).

Tapping into a sink drain, as Cacher Chick says, is also done. Before the trap eliminates the need for another trap on the new unit with the associated trap primer.

Since the water is just condensed humidity, you may be able to simply drain the condensate outside into a pit or whatever. How deep is your frost line, water table, etc? ...

 

[DIYer101]

Thanks bluebinky. The loop in the condensate drain line is supposed to serve as a trap, although I'm not opposed to having 2 traps. I am hesitant to put the water in the ground anywhere near the house. This house had a little termite issue (decades ago, previous owner, probably due to a leak).

If I knew it would only put out drip now and then, I'd be tempted to use a bucket and a leak detector. But the manufacturer says it could be quite a bit more water in winter months.

Reported.

LOL

I'm assuming this may mean that "common" and "correct" are not the same thing in case?

 

[Cacher_Chick]

I have no idea what he is referring to. Connecting to the sink tailpiece is no different than if the line was running right into the sink basin. There is nothing in our plumbing code that would prevent us from doing it, and it is a common practice.

The other option is to install another drain somewhere, and how that would be done depends entirely on the layout of the existing DWV system.

 

[EIR]

Think they meant that draining the HRV condensate into the tail piece without an air gap is a code violation. He could drain it into the basin above the flood rim of the sink ( air gap ).

He could drain the condensate into a condensate pump (air gap) and then pump the condensate to the tail piece. I believe that would be allowed though not a professional plumber.

Thanks bluebinky. The loop in the condensate drain line is supposed to serve as a trap, although I'm not opposed to having 2 traps. I am hesitant to put the water in the ground anywhere near the house. This house had a little termite issue (decades ago, previous owner, probably due to a leak).

If I knew it would only put out drip now and then, I'd be tempted to use a bucket and a leak detector. But the manufacturer says it could be quite a bit more water in winter months.



I'm assuming this may mean that "common" and "correct" are not the same thing in case?

 

[Sylvan]

"Think they meant that draining the HRV condensate into the tail piece without an air gap is a code violation. He could drain it into the basin above the flood rim of the sink ( air gap ). "

Funny some parts of the country call it an "air break" for drainage and air gap for water supply and your right there should be an indirect waste as what happens if the drain has a stoppage?

 

[JRC3]

Yeah, I was joking and referencing another thread I assumed cacher_chick was making light of.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

There is no requirement for an air gap on a condensate line from an HVAC unit.