"Art Todesco" wrote in message
...
On 5/9/2011 4:48 PM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
Does anyone know if there is a pan made to fit under a typical HVAC
condensate pump?
I have a condensate pump in the basement for the furnace and AC that
pumps the
water outside. I'd like to put a pan that's maybe 16 x 8 or so under
the pump. I'd
then have the secondary drain (overflow) from the AC coil and the
furnace going into
the pan as well. The pan should have a fitting so I can hook up a
hose and go from
there to the french drain. That way if the pump fails or the primary
lines clog, the
water would go to the french drain instead of the basement floor.
I'd also put one
of the small battery water alarms in the pan.

I can find big ones made to go under entire furnaces for attics, etc,
but nothing
small enough for just the condensate pump itself.

Why not just put a float switch on the condensate tank, to shut down the
system if it's full?


Actually, many condensate pump units have a normally closed contact which
opens if the pump fails to empty the tank. This is then wired in series
with the hot wire going to the thermostat. Everything shuts down if the
pump doesn't pump. My condensate pump has shut down the furnace 2 times
because the hose, going outside, froze. I now have it going where it
can't freeze.

If you happen to be away e.g. on vacation---what's your choice, a shut down
of the furnace or condensate on the floor? When my pump was wired I made
sure that a malfunction would not shut down the furnace. I'm gone for a
month in the winter and a furnace shutdown could be disastrous.
MLD