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I find that the secondary or emergency switches are often ig-
nored during installation or perhaps disconnected later. The
wires are left dangling above the pump. Calling this out in
the inspection report could save the client from some unnec-
essary moisture damage should the pump fail.
According to the 2006 IMC, “Condensate shall not dis-
charge into a street, alley or other area where it would cause
a nuisance.” With residential properties, it is commonplace to
discharge condensate at the
exterior of the house, gen-
erally near the foundation.
This arrangement needs
to be closely monitored
because the water can flow
into the crawl space or, as a
discharging downspout, it
sometimes can contribute to foundation settlement. Using a
splash pan/block to kick the water away from the foundation
usually will prevent problems and might be suggested in your
report.
In many situations, it is acceptable and even preferable that
the condensate drains into the domestic plumbing system.
Codes and localities regulate the manner in which this is
done. A solid connection between the condensate system and
a building’s DWV (drainage, wastewater and vent) system is
prohibited by code. Draining a cooling coil located in an attic
into a plumbing stack will get the condensate into the plumb-
ing system, but is prohibited by code because of the potential
for drawing in dangerous gases.
To properly direct condensate into the domestic drainage
system, it should flow through a plumbing trap that is unlikely
to lose its seal, even after the
cooling season ends. Drain-
ing condensate to a sink,
bathtub overflow or washing
machine standpipe usually is
acceptable.
Finally, new condensate
control technologies such as waterless traps and other clever
devices are being introduced all the time. You need only go
to the Internet to see them. I suggest inspectors do just that
from time to time to keep up with what’s new in all areas
addressed by the home inspection. But specifically regarding
condensation removal, I believe it’s important that the install-
ers of cooling equipment be well versed in the proper meth-
ods of installing a well-functioning condensate collection and
“In many situations, it is acceptable and
even preferable that the condensate drains
into the domestic plumbing system.”
27
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removal system. I believe the owners of
the equipment should understand the
importance of system maintenance. As
for home inspectors, they should under-
stand both.
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I’d like to thank the companies that
provided photos, illustrations and tech-
nical information for this article and,
in particular, Gerry Spanger of Airtec
Products Corporation and TS “Tim”
Hart, for their help.
Kenny Hart is a second-
generation Master Plumber
and Mechanical Contractor
with more than 30 years of
experience in the mechanical
fields. He is the vice president of the
Hampton Roads Chapter and past chair
of the ASHI Technical Committee. He
currently chairs the Building Practices and
Trades Division of the Alpha College of Real
Estate located in Chesapeake, Virginia. To
read more of Hart’s articles or if you need a
presenter at your next chapter event, go to