So, it all started yesterday when I was finishing up texturing a room after I had fully sanded and refloated the walls (the irony). Sometime after I removed the carpet yesterday morning, I hear a noise in the wall. A consistent drip. I know there is a bathtub faucet on the other side of the wall so in a panic, I run out and turn off the water and then start cutting into my freshly textured walls to take a look.



The dripping keeps occurring even with the water turned off, and I come to realize that it is actually the condensation lines from my A/C units (2 coming together) that are the cause of the leak. Just inside the hole to the right in the above picture is a ~2.5 inch PVC pipe running vertical that eventually ties into bathtub drain from the next room over.

Today, I go up into the attic to investigate further. I find that the joint that brings the two condensation lines from the A./C units is the culprit. One connection feels like it isn't even the right sized pipe, although they appear to be. I'm not sure if it wasn't welded properly or if the Texas heat broke the weld.

(this is a top-down photo) The piece coming into the 'T' from the side is the culprit. The joint at the 'T' is very loose.



So, I'm actually glad. This is an easy fix and I don't have to rip open any more wall up higher. But, now is where it gets weird... If you look close in the next picture, you can see that this ~1.25 inch pipe telescopes into that ~2.5 inch pipe that I mentioned in the first paragraph. Its just there, wide open to the attic space.



I'm not sure how long the condensation line pipe goes into the bigger pipe, but its longer than a foot from what I can tell when I pick up on it. What am I dealing with here? Is this at all normal? Should I be concerned with this pipe opening in the attic getting clogged up and overflowing?

Mine is the same way, with the smaller condensate line simply resting inside the large sewer drain line. Like you I have had issues, mostly attributed to when I blew additional cellulose insulation into the attic. Some made it into the drain line and caused an overflow around the drain line. I haven't had a chance to yet but I intend to hard plumb it.

Edit to add, I don't know if it is normal or if someone just cut corners. It wasn't flagged during our home inspection though but obviously they can't catch everything.

Thanks for the input. At least where this is located for me, I could easily see this being missed on an inspection. I guess before I fix the connection I could trying snake the line. I'm also, at this point, up for fixing the connection and just running both A/C units while monitoring it closely to see if it over flows. The dripping that I had came down about 3 inches from the large pipe, so I'm under the impression that it was leaking at that connection and never overflowing (as overflow would likely just run down the side of the pipe.

Any other thoughts?

Is this not a vent stack that should go outside but may not have been finished? If so, may be functioning fine but I'd want it completed.

91AggieLawyer said:

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Is this not a vent stack that should go outside but may not have been finished? If so, may be functioning fine but I'd want it completed.

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It actually is, kind of...Just when I thought I had it figured out, I learn more...


Looking up from the hole I cut in the bedroom wall, you can actually see that the pipe has a T, and out the side of the T it goes into a P-trap which then exhausts to the cutout hole previously discussed.



The main part of the pipe continues its exhaust through the roof line. Here it is as the vertical pipe in the center of the picture.



It would seem that this weird condensate line drain was intentional...

The very last image on this page is basically what is happening, I guess...


https://www.checkthishouse.com/15/drip-pan-under-the-attic-installed-air-conditioning-coil.html

(Picture from above link)



Any more thoughts?

We have the same issue. Total PITA when the condensation filled the stack, overflowed, and ruined about $3 grand in hardwood flooring.

House built in mid 90's. Apparently that's the way it was done then.

cavscout96 said:

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We have the same issue. Total PITA when the condensation filled the stack, overflowed, and ruined about $3 grand in hardwood flooring.

House built in mid 90's. Apparently that's the way it was done then.

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Well, crap.. That's my fear. Our house was built in '93, so it definitely follows the trend.

Terrible design. Re-direct that crap outside (along with the overflow) where you can see it (either dripping normally or coming out the overflow).

This is a very common setup from houses in the mid 70's - mid 90's with usually the primary being 90 'd and just resting inside the bigger line with an open gap. Unfortunately what usually happens over time is insuation seems finds its way into the trap and or slime/sediment builds up in the bottom of the trap to cause the back up. I've probably done at least 10+ water damage restoration jobs over the past 15 years that were caused by this issue. Most where when this situation happened when the owners were on vacation for an extended period in the summer and come home to caved In ceilings and damaged flooring in multiple rooms.

What I would do is add a bushing like this for the primary line to tie into

https://pvcpipesupplies.com/2-x-3-4-bushing-s-437-248.html?msclkid=58fd495761331cd8f95615b4d6190f24&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Product%20Ads(BSC)&utm_term=1101500684445&utm_content=All%20Products

And then either vent the secondary out of the eave of the house above a window or door where you would notice if it was ever dripping.

Also you could cap the overflow pan on the secondary as long as you install an electrical float switch inside the pan that shuts off the outside condenser if water triggers it in the pan.


Also every march you should put a few ounces of bleach down the trap or up hill on a Tee on the drainline to help prevent build up over time.

Same here. House built in 83.


First home and by sheer dumb luck I heard the dripping into the condensate line. Found it 1 inch below the top. Hauled my ass to Lowe's and grabbed a snake to clear the line.

Phew!

This makes sense. You'd probably want an air gap between your AC and sewer system. This is the same reason brine discharges from water softeners are not directly connected to sanitary lines and instead go to a floor drain or clip to an open pipe like a facing machine's drain.