Please help - Which condensate drain is leaking, primary or secondary?

[beth32]

Hi, I am so confused, hoping someone can shed light… In a nutshell, what appears to be a secondary condensate drain is dripping water outside. I understand that usually means clog in primary drain -- so I’m looking for where primary drain exits house, but I can’t find it, so I have no idea how to clean it out.

Now for some details…

Recently moved into this 7-yr-old two-story house, have run a/c only few times. Couple days ago, I had been running the a/c, and I was outside on side of house, and noticed water dripping profusely from a pipe above the kitchen window (pipe is between 1st and 2nd stories). Here’s a photo of that pipe:


Googled, and started thinking this is a secondary condensate drain pipe that’s meant to alert us to a problem with the primary drain.

The Carrier indoor unit is located on 2nd floor, in a closet. Vertical positioning, with the return air coming from underneath. There is no visible drip pan. There are 2 pvc drain lines coming from the unit. One line (slightly lower) is on left, has a trap installed. What I assume is the secondary drain line (slightly higher) is on right, no trap installed. Both run out the wall, and I can’t see where they go after that. Also, unit has a sticker on it that says: “This unit is equipped with an AquaGuard condensate shut-off switch. If unit is not operating properly, check for condensate in drain pan or tray.” Here are photos:


So, I’ve been assuming the exterior pipe coming out from wall above kitchen window is the secondary pipe, because why would they run the primary line to drip in such a conspicuous place all the time, hitting the window ledge and splashing water…

But the strange thing is, from what I can tell, there is no other drain outlet outside – it seems in researching online that the primary drain outlet is usually a pvc pipe near the outdoor HVAC unit -- and I’m seeing people use a wet/dry vac on that to clean out primary drain clogs.

But ours doesn’t appear to have one at all. I’ve checked around entire house, and the only thing resembling a pipe anywhere on the first floor is a set of two pipes, not pvc, built into the brick wall, and they’re behind the laundry room, so I’m guessing they have to do with washer/dryer? Here’s that photo:


So I’m stumped. Where is my primary condensate drain line draining?... How can I clean it out if there’s no exterior outlet?...

Also, I just talked to my neighbor who also has 2-story house (he also has no obvious drain pipe near outdoor unit) – and he said that he too has a pipe on back of house, right above kitchen window, that drips water sometimes. So do I have this all wrong, and that 2nd floor pipe is actually the primary line? Am I worrying for nothing?

Thanks for wading through the details, and thank you for any help you can offer.

[mechanical'al]

all any one can do is follow and or inturpret where they travel to as it may tie into a waste line inside the house or dump into a floor drain theres no two installs the same with the exception of an identical house in your sub. ?
they start out going in two directions I assume as you have thats the secondary drain above the window
it is likely they'll have to open the plenum to acess the coil/pan for cleaning and or drain flush?

[second opinion]

Hi, I am so confused, hoping someone can shed light… In a nutshell, what appears to be a secondary condensate drain is dripping water outside. I understand that usually means clog in primary drain -- so I’m looking for where primary drain exits house, but I can’t find it, so I have no idea how to clean it out.

Now for some details…

Recently moved into this 7-yr-old two-story house, have run a/c only few times. Couple days ago, I had been running the a/c, and I was outside on side of house, and noticed water dripping profusely from a pipe above the kitchen window (pipe is between 1st and 2nd stories). Here’s a photo of that pipe:


Googled, and started thinking this is a secondary condensate drain pipe that’s meant to alert us to a problem with the primary drain.

The Carrier indoor unit is located on 2nd floor, in a closet. Vertical positioning, with the return air coming from underneath. There is no visible drip pan. There are 2 pvc drain lines coming from the unit. One line (slightly lower) is on left, has a trap installed. What I assume is the secondary drain line (slightly higher) is on right, no trap installed. Both run out the wall, and I can’t see where they go after that. Also, unit has a sticker on it that says: “This unit is equipped with an AquaGuard condensate shut-off switch. If unit is not operating properly, check for condensate in drain pan or tray.” Here are photos:


So, I’ve been assuming the exterior pipe coming out from wall above kitchen window is the secondary pipe, because why would they run the primary line to drip in such a conspicuous place all the time, hitting the window ledge and splashing water…

But the strange thing is, from what I can tell, there is no other drain outlet outside – it seems in researching online that the primary drain outlet is usually a pvc pipe near the outdoor HVAC unit -- and I’m seeing people use a wet/dry vac on that to clean out primary drain clogs.

But ours doesn’t appear to have one at all. I’ve checked around entire house, and the only thing resembling a pipe anywhere on the first floor is a set of two pipes, not pvc, built into the brick wall, and they’re behind the laundry room, so I’m guessing they have to do with washer/dryer? Here’s that photo:


So I’m stumped. Where is my primary condensate drain line draining?... How can I clean it out if there’s no exterior outlet?...

Also, I just talked to my neighbor who also has 2-story house (he also has no obvious drain pipe near outdoor unit) – and he said that he too has a pipe on back of house, right above kitchen window, that drips water sometimes. So do I have this all wrong, and that 2nd floor pipe is actually the primary line? Am I worrying for nothing?

Thanks for wading through the details, and thank you for any help you can offer.

Looking at your second picture, the pipe exiting on the left and turning right with the trap and vent is the primary

[brian.cornell]

The one on the left is the primary no doubt about it. The secondary is the one draining above the window. The primary probably drains in a plumbing line in the wall somewhere or it could possibly be lne of those other lines in tbe pics.What I would do is get an air tank and blow pressure through that vent on the trap and see if you can clear the restriction. If not you may have to a pro to clear it. I usually used compressed nitrogen but if the clog isn't too stubborn an air tank should clear it.

[brian.cornell]

Sorry for the spelling small buttons on my phone drives me nuts

[second opinion]

A wet and dry vac will work better and will not cause damage from pipe separation if not glued

[beshvac]

A wet and dry vac will work better and will not cause damage from pipe separation if not glued

I learned that lesson the hard way. Un-glued joint in the wall....

[beth32]

A wet and dry vac will work better and will not cause damage from pipe separation if not glued

Confused -- How can I use a wet/dry vac if there is no external outlet to the primary drain?

Also, for the future, I would like to do the yearly bleach trick -- but I don't see a hole for that in the primary line, so... I'm just out of luck?
If I poured enough bleach in the trap cleanout hole, I guess it would eventually rise to the level of the pipe... but then I'd have bleach sitting in the bottom of the trap, which I understand is not good for PVC... Right?

[jtrammel]

The ptrap's probably just gunked up.

[catmanacman]

look under the bathroom sink downstairs to see if the drain ties in there. also could be tied in to the back of the washer drain.

[catmanacman]

with summer upon us i would call for service and a complete cooling check .

[beth32]

Thank you everyone for the input. The leaking from the secondary pipe has miraculously stopped, so we'll wait and see what happens. So appreciate your help!