Where to drain the air conditioner water: standards and options for drainage for a split system

An eternal headache for installers and designers: where to drain the air conditioner water.No one is happy with the installation of a drainage box across the entire wall; neighbors below complain about water dripping from the drainage hose around the clock. Agree, this issue deserves to find a more worthy solution.

You will learn everything about the formation, collection and discharge of condensate that accompanies the operation of a household split system from the article we presented. We will tell you how best to dispose of it with minimal inconvenience for yourself and others. Let's look at recommendations for installing a drainage hose and how to remove it.

Causes of condensation and ways of discharge

Warm air from the room enters the refrigeration radiator of the heat exchanger. There, as it cools, it “gives up” all the moisture contained in it. The principle of condensation can be demonstrated with a simple example. If you take any item out of the refrigerator, it will immediately become covered with droplets of water. This is condensation.

The amount of condensation depends on humidity. The more humid the air, the more condensation will be produced. Please note that bacteria multiply much faster in dry air, which can cause respiratory illness. When the air conditioner is running, you should ventilate the room more often.

The box-shaped structure with a ball locking device can be installed in both hidden and open ways. Equipped with a replaceable cassette for replacing a dirty one. When the siphon is open, it is convenient to observe the condition of the mechanism through the plastic transparent case

Why do you need condensate drainage from an air conditioner:

1. Since condensate is predominantly water, and an air conditioner is a complex electromechanical device, their proximity can lead to a short circuit situation and premature breakdown of equipment.
2. In just one day, one air conditioner can produce 20 liters of condensed liquid. And a whole ton can easily be collected from the office center. This is a serious risk of basement flooding.
3. In stagnant water, mold, bacteria and other pathogens quickly develop.

The arguments provided are quite enough to understand how important it is to properly organize the drainage system to drain water from the air conditioner.

Health Impact Assessment

The danger of condensation lies not only in the possible flooding or breakdown of the air conditioner itself. The main threat is harm to health. There are several factors that contribute to the comfortable growth of bacteria: heat, dirt and water. What are not ideal conditions for the development of various diseases?

Black mold fungi can cause many serious diseases, including cancer. Bacteria often cause pneumonia. The mortality rate from Legionnaire's disease is very high.

If the drain hose is clogged, disconnect it and blow it out. If the system was installed correctly, without kinks, accumulated dirt should fly out from the opposite end

A disgusting smell is the least of all evils. The appearance of an unpleasant odor clearly signals the owner climate systemthat a major drainage cleaning is required.

Condensate drain options

There are several options for drainage of air conditioners, excluding current split system into the room it is processing.

Method #1: Drain to the street

A hole is drilled in a window or wall through which the hose is passed. On one side, the tube is connected to a pipe on the bath located under the evaporator, and on the other, it hangs freely onto the street.

Drainage to the street has its disadvantages:

• A hose hanging from the wall can worsen the exterior presentation of the building, which is especially important for private houses.
• Water will constantly drip from the hose, and if it gets into the low tide of the neighbors below, it can lead to a scandal.

However, due to the simplicity of the work, this method is the most common.

Method #2: Disposal down the drain

Connecting a drainage pipe to a sewer system will be an excellent option for many rooms. A traditional problem is the lack of a sewerage section in an air-conditioned room.

Solution to the problem:

1. In an air-conditioned room, drainage pipes are installed with a slope.
2. Installation of drainage pipes with a minimum slope to the nearest sewerage area.

The installer laying the air conditioner route must have experience in performing such work.

Condensate drainage into the sewer system has one significant limitation. Condensate will be drained by gravity if there is a slope of the drainage pipe of at least 3 degrees.

If it is not possible to provide the required slope along the entire length of the pipeline, a special drainage pump is used. With its help, condensate can be raised to the required height for further drainage by gravity.

Drainage pipes for draining condensate

Condensate is removed from the air conditioner through drainage pipes. Pipes used to organize the removal of condensate from an air conditioner can be made of polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene. Products made from these materials are highly durable and resistant to water.

