Moving a condensate J-trap further away from drain

[jmulla]

Hi.

Please see this diagram of my current setup and what I plan to do. Any comments welcome.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xk8sdp0mgzsmyfi/Furnace Room Drain.pdf?dl=0

I have a bar sink in my basement, and it is connected by 1.5" PVC to a 2" drain pipe in the floor inside the adjacent heating/A/C indoor unit room. Note: The drain line is adapted to the 2" drain and the whole connection is sealed at the drain; no exposed water. It also vents out through a stack in the same room. The bar is on the outside of the wall of the A/C room, which is located in the center of the basement. Just above where the drain pipe goes into the floor, is a J trap for the A/C condensate drain tube. The current location is in the way of other stuff (fridge, HW heater, etc.) and makes access to the indoor units a bit difficult.

I want to move the J-trap away from its current inconvenient location, and put it on the wall behind the sink, closer to where the condensate pump is.

Please see diagram here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xk8sdp0mgzsmyfi/Furnace Room Drain.pdf?dl=0

Do you see any problems with what I am going to do?

Thanks!

 

[frodo]

can you provide a picture instead of a diagram.

i cant tell if the pipe is a box or if the airplane is landing in the river



really want i want to see, is the trap the condensate trap off the unit
or is the the unit drain double trapped

 

[jmulla]

The airplane is landing in the river! Capt Sully is flying it!
OK, seriously. I will try and post some pics, but it is super cramped in the A/C room. That's why I am trying to rearrange the drain plumbing.

Back soon.

 

[jmulla]

frodo:

I have not shown the actual condensate lines or traps. These are just the drain and vent for the bar sink, which the condensate also flows into at the J-trap.

I have two A/C units. Each has 3/4" PVC condensate lines with running traps. Those two condensate lines go into a float pump. The pump sends the condensate through 1" clear plastic tubing which is inserted into the 1.5" PVC J-trap shown in my diagram. (I don't have the condensate tubing in the pics because I have taken the pump and tube out to be cleaned.)

So I guess you could say that the condensate IS double trapped, once at the running traps, and then at the J-trap, although the latter is really to block sewer gasses.

Here are the pics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6tqyhzk6aayhm0z/AACXZbe4EcaHfMQZvUhDiUVwa?dl=0

1 = Drain from sink in other room, enters A/C room. You can see the condensate line and running trap of one of the
A/C units on the left.
2 = Drain line turns first corner of the room and splits into drain and vent.
3 = Same as #2 but viewed from other wall.
4 = Drain and vent lines continue along wall and then take another 90 deg turn.
5 = Drain and vent lines meet above floor drain and below vent stack.
6 = Full view of #5 from another angle showing the J-trap where condensate tubing goes in.
7 & 8 = close-up of J-trap.

Clearer now?

Thanks!

 

[frodo]

OMG!!!!



first thing, does the black pipe you are calling a floor drain,, have a p-trap under the concrete? or is it a stack

remove the white pvc, or cut it.

stick a tape measure in the pipe, feed it down slow. see if it turns in a 90
or if it turns in a p-trap


next question, do you want to do this right ? or are you wanting to do this the quick easy,
dont give a damn way?

all about the bass.bout the bass bout the bass.. .no treble

 

[jmulla]

O Frodo!

Before I cut the white pipe, let me answer the second question. If the "right" way involves jack-hammering the basement floor and putting in a P-trap, I'll take quick, easy, don't give a damn way! The house has been like this for 30 years.

One additional fact may give you a clue. I didn't show it in my other pics, but take a look at #9-12 .
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6tqyhzk6aayhm0z/AACXZbe4EcaHfMQZvUhDiUVwa?dl=0
There is a soil stack just 2 feet away from the floor drain/vent.

Now?

 

[frodo]

i would bet a dollar, you are tied into a hub drain. it has a trap most likely

you have a bar sink? and you have a ac condensate pump?
do away with the ptrap. and pipe the discharge from the pump,to the bar sink. let it drain into the sink
or. route the condensate drain to under the bar sink, tie into a Y-branch tail piece


i stopped counting code violations around 8..i gave up
direct tie in to a indirect drain
double traped
1 1/2 waste line
1 1/2 waste arm to long
incorrect fall
no pan drain on wh
pop off not run to hub drain
pvc inadequate strapping

 

[SHR]

You can not drain your sink in to a floor drain! The condensate is ok to go into the drain, but not a sink! You have to hard pipe the sink drain in to a drain line, not the floor drain. Change it.

 

[jmulla]

Please remember that this is not something I did. We have been in this house for 25 years and there has never been a problem with the sink or drain. This work must have been done by a professional plumber when the previous (first) owner or builder finished the basement. Previous (first) owner wasn't in any shape to do anything DIY, trust me. In any case, I am 99% sure an inspector must have seen all this. Please don't beat on me for saying this.

@frodo: Thanks for the suggestion about running the condensate line to a y-tailpiece into the sink drain. That will be easy, and will allow me to eliminate the J-trap completely. (Question: I understand the code does not allow double traps, but is there a PRACTICAL issue if there is a vent between the two traps?)

I do want to get a drip pan under the WH, but that is a later project. The water heater is the second one in this house and installed by a plumber.

The one thing I would like to fix is the direct tie into the hub drain. There is no way to tie the sink's tailpipe directly into a waste stack. I would have to run the tailpiece through the furnace.

So, I am left with two options. cut off the J-trap and cap it. Leave the drain hard connected to the hub drain.
Or would it be any better to have an air gap between the hub drain and the sink drain line?

Is the reason for not allowing the hard connection to the hub drain to prevent a backup into the sink?

I am not going to worry about all the other violations which I don't see adding anything practical to the situation. e.g. the strapping will probably outlast me and the rest of the house.

Thanks all.

 

[frodo]

You can not drain your sink in to a floor drain! The condensate is ok to go into the drain, but not a sink! You have to hard pipe the sink drain in to a drain line, not the floor drain. Change it.

under upc code a sink can drain into a indirect waste receptor

a hub drain is classified as a approved indirect waste receptor
not hard piped,indirect with air gap

a floor drain is not classified as such.

804.1upc indirect waste receptors