Best way to re-route the water from AC drip line

Question

After the contractors installed the heat pump near my house, they pulled the drip line (that is connected to the condensate pump near the furnace) right next to the outdoor unit, which results in:

1. Dripping water on the sidewalk all the time.
2. Mossy growth near the outdoor unit.
3. Water leaking towards the foundation.

I am not too concerned about (3) since rain probably causes more water to get that close to the foundation, but I feel like there likely is a better way to route the water from basically dripping under the unit slowly until it makes its way to the grass.

What would be the best approach here? Do I just get a PVC pipe and put it on a slope so that the water goes right into the grass, or is there a better recommended approach folks have seen/built?

Answer 1

Two proposals

1- Extend the drip pipe to the grass using a pvc pipe of proper diameter

2- My preferred (I do it now), use a bucked to capture the very clean no minerals or calcium water (soft) to selectively water the plants.

Pending on the size of the heat exchanger coil and humidity factor, you can collect 1-3 gallons, or even more a day

Answer 2

Put a "gutter splash block" (standard item) under it to route the water away from the house to the grass while keeping the pipe short (less potential of clogging the pipe and backing up .vs. extending the pipe.)

Answer 3

One thing that is done in some areas is the condensate drain line is run to a location under a bathroom sink and is tied into the drain line before the P-trap. All condensate goes down the houses sewer system and is never seen. Since you tie in before the P-Trap, sewer gasses in the condensate line are not an issue.

This is the system I've always known, and I was quite surprised to learn that in other areas the drain dumps outside leaving a constant wet spot on the ground.

Answer 4

In my location 95% of homes have an AC unit. The codes for most counties say the condensate line must terminate at least 12" away from a building foundation and have a Trap. (Here they are called "lizard traps" and prevent the little lizards from crawling into the air handler.)

Just considering best practices and common sense, I would add a trap and extend the drain off the concrete at least the 12" away from the house.

Answer 5

Your fastest option would be to cut a small piece off the end of the condensate line, maybe an inch or so, then Take the piece to your local home store (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) and get a male-male hose adapter that fits in that hose piece, could be plastic or brass. In that same plumbing section grab a roll of silicone or plastic tubing of the same diameter that the adapter fits into that you can take home and connect them to the existing condensate line and extend the hose to go further away from your house and air conditioner pad into the grass. The usual recommendation is 6 ft from the house for drain spouts, this is a lot less water coming out so it might not need to go so far away, but far enough.