# Gas furnace water condensate runoff..



## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

Anybody who has more experience with furnaces in basements than I do may know about this. I get a lot of condensed water drip out of my furnace , it used to be piped over to an open sewer drain hole when I moved in , consequently in last years flood I got 1 foot of sewer water in my basement. When I had a new furnace installed the guys ran a pipe over to the drain again , but I plugged the drain and have been letting the water go into a bucket wich fills and overflows in a day or two. Is it pretty much standard practice to run the water from the furnace to the sump pump well to be pumped out ? Thats what I have in mind but was wondering if there are some other ways of dealing with the water I havent thought about. The sump well seems like the best choice but the pump will kick on and off a lot during the winter.


----------



## roger23 (Mar 7, 2007)

you can buy a condensate pump to pump it else where,, they are used to pump water from air conditioners


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

It is not normal to have water coming from a gas furnace-UNLESS it is coming from a central a/c unit in the plenum above the furnace in the summer, or possibly other Spring and Fall months in which the air conditioner is running to cool and Dehumidify your house. You may also have a humidifier in that same plenum area for adding moisture to your home in the winter months. If you have water drippage during the heating season, your humidifier might need checking out since IMO, it is leaking. It may be leaking year around causing a constant drippage thru the drain from the furnace. It's very possible the furnace was changed out without any consideration to the a/c or humidifier above it, in the plenum. In any case, the drain can go into the sump well without any problem as long as the pump is working properly. If you're getting water in the winter and the sump pump kicks on a lot in the winter, you definitely have a leaking humidifier problem.


----------



## roger23 (Mar 7, 2007)

c. j. stone said:


> It is not normal to have water coming from a gas furnace-UNLESS it is coming from a central a/c unit in the plenum above the furnace in the summer, or possibly other Spring and Fall months in which the air conditioner is running to cool and Dehumidify your house. You may also have a humidifier in that same plenum area for adding moisture to your home in the winter months. If you have water drippage during the heating season, your humidifier might need checking out since IMO, it is leaking. It may be leaking year around causing a constant drippage thru the drain from the furnace. It's very possible the furnace was changed out without any consideration to the a/c or humidifier above it, in the plenum. In any case, the drain can go into the sump well without any problem as long as the pump is working properly. If you're getting water in the winter and the sump pump kicks on a lot in the winter, you definitely have a leaking humidifier problem.


new furnaces 90% + do have condensation from the stack this is common ,,it is also acidic


----------



## -C-IMP (Apr 25, 2008)

Most if not all high efficientcy furnaces have this condition. As a matter of fact ours is hooked to a water line which flushes the acid from the system.


----------



## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

Older style gas furnaces do not make water at all,but the newer high effeciency make tons of water.
I have owned a couple high effeciency furnaces and both of these units were plumbed into the sump drain.
Its normal...nothing to worry about.


----------



## roger23 (Mar 7, 2007)

Furnace with flue gas condensate neutralizer
Document Type and Number:
United States Patent 4289730

Abstract:
A high efficiency domestic furnace incorporates means for separating and neutralizing flue gas condensate. Acidic condensate from the flue gas products of combustion is neutralized by contact with neutralizing material in a housing through which the condensate is flowed. The use of the neutralizer in connection with a high efficiency domestic furnace permits discharge of the condensate directly to the household drain. The neutralizer is arranged to be self-flushing and defines a serpentine, series flow path and is arranged to discharge the neutralized condensate as a result of the entry of additional acidic condensate at its inlet.


----------



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Wow-I stand corrected! I have no experience with "high efficiency" gas furnaces. The last gas furnace I owned was ~20 years ago. Sincere thanks for the enlightenment. Who says you can't teach an old dog a new trick?


----------



## Hook N Book (Apr 7, 2004)

Roger23 hit it on the head. These things also have to be vented through PVC. The main fitting coming off the furnace usually will have a drain right there. Run a short section of hose from it to a condensate pump and then from the pump make a run through a hole somewhere along your header board above the foundation. Only problem is during extreme cold you might have to get out there with a propane touch to de-ice that puppy.


----------



## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

However it works , it takes humidity from the air and drains through a drain thingy at the bottom of the furnace. This condensate pump sounds like a good idea , I will check that out. thanks for the help.


----------



## FISHERBALL (Apr 7, 2004)

They lower the temp of the flue gas to the temp where the steam turns to H2O. The changing of state is what gives it 12&#37;-15% higher efficiency. That's how they work. Turning a gas to a liquid gives off heat. The water is from the "smoke" of the fire. What you see as "smoke" from your flue is actually steam. An A/C works by turning a liquid to a gas. That absorbs heat.


----------



## yonderfishin (Apr 9, 2006)

I guess its a mixture between that and humidity from the house then right ? Just like an air conditioner. Humidity has to go somewhere.


----------



## roger23 (Mar 7, 2007)

How do they work?

Most high-efficiency furnaces use a condensing process. Two heat exchangers draw enough heat from combustion gases that moisture in the gas condenses, releasing additional usable heat. The condensate is piped to a floor drain and exhaust gases are cool enough to be vented out a sidewall with a four-inch piece of plastic pipe, thus eliminating the need for a chimney. Because the combustion in these furnaces is sealed, there is also no risk of carbon monoxide leaks.


----------



## FISHERBALL (Apr 7, 2004)

When the furnace is running the condensation has nothing to do with the interior humidity. That's only when the A/C is running.


----------

