Hvac Condensate Drain Trap Design

Do you know the proper way to size a p trap on an hvac unit.

Hvac condensate drain trap design.

Another key component of a p trap is an air vent the air vent prevents the drain that comes after the p trap from siphoning the water in the trap out. The weight of the water in the trap is enough to prevent this while still allowing condensation to flow freely. Condensate switches imc 307 2 3 states that all hvac equipment that produces condensate must have either a secondary drain line or a condensate overflow switch a secondary drain pan with a secondary drain line or condensate switch or some combination of these installations should be used to prevent overflow if the primary drain line blocks. Codes installation leaks clogs connections troubleshooting repair.

Drain s 2015 imc 307 2 2 requires that an air conditioning condensate drain inside diameter should not be smaller than in ch and should not be smaller than the drain pan outlet diameter. This article discusses the inspection and repair or un clogging of condensate disposal systems including air conditioning heat pump or condensing boiler furnace condensate drains condensate pumps and their proper installation as part of our review of condensate piping traps drains. As air conditioning caught on in the 50s p traps were the standard that every contractor field designed and installed even if it was unknown to them whether the drain pan was at. Traps with insufficient height between the inlet and outlet design deficiency on draw through systems can cause the drain to back up when the fan is on possibly causing.

Trap failures due to freeze up drying out breakage blockage and or improper installation can compromise the seal against air ingestion through the condensate drain line. The costgard condensate drain seal is a pneumatic flow control that replaces the condensate p trap on air conditioners. Since p traps seal against air leakage they were the natural solution to prevent air leaking in the condensate drains of early 1900s air conditioning units. The important dimensions for a p trap are.

The videos below explain why condensate traps are unacceptable and why their replacement with the costgard condensate drain seal is a cost saving alternative. Here is our finished product. The condensate s net column height in the trap h in the accompanying figures is less than the equipment s negative air pressure in inches of water column the condensate will be unable to drain t he condensate trap perhaps is the most overlooked item in the design and installa tion of fan coils and air handlers with cool ing.