PDA

View Full Version : Mysterious Exterior Pipe is Leaking


Tonka01
Jul 14, 2009, 02:09 PM
I went outside to get the mail and noticed this random pipe sticking out of the house dripping. I have been living in this house for 6 months and it is possible that it is supposed to drip and it has been doing this the whole time and never noticed, but it constantly drips and there is slimy gross moss all over my landscape rocks. I will post a picture in hopes that someone can identify it and tell me if it is supposed to drip and if this water is doing damage to my house. Thank you so so much. It is putting a pit in my stomach that it not good and it is expensive to fix. Please see attached photos and know how grateful I would be if you told me it is nothing to worry about or that it is easy to fix.

KISS
Jul 14, 2009, 02:37 PM
It's probably the condensate drain from the Air Conditioning (AC) unit. The inside AC unit is probably nearby, near the same wall. Do you have multiple AC units. It should only drip when the AC is on.

Doubt it's a sump pump.

joarby
Jul 14, 2009, 02:51 PM
I have the same pipe coming out of my my boiler room. It is connected to my HVAC system. I am certain yours is too!

Tonka01
Jul 14, 2009, 04:40 PM
Thank you joarby and Keepitsimplestupid Does that mean it is OK and should be doing that? Will the water ruin the house because I live in Arizona so the AC is on a lot. However, I wonder if it is from the AC because the AC unit is nowhere near this pipe. This is near the front door. Is your HVAC pipe dripping like this as well? Thank you

ballengerb1
Jul 14, 2009, 04:46 PM
Your hot humid air hits the AC coil and cools very quickly reaching the dew point causing condensation. The pan beneath the coil collects this condensation and runs it outside via that pipe, totally normal

joarby
Jul 14, 2009, 05:04 PM
Do you have a air handler in the near by area?

siberianair
Jul 15, 2009, 04:34 AM
It is from your ac.. the lower pipe is the main drain,m the upper pipe if either a second unit or secondary drain for main unit. You are going to see a lot of water from this pipe during the summer. It will not harm your house or you soil.
If you don't have two systems and see water dripping from top pipe than you need to call for service. That means your main drain is clogged and the secondary is going.

Also in az it is a good idea to have a maintenance done so unit will work more efficantly and cool better. I used to live in phoenix. If you need advice on a company out there let me know.

Tonka01
Jul 15, 2009, 09:15 AM
Just wanted to thank all of you for taking the time to read my question and answer it. I am so relieved there is no emergency or money to be spent. I don't know what the reward is for you in answering questions like this, but I sure hope it is a big one. I looked for the option to give each answer a great rating, but it only offers "answer the question" or "quote this", anyway thanks again!

siberianair
Jul 15, 2009, 09:25 AM
You would have to rate each anwer individually.. but thanks for the kind words. If you need service out there ever let me know. I can tell you who to call and who st stay away from.

ballengerb1
Jul 15, 2009, 10:05 AM
Tonka, you are welcome. You can't rate our answers just yet since you are new to AMHD. I think you must have at least 10 posts before you can rate folks. They do that to insure you know more about how the system works before you rate. Rating is for accurate or inaccurate answers only but some folks give inaccurate rating just because they have a different opinion.

speedball1
Jul 15, 2009, 11:30 AM
Before you leave this thread let me give you8 my take on the two 3/4" PVC pipes coming outta your wall. There's no doubt in my mind the theone with water leaking out is a AC condensate line. The other looks like a heater pan drain line. On our new single family installations we install a plastic pan under the water heater in case it leaked and ran a 3/4" PVC drain line outside. Look at the base of your water heater and if you see a pan down there that's your mystery pipe. Cheers. Tom