Manufacturers of air conditioners complete their products with two types of tubes - corrugated and smooth. The latter are found only in budget air conditioner models and cannot be installed without special fittings.

You can use smooth pipes to organize a drainage pipeline, but only if the air conditioner is located close to the sewer. If the connection point to the sewer is far away, then installation will be greatly complicated due to the use of fittings.

If you use a drainage pipe that is too short, you will hear the wind whistling, which is especially important for residents of high-rise buildings. In winter, there will be a noticeable cold blowing from the indoor unit

Due to the high flexibility of corrugated pipes, fittings are not required when installing a drainage pipeline. Drainage pipeline made of polymer corrugation for condensate drainage from the outdoor and indoor units can be bent at any angle. The process of installing such a pipeline will not take much effort and time.

Check valve for climate control system

When connected to a sewer system, water is discharged from the air conditioner through a drain hose.Installing a check valve for the air conditioner will prevent foreign odors from entering the apartment. It will allow liquid to pass through and prevent odors from penetrating in the opposite direction.

A conventional siphon equipped with a water seal has a U-shaped configuration. Water remains in the elbow, preventing sewer gases from escaping. Thus, when operating plumbing fixtures, the water in the water seal is constantly replaced, so its level does not change.

Since condensed water flows unevenly during operation of the air conditioner, the water seal may dry out and gases will freely penetrate into the room.

The way out of the situation is to install a check valve for draining the split system. Sewer drains and air will be blocked without preventing condensation. The locking mechanism is a spring membrane or an ABS ball.

When water enters the unit, the ball will rise, opening access to the sewer. After the liquid leaves, it will lower under its own weight, blocking the hole.

How to choose a siphon?

Siphons designed to drain condensate have design differences.

When choosing, the following criteria should be taken into account:

1. Assess the available space for installing the device. The dimensions of the selected model may simply not fit in the available space.
2. Outlet pipe diameter. The siphon inlet and drainage hose dimensions must be the same.
3. The tightness of the connection is ensured thanks to rubber seals. When installing the siphon in direct sunlight, they will quickly become unusable. In some cases, you will have to perform hidden installation.

The amount of condensate must correspond to the throughput of the unit. All necessary information is indicated in the device characteristics. If the air conditioner produces a large amount of condensation, you will need a high-capacity siphon.

In some cases, the drainage drain is installed above the level of the sump of the air conditioner itself, for example, if the air conditioner is located in a basement or basement. Installing a drainage pump will help raise the water to the required height

When choosing a built-in siphon, the depth of the niche for its installation is taken into account.

Installation of drainage system

First, you will have to draw up a layout diagram for each element of the drainage system.

It includes:

• clamps and fasteners;
• drainage tube;
• seals and adapters;
• siphon (if it is impossible to bend the drainage tube);
• sewage pipe.

It is necessary to organize in advance a slight slope of the sewer pipe connected to the sewer itself. Installing a siphon will create a water seal that prevents the access of gases from the sewer.

Since the air conditioner only works in hot weather, a possible solution would be to install a check valve between the equipment and the sewer. It will be effective at any time of the year. Even if the water in the water seal dries out, there will be no foreign odors.

There are times when it is impossible to organize a gravity system. The solution is to use special containers in which condensate accumulates. As accumulation occurs, the container spontaneously releases or is emptied using a pump.

To operate the drainage pump, you will need an electrical connection. In this case, you can do without installing a check valve.The pipe from the air conditioner enters the container without a direct connection to the sewer.

If the air conditioner starts to operate noisily after disassembly and reassembly, you need to check the fastening of the external unit. Due to loose fasteners, the block may fall over time.

When installing air conditioner drainage with outlet to the sewer, you should organize a horizontal section of the system and connect it to the pipe coming from the receiving bath. If the distances are too large, you will have to make holes in the walls for the pipeline.

A large number of turns can cause blockages. A short pipeline is easier to maintain and clean.

