Condensation Drain
Ever look behind your air conditioner unit to find the condensation line? Ever try to follow it to find out where it goes? You should do this to familiarize yourself with your expensive air conditioner so that you can maintain it properly and keep down the costs to maintain it.
The AACO codes now require the condensation from your a-c unit to go into a sump pump to be pumped into the drainage line that takes the water to the outside of your house. Ever look for that drainage line? You should and perhaps do it soon, because it is part of the homeowners maintenance responsibilities and will therefore be part of any inspection the Board decides to perform.
Your individual condensation line from your a-c sump pump (or from the a-c unit if your unit is too old to require the sump pump) should go into a 2 inch white pipe at the back of your utility room. Your pipe then travels into the wall between your unit and your neighbors unit and becomes a shared line. So your neighbor’s a-c condensation line and your line combine in the wall before traveling to the outside of your house and onto your patio. Well, it may not be your patio. It may be your neighbors patio. Here’s how to tell. Who ever has the gas meters has the condensation drain pipe right below those meters.
Why is this important? Because if that drain gets clogged, then your a-c condensation line will back up onto your floor and / or onto your neighbors floor. And because the water is not under pressure it dribbles out onto the floor drop by drop making it unnoticeable until you have a large puddle. Sometimes the puddle may not form because the a-c unit may not be pulling enough moisture out of the air and instead of a puddle you have dampness that dries up later in the day.
So it’s a good maintenance for you as the homeowner to perform a visual inspection of both ends of this condensation drain line, the inside as well as the outside. Recent inspections have found that the outside of these drains have been unintentionally buried. Well, that’s not good enough.
It is the homeowners responsibility to maintain their patio area and that includes this condensation drain line when it exists on your patio. If it clogs and backs up, the homeowner will bear the costs of repair, and restoration for both units sharing that line. So look for your condensation drain line, both ends. Give it a good inspection. If you can’t find the outside one, start digging. It’s there, coming out of the wall under the gas meters. Find it. It matters.
Here are some pictures.
