how to wire a condensate pump to a furnace

I assume it comes out of the unit somewhere since it has to go to the thermostat, but I can't seem to find it. Cut the red wire from the furnace to thermostat and connect the yellow wires to the cut ends of the red wire.

JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. If only a/c condensate goes into the pump killing the Y is alright. It's to avoid a flood of water -- typically above a ceiling etc. The only wires coming out of the HVAC unit go to the outside unit. Make sure your unit is level, then check the float to make sure it isn't sticking. This article has been viewed 60,614 times. Should I break one of the wires going to the outside unit instead? Find R coming from the thermostat into your furnace. Assuming I do find it, what type of connections should be made? My pump just has two wires about 8 inches long hanging out of it. Press J to jump to the feed. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Since the old pump did not have a safety switch at all, for the time being, I'll leave the new one the same way. Listen toBOB VILA ON INSTALLING CONDENSATION PUMPSor read the text below: If you have a floor drain near the unit, just use plastic tubing and good old gravity to get the water from the outlet port of your unit to the drain. I can't see any other external wires? We use cookies to make wikiHow great. The switch on the pump is to interrupt the 24 signal -- this will turn off the AC should the pump fail. If just the Y wire then things would be working but you could have to troubleshoot a lot more of the system to finally see the pump full. So i use the red wire??? It may also be a good idea to install a check valve somewhere on the discharge line to avoid backflow of the discharge water so it cant be sucked back into the a/c unit.

Last Updated: December 18, 2019 We changed the condensation pump, but now the air conditioner won't come on. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 60,614 times. Do I just cut the red wire and connect one of the extra wires from the pump to each side of the red wire with wire nuts? Most don't come on until they are almost full. By Bob Vila | Updated Jan 9, 2015 12:55 PM. How do I know if I have a high efficiency furnace? You are using an out of date browser. % of people told us that this article helped them. It can prevent water damage which is good, but when used on the R wire it will shut off your furnace which could lead to frozen pipes if you were away in the winter. When you switch the red, the thermostat is usually shows dead also and is a good hint at what the problem is. The discharge line should run into a line that goes to the citys waste, once again to avoid contamination of fresh water. **IF you have high effeciency furnace you need to break Red going to tstat. Thanks for all the replies. Some arent too speedy and you can set/play with temps remotely too.

If you dont already have one or if you need to replace one, here is a guide to install one. My stat is a Honeywell RTH2510 and has four wires: red, green, white yellow. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Thanks all. However, I'm still not sure how to wire them in. I assume I need to hook these up into the 24 volt thermost circuit for it to work because after being plugged in and filled with water, the pump does not turn on. It is probably and issue with the float valve/switch. Doesnt hurt much. Disconnect that and wire it to one lead on the pump. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Bob Vila, 11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Towns Curbside Cleanup Day, Bob Vila Radio: Save Time (and Water) with a Recirculating Pump, 16 Home Improvements That Are Best Not to DIY, Slash Your Electric Bill with 11 Savvy Hacks. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. Red wire, got to the terminal board in the furnace or at the stat. Already pulled the cardboard strip out. Be sure to check the pump periodically to make sure its operating as it should. The safety switch wires on all the standard type pumps I've run across do not need to be hooked up for it to operate, some of the mini split pumps may have extra wires that need to be hooked up but the regular pumps don't care. I think I need to wire the extra wires into the red wire that goes to the thermostat, but where do I do that? My current pump failed and overflowed. References. High-efficiency heating and air conditioning systems produce condensation, and that condensation needs to go somewhere besides your basement floor. It can save a lot of headaches. Do you have a pan with a safety switch in it under your furnace? I'll take a trip to the orange store and buy a couple of feet of t-stat wire. If the pump overfills, the switch breaks R to the thermostat, shutting both the furnace and air conditioner off. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Now it works. I personally prefer to break "Y" cooling mode. The safety switch will prevent a mess caused by a malfunction of the pump. I'll be damned, didn't fill it enough. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Learn more Having an air conditioning unit in your home probably means that you have a condensate pump to help remove excess water that is given off when the system is running.

What could be the problem? Did you fill the pump completely? It happens about every two years or so. There is no pan under the furnace. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Copyright 2022 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. We notice it pretty quickly because it is in the hall going to the garage. It may not display this or other websites correctly. If you dont have a drain nearby, you may need a condensate pump to get the water to a drain. Surely I don't wire it directly to the screws on the control board? I suggest using the safety switch when water damage is unacceptable and your house is being monitored either by family, friends or an alarm system with a temperature alarm. Now, do I really need the safety switch connected since the old unit didn't have one? wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Just my personal preference not intending to disagree with anybody here. That shuts everything off. I haven't found any pictures of a completed installation showing the wires. You can get your dailydose here, by listening toor readingBobs 60-second home improvement radio tip of the day. If so you can wire it in SERIES with it. Take the other lead and wire it to where it came from on the furnace. The practice used to be to use the yellow wire to the condenser because it allowed the air handler to stay on, but shut off the cooling if the pump stopped. ^^^^^ Bill you can get a WiFi Tstat that can send you alerts. Now that there are condensing furnaces, you use the red wire so it shuts off the cooling or the heat. This helps to remove dirty water from your home so it wont contaminate the water that you drink. I've found that the two extra wires coming out of the condensate pump are the low voltage safety wires to cut power if the pump fails. I'd wire the red wire going out to the condensing unit for ac through those 2 wires. Breaking R kills everything which could suck if your tech can't show up for a day or two and you need heat at night. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. This way, if the condensate pump fails the safety switch (yellow wires), it will stop the furnace/AC and no more water from condensate will be generated. Once youve located the outlet port where the water exits your unit, attach PVC pipe to route the water from there down into the condensate pump (which will need to be lower than the outlet port). It is sitting on a couple 2x4's. I've searched a lot and can't quite find what I need. For added protection a water detector for a sump pump or condensate. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The float switch on mine stuck this morning and it overflowed. The one I took out was hard wired and the green wire, although connected at the switch under the cover, was cut off at the other end of the conduit and not connected to anything. Where are the yellow wires found that are connected to the condensate pump on the air conditioner? I got a new one but this one has two wires for a safety switch where the old one did not. This way you still have airflow and heat if needed until the problem is fixed. A subreddit for Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning technicians - please visit r/hvacadvice to ask general questions, and r/thermostats for thermostat issues!

You must log in or register to reply here. My stat is literally on the wall separating the heater closet from the living room, so about 4 feet from the stat to where the wires inter the furnace. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Install-a-Condensate-Pump-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Install-a-Condensate-Pump-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Install-a-Condensate-Pump-Step-1.jpg\/aid4653504-v4-728px-Install-a-Condensate-Pump-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"