Drain circuit maintenance

After installing the condensate drainage system, it is necessary to take care of its functional condition. There are many malfunctions that arise during operation and require immediate attention.

Problem. Most often, the hole through which moisture is discharged into the drainage tube becomes clogged. The reason is dust and dirt accumulating in the hole. Debris settles and clogs the tube. The bath fills with liquid and it begins to flow along the walls onto the floor.

Solution. To avoid unpleasant consequences, you should regularly clean and rinse the tube. For washing, detergents that contain chlorine are suitable, since it copes with the task as effectively as possible.

Problem. If the pressure regulator malfunctions, ice build-up may appear on the evaporator. The reason for this is a decrease in the temperature outside, and as a result, the temperature of freon.

Solution. To prevent malfunctions, you should regularly perform technical inspections of the condensate drainage routes from the split system.

Problem. If the air conditioner is turned on for heating in winter, the moisture removal tube will quickly freeze, which will cause a breakdown.

Solution. When the temperature outside is below freezing, the split system should be turned off. You can buy a low-temperature kit designed to heat the compressor and drain tube. In this case, the air conditioner will be able to operate even at a temperature of -25 degrees.

Problem. Excess or lack of refrigerant can cause icing of the tubes and evaporator. The ice will melt and drip onto the floor.

Solution. Remember to monitor the refrigerant level. Contact the service center for refueling in a timely manner.

Problem. If the pump breaks down, the drainage system fails.

Solution. It is better to purchase equipment from official suppliers and install it responsibly.

Problem. An incorrect angle of inclination of the drainage tube will cause water stagnation. In the future it will drip onto the floor.

Solution. Follow the recommendations for creating a slope at the installation stage.

Checking the drain when there is no condensation

If condensation does not drain from the drainage tube, and there is no desire to wait for water to flow out of the indoor unit, you can diagnose the drainage system yourself.

Work to find the problem is carried out in the following order:

1. The air conditioner is disconnected from the power supply, the plug is removed from the socket.
2. Remove the top panel from the air conditioner. It is held on by latches. Remove with a slight upward movement.
3. Open the housing on the indoor unit. It is secured either with latches or screws.
4. After removing the cover, you have access to the tray under the radiator - this is where condensation collects.
5. Pour a glass of water into a container to collect condensate and see if it comes out on the other side of the drainage channel. If water still does not appear, it means the drainage line is clogged.

The drain hose may be squashed or incorrectly positioned. As a result, the liquid cannot rise to exit freely.

If small children, allergy sufferers, or elderly people live in the house, the indoor air conditioner unit and drainage system should be treated with a disinfectant every year. This way you can reduce the likelihood of colds and allergies

This makes it easy to check drainage by gravity. If a pump is installed to pump water out of the tray, this method of checking the drainage route will not work.

Water drainage standards

There are standards for draining water from the SanPiN air conditioner that prohibit the drainage of condensate to the street. It is recommended to discharge condensate directly into the sewer system. In this way, you can avoid unwanted consequences from moisture settling on the air conditioner evaporator.

It is highly not recommended to remove moisture into the stormwater system. The reason lies in the unstable operation of the storm drain. When there is heavy rain, high pressure builds up there. Water can easily rise through the drainage pipes and damage the air conditioner, flooding the living space

The frequency of maintenance of the air conditioner drainage depends on the correct installation of the condensate drainage system. Use more expensive tubing that does not change internal shape when bent. This way you can build a reliable system with unhindered movement of condensate to the outlet.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The following video will introduce you to the features of the system for draining condensed water during operation of the air conditioner:

When installing climate control equipment, it is necessary to take into account the features of the air conditioner drainage system. If the split system pipes were laid correctly and a water seal was installed, the operation of the unit will not cause inconvenience to anyone. It is better to decide where to dispose of condensate at the stage of designing the route and locating the blocks.

Would you like to talk about your own experience in organizing drainage for climate control equipment? Do you have information about an interesting and practical solution to a problem? Please leave comments in the block form below, ask questions, share your impressions and photos on the topic of the article.