Adventures with HVAC at 11pm

[JohnnyTheFox]

When it was around 90 today and supposed to be around the same tomorrow.

Got home and thought "I have got some time on my hands maybe I will take off the condensation pump off the AC and give it a good cleaning" which I did around 5 years ago because the outlet valve became clogged and went it gets clogged the auto shutoff kicks on so the thing wont flood the joint.

It comes out with zero problems then I have a bit of trouble getting the outlet tube off and thought great I will just unbolt it from the unit..........and guess what bam....the thing snaps right in half.

Was going to pay someone tonight to do it but decided not to, went and found a long plastic tube and stuck it in the outlet hole and ran it into a 2 gallon bucket sitting in the hallway just go the thing can run {hopefully} throughout the night just to keep things cool.

Since tomorrow is my day guess I know what I'll be doing now instead of mowing/weed-eating.

I suppose there is a lesson to be learned in here somewhere....
Maybe if it isn't broke don't fix it and never work on old{er} hvac equip after hours.
Don't i feel like a dummy.......

 

[Melonfeud]

@FuzzyLumpkins at one time, is the fellow who ultimately would've appreciated that service repair phone call you almost made.


WoW,you really got that much humidity in you're A.O.?,,,Man,I can't even imagine,,, er,,,that and the concept of a seasonal 'Frost line',,,,

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

@FuzzyLumpkins at one time, is the fellow who ultimately would've appreciated that service repair phone call you almost made.


WoW,you really got that much humidity in you're A.O.?,,,Man,I can't even imagine,,, er,,,that and the concept of a seasonal 'Frost line',,,,

Actually I did call a couple of people, neither of them had or could get a pump at 11pm. One suggested I go to Wal Mart and get a generic pump and use that. There is a parts house about a mile away and I am certain they carry the exact{if not close}model. As for the temps yes, It was a around 90 today in Oklahoma and humid and supposed to be close to that tomorrow. The way I have it set up currently is working, only question is will the bucket fill up with water before I wake. And there were so many typos in my OP please excuse, I was tired, worn out and frustrated.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

PVC over time shrinks and contracts and becomes brittle. Unfortunately for you they are probably going to tell you they need to replace the pan. HVAC prices have spiked since I was doing it but it will cost you some coin if that is the case.

In the future I would just throw a cup of bleach into the drain pan every time you change your filter. that will serve to kill the algae that forms to clog your drainage. in the beginning of the season when there is not much condensate it is unlikely to have clogged yet but its good practice to start.

There is no valve or pump. its just gravity. When the pan fills up it over flows into secondary pan which feeds into the same drain pipe. That will have a float switch to kill the system when it fills up. I doubt that has stopped functioning so you should be safe until you get home.

OTOH around the pan where you inserted the pipe if there is no seal you very well could get all kinds of leakage.

 

[Quickdraw]

So you have a condensate pump where the discharge valve that connects from it to your drain line broke off? You'll need to buy a new pump.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

So you have a condensate pump where the discharge valve that connects from it to your drain line broke off? You'll need to buy a new pump.

Yep, going to get one today. Found the same pump on Amazon for around 50$ not including shipping, the local parts house shouldn't be much higher. Was going to pay someone to do it but don't want to pay their markup plus labor/service call.

 

[Xelda]

I hate to hear all of that, Johnny. In an attempt to do the right thing, all the wrong things happened. I am guilty of so many of those same kinds of things. There's one thing I won't do though, that's mess with things that keep me cool when the weather turns hot. One day of hot in the south would probably turn me into a monster. The sad thing is for all the snow the north has dealt with, our hell is getting started. I would like two months of comfortable weather before the sun turns up to high heat.

 

[CouchCoach]

When it was around 90 today and supposed to be around the same tomorrow.

Got home and thought "I have got some time on my hands maybe I will take off the condensation pump off the AC and give it a good cleaning" which I did around 5 years ago because the outlet valve became clogged and went it gets clogged the auto shutoff kicks on so the thing wont flood the joint.

It comes out with zero problems then I have a bit of trouble getting the outlet tube off and thought great I will just unbolt it from the unit..........and guess what bam....the thing snaps right in half.

Was going to pay someone tonight to do it but decided not to, went and found a long plastic tube and stuck it in the outlet hole and ran it into a 2 gallon bucket sitting in the hallway just go the thing can run {hopefully} throughout the night just to keep things cool.

