Learning how to keep a condensate line from freezing is basically a transitional phase for homeowners who live anywhere the temperature regularly falls below 32 levels. It usually occurs at the worst possible time—maybe it's three in the morning on a Tuesday, or right in the center of a record-breaking blizzard. You awaken, realize the home feels a little bit chilly, and discover out your high-efficiency furnace has totally shut itself straight down. The culprit? A little bit of ice blocking a plastic pipe.
This sounds like a minor annoyance, but a frozen condensate line can in fact become a huge head ache. When that drinking water can't escape, it backs up to the system, triggers a safety switch, plus kills your high temperature. If you're fortunate, it just turns off. If you're unlucky, you finish up with a puddle on the basement floor. This is actually the lowdown on why this particular happens and, moreover, how to prevent it before the particular next cold click hits.
Exactly why Do These Outlines Freeze Anyway?
In case you have a contemporary, high-efficiency furnace or even a heat push, celebrate moisture because it runs. This particular is just a byproduct of the particular combustion process or the dehumidification that happens during heating and cooling. This water wants a place to go, so this travels through a PVC pipe—the condensate line—to a depletion or outside your own house.
The particular problem is that this water movements slowly. It's not a rushing river; it's a slow, steady drip. When that slow spill meets sub-zero air, it doesn't consider long for a layer of snow to form. Once a little bit of ice stays to the inside associated with the pipe, all of those other water catches on it, and before a person know it, you've got a strong ice plug.
The Insulating material Strategy
One of the easiest ways to handle this is by wrapping the particular pipe. If your own condensate line operates through an unheated crawlspace, an attic room, or sticks away of the side of your house, it's exposed to the sun and rain. Adding foam insulation is usually the first line of defense.
A person can pick-up those black foam tubes (often called armaflex or pipe sleeves) at any hardware store for a couple of dollars. You just slide them within the PVC tube and tape the particular seams. This helps trap the residual high temperature from the water plus keeps the biting down hard wind from chilling the pipe down to the freezing point. It's not really a foolproof option for a -20 degree day, but for most "normal" winter weather, this does the trick.
Focus on the particular Exit Point
The spot exactly where the pipe really exits the house is the most vulnerable. This is how the warm indoor air meets the particular freezing outdoor atmosphere. If you may, try to keep the insulation nestled tight against the exterior wall. Even a small gap associated with an inch or two can become enough for ice to start developing here at the mouth area of the pipe.
Utilize the Power associated with Gravity
If your condensate line is sagging or doesn't have a steep enough slope, you're asking for trouble. Water is sluggish; it wants to pool in low spots. If there's a "belly" in your PVC pipe, water will sit down there, wait with regard to the temperature to drop, and switch into a localized ice cube.
Check your line's "pitch. " You desire at least a 1/4-inch drop intended for every foot of horizontal pipe. When it looks flat, or if the particular hangers holding the pipe have loose up over time, grab some squat ties or pipe straps and crank it up. Keeping the water moving fast is one of the best ways to make sure it doesn't have got time to stop. If the water gets out associated with the pipe quickly, it won't possess the chance to sit down still and solidify.
Heat Recording: The Heavy Hitter
If a person live in a place in which the air hurts the face for 3 months out from the yr, insulation may not be more than enough. This is where heat tape (also called heat cable) comes in. This is usually a specialized electric cable which you cover around or run alongside the pipe. You plug it into an outlet, and it provides a consistent, reduced level of heat to keep the particular pipe just over freezing.
Right now there are two main types: "self-regulating" and "manual. " Self-regulating is the way to go since it senses the temp and only draws power when this needs to. Don't just wrap it plus forget it , though. You should still put insulation more than the heat tape to hold that will warmth against the pipe. It's a bit of an investment and requires an outdoor-rated outlet, but it's a lot less expensive than an crisis HVAC call-out charge on Christmas Eve.
Look at your End of contract Point
Exactly where does your condensate line actually end? If it dumps water directly onto the ground, you may run into a "glacier" problem. Water hits the freezing ground, freezes immediately, and eventually develops up a pile of ice that will reaches all the way up back again up into the particular pipe.
It's a good idea to make sure the finish of the pipe is usually at least a few inches away from the ground. In case you have a lot of snowfall, you'll need to venture out there with a shovel and make sure the particular pipe isn't smothered. If the end of the pipe is under a snowbank, the water has nowhere to go, but it will surely freeze out almost instantly.
The "Air Gap" Trick
A few HVAC pros suggest installing a larger diameter pipe within the end of the particular condensate line. For example, if your line is 3/4-inch PVC, you can have got it drain in to a 2-inch pipe which is open with the top. This creates an surroundings gap. If the bottom of the 2-inch pipe freezes up, water may still spill out the top of the particular "cup" instead of backing up into your furnace. It's a bit messy, but it keeps your own heat running.
Using a Condensate Pump
Occasionally, you can't obtain a good downwards slope because associated with how your house is built. In these instances, people use a condensate pump to push the drinking water up and out. In case your pump's discharge line is the particular thing freezing, a person might want to look at rerouting it.
If possible, try to keep the whole run of the pipe inside the "conditioned" or heated space of your house for mainly because long as a person can. The much less pipe you have staying out in the cold, the better your odds are. In the event that the pump offers to push drinking water through 20 foot of freezing attic room space, that drinking water is going to be ice prior to it ever reaches the backyard.
What to Do If It's Currently Frozen
If you're reading this particular because your furnace is already deceased and you also see snow hanging from the particular pipe, don't stress. You can usually repair this yourself with no calling a professional.
First, grab a hairdryer or a heat gun (on a low setting). Gently warm the length of the pipe, starting from the outside and working your path back in. You'll eventually hear a satisfying "clunk" or even a splash because the ice plug lets go. Stay away from a blowtorch —you'll melt the PVC or, worse, begin a fire.
When the line is clear, the particular furnace should reset to zero itself, though you may have to spiral the strength switch on the side of the unit to clear the error program code.
Long lasting Maintenance
Lastly, keep that line clean. During typically the summer, algae and "slime" can build up within the condensate line. This gunk makes the within the pipe rough, which provides ice more areas to grab on to once winter proceeds around. Once a year, usually in the spring or fall, pour a bit of white vinegar or a dedicated condensate cleanser down the line to keep this smooth and very clear.
Studying how to keep a condensate line from freezing isn't exactly a thrilling hobby, but it's one of these bits of home maintenance that pays off massively when the particular first polar vortex hits. A little bit of foam, a better position, or a well-placed heat cable is it takes to keep your feet warm all wintertime long.