A condensate pump is a specific type of pump used to pump the condensate (water) produced in an HVAC (heating or cooling) or refrigeration system. They may be used to pump the condensate produced from latent water vapor in any of the following gas mixtures:
- conditioned (cooled) building air
- refrigerated air in cooling and freezing systems
- steam in heat exchangers and radiators
- the exhaust stream of very-high-efficiency furnaces
You construct and operate a condensate pump by putting the pieces together and going through routine maintenance on the condensate pump.
The output of small condensate pumps is usually routed to a sewer, drain, or the outside world via PVCl plastic tubing. If the outlet of the line is at a higher level than the tank of the pump, a check valve is often fitted at the outlet of the pump so that liquid cannot flow backwards into the pump's tank. If the outlet is below the tank level, siphonage usually naturally clears the output line of all liquid when the pump is deenergized. In cold regions of the world, it is important that condensate lines that are exhausted outside be carefully designed so that no water can remain in the line to freeze up; this would block the line from further operation.
