piping for the pan under a hot water heater - how to get water to go uphill : )
#1
06-14-17, 09:15 AM
piping for the pan under a hot water heater - how to get water to go uphill : )
I think the title is the answer - just really not doable with just gravity?
I have a hot water heater at 1 end of our basement with a pan under it. I ran 1" PVC pipe from it to the sump pump (50'?) at the other end of the basement in case the hot water heater leaks, water will go in the pan and then into the pip -> sump pit.
At some point, we tapped into that PVC pipe for an AC system that cools the first floor to dump the condensation into that same PVC pipe to get the condensation into the sump (the AC unit is about 25' from the sump.)
Problem is that the basement is pretty flat I guess. The water from the AC unit actually winds up in the hot water pan. ANd I never tested the pan - do you fill it with water and see what happens? That water actually gets into the sump pit?
With this arrangement, am I out of luck? Next time, raise the hot water heater/ pan on cinder blocks to get some sort of elevation / pitch towards the sump? No real way to 'just' lift the hot water heater a bit? Pipes ahve to be cut, water in the heater weighs a 'ton' (actually 50 gal * 8 pounds / gal = just 400 pounds )
I have a hot water heater at 1 end of our basement with a pan under it. I ran 1" PVC pipe from it to the sump pump (50'?) at the other end of the basement in case the hot water heater leaks, water will go in the pan and then into the pip -> sump pit.
At some point, we tapped into that PVC pipe for an AC system that cools the first floor to dump the condensation into that same PVC pipe to get the condensation into the sump (the AC unit is about 25' from the sump.)
Problem is that the basement is pretty flat I guess. The water from the AC unit actually winds up in the hot water pan. ANd I never tested the pan - do you fill it with water and see what happens? That water actually gets into the sump pit?
With this arrangement, am I out of luck? Next time, raise the hot water heater/ pan on cinder blocks to get some sort of elevation / pitch towards the sump? No real way to 'just' lift the hot water heater a bit? Pipes ahve to be cut, water in the heater weighs a 'ton' (actually 50 gal * 8 pounds / gal = just 400 pounds )
#2
06-14-17, 10:16 AM
Group Moderator
Have you checked that the line connecting your pan to the sump has fall? If your AC condensate is going to the water heater instead of the sump then at least that part of the line is sloping towards your water heater. So, if your heater springs a leak the water may not drain or it might drain slowly once it got high enough. The solution is to raise the water heater and it's catch pan so you can have proper slope in the drain pipe. Hint, emptying the water heater makes it lighter and easier to lift.
#3
06-15-17, 01:38 PM
There's no magic solution. There are condensate pumps, which will work for the AC, but won't work for a significantly leaking water heater. Raising the water heater is easy, but requires some plumbing work (and possibly gas piping).
But I also wonder how important it is. Is the basement finished? How much would be damaged if you did have a significant leak? Most of the time, if you keep an eye on the water heater, you'll notice a small leak before it gets to be large. If it's an unfinished basement, I'm not sure all the work is really worthwhile. But in a finished basement, it probably would be.
But I also wonder how important it is. Is the basement finished? How much would be damaged if you did have a significant leak? Most of the time, if you keep an eye on the water heater, you'll notice a small leak before it gets to be large. If it's an unfinished basement, I'm not sure all the work is really worthwhile. But in a finished basement, it probably would be.
#4
06-16-17, 08:06 AM
Actually, I have a phobia of water / leaks : )
The drains around our house used to dump water near the foundation... OK untill the power goes out / sump stops. 1 hour (exactly) later I'll see the water coming over the sump pit in the unfinished area of the basement.
Wound up getting a trench dug / water goes into the woods. And i have a portable generator (no spare pump though : (
---
On a 2 knob faucet in my folks house, 1 of the 'knobs / cartridges had unscrewed over time till 1 day my dad comes home and the water is streaming down from 2nd floor.
----
Most recent / biggest issue: we have a water softener (from sears, 10 years old?). Never got waste line to drain well with the 5' rise from the softener to sewer line in basement. So it dumps into a garbage can that has sump pump and sump pumps it into sewer line. Great till just recent when switch didn't work (I reached into water overflowing garbage can and float switch was up but pump not running. I pressed down then it went back up on its own and pump started...
Want to put tray around that to drain into sump in a pinch. I also thought about makeing a moat / wall of wood siliconed to floor around hot water heater / softener / garbage can to slow down water.
Kluges all the way around, I realize : (
The drains around our house used to dump water near the foundation... OK untill the power goes out / sump stops. 1 hour (exactly) later I'll see the water coming over the sump pit in the unfinished area of the basement.
Wound up getting a trench dug / water goes into the woods. And i have a portable generator (no spare pump though : (
---
On a 2 knob faucet in my folks house, 1 of the 'knobs / cartridges had unscrewed over time till 1 day my dad comes home and the water is streaming down from 2nd floor.
----
Most recent / biggest issue: we have a water softener (from sears, 10 years old?). Never got waste line to drain well with the 5' rise from the softener to sewer line in basement. So it dumps into a garbage can that has sump pump and sump pumps it into sewer line. Great till just recent when switch didn't work (I reached into water overflowing garbage can and float switch was up but pump not running. I pressed down then it went back up on its own and pump started...
Want to put tray around that to drain into sump in a pinch. I also thought about makeing a moat / wall of wood siliconed to floor around hot water heater / softener / garbage can to slow down water.
Kluges all the way around, I realize : (
#5
06-16-17, 10:07 AM
Gotcha... I would rely on gravity as much as you can. Raise up the water heater and softener so the overflow pan can run downhill easily.
I'd also consider piping your softener discharge into your sump pit instead of a separate setup. Depending on where it discharges, some people don't like the idea of discharging salt water outside, but there are opinions going both ways on that one.
In my opinion, you should set it up so that they all run themselves and you don't have to keep adjusting things. I'm sure you have better things to do than plumbing!
I'd also consider piping your softener discharge into your sump pit instead of a separate setup. Depending on where it discharges, some people don't like the idea of discharging salt water outside, but there are opinions going both ways on that one.
In my opinion, you should set it up so that they all run themselves and you don't have to keep adjusting things. I'm sure you have better things to do than plumbing!
#6
06-16-17, 08:15 PM
In my opinion, you should set it up so that they all run themselves and you don't have to keep adjusting things. I'm sure you have better things to do than plumbing!
thanks! I kinda aim for that but never get there : )
thanks! I kinda aim for that but never get there : )