Since tomorrow is my day guess I know what I'll be doing now instead of mowing/weed-eating.

I suppose there is a lesson to be learned in here somewhere....
Maybe if it isn't broke don't fix it and never work on old{er} hvac equip after hours.
Don't i feel like a dummy.......

Not only that, John, but you have endangered the economy by attempting DIY and depriving someone in that line of work of feeding their family. This is what I used to tell my wife as the reason she didn't want me on any "honey do's" that might involve a trained professional down he road. Let's bring them in now while the damage is minimal. Besides that, I get a real sense of satisfaction watching others work.

Not that I do not admire the people that are their own handyman or handywoman, like one of my Aunts. They get a real sense of accomplishment and self satisfaction when the project is completed. But not the same degree of satisfaction I get knowing someone else, anyone else, is handling that other than myself. I also like hanging out and asking questions, like a little kid, like "what's that?", "what's that do?" and "what would happen if I unplug this?" I find that keeps them on task and hurries them along. I've actually had them grab the check and run to their truck.

 

[Runwildboys]

Yep, going to get one today. Found the same pump on Amazon for around 50$ not including shipping, the local parts house shouldn't be much higher. Was going to pay someone to do it but don't want to pay their markup plus labor/service call.

Good luck!

 

[Runwildboys]

Not only that, John, but you have endangered the economy by attempting DIY and depriving someone in that line of work of feeding their family. This is what I used to tell my wife as the reason she didn't want me on any "honey do's" that might involve a trained professional down he road. Let's bring them in now while the damage is minimal. Besides that, I get a real sense of satisfaction watching others work.

Not that I do not admire the people that are their own handyman or handywoman, like one of my Aunts. They get a real sense of accomplishment and self satisfaction when the project is completed. But not the same degree of satisfaction I get knowing someone else, anyone else, is handling that other than myself. I also like hanging out and asking questions, like a little kid, like "what's that?", "what's that do?" and "what would happen if I unplug this?" I find that keeps them on task and hurries them along. I've actually had them grab the check and run to their truck.

That was more about your being nude.

 

[CouchCoach]

That was more about your being nude.

And where I was keeping the check.

 

[Seven]

Yep, going to get one today. Found the same pump on Amazon for around 50$ not including shipping, the local parts house shouldn't be much higher. Was going to pay someone to do it but don't want to pay their markup plus labor/service call.

Some of us never learn........think "Snap! What the hell........!?"

Spend a thousand to save a buck...........That's what men do.

 

[Melonfeud]

Out of curiosity I did a quick 'Google Foo' pertaining something along the lines " amount of water the average household A.C. unit extracts in 24 hours @50% humidity ",,,I picked up general anywhere from 5 gallons in relatively low humidity up to 20 gallons in high humid areas

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

Out of curiosity I did a quick 'Google Foo' pertaining something along the lines " amount of water the average household A.C. unit extracts in 24 hours @50% humidity ",,,I picked up general anywhere from 5 gallons in relatively low humidity up to 20 gallons in high humid areas

Seems a bit high, in about 8 hours with the AC set at around 73 there was between half and a gallon or so of water. BTW found the part here locally for 49.99 and took me all of 20 minutes to install.

 

[Seven]

Out of curiosity I did a quick 'Google Foo' pertaining something along the lines " amount of water the average household A.C. unit extracts in 24 hours @50% humidity ",,,I picked up general anywhere from 5 gallons in relatively low humidity up to 20 gallons in high humid areas

Careful when you use the term "AC" cause in the dryer, hotter environments Evaporative cooling uses less and AC (refrigerated Air) in the same environment is useless.

 

[Melonfeud]

Careful when you use the term "AC" cause in the dryer, hotter environments Evaporative cooling uses less and AC (refrigerated Air) in the same environment is useless.

Copy,,,and in the opposite conditions the reverse is true

 

[CouchCoach]

Seems a bit high, in about 8 hours with the AC set at around 73 there was between half and a gallon or so of water. BTW found the part here locally for 49.99 and took me all of 20 minutes to install.

Congratulations, I am soooo jealous.

 

[Seven]

Copy,,,and in the opposite conditions the reverse is true

Correct-o-mundo, my man.

 

[Seven]

Seems a bit high, in about 8 hours with the AC set at around 73 there was between half and a gallon or so of water. BTW found the part here locally for 49.99 and took me all of 20 minutes to install.

Well done, mate.