Condensate Furnace Drain Line Freezing

They did not bury the pvc very deep about 3 inches thus when temperaturs go lower that 20 degrees for a couple of days the condensate inside the pipe freezes and back up.

Condensate furnace drain line freezing.

During periods of snow verify that snow hasn t risen to the level of the drain line where it can block it and cause further freezing. Blocked condensate lines the condensate lines in your hvac system are responsible for draining the excess moisture caused by humidity. With temperatures dropping condensate drain lines have a higher chance of freezing. The moisture is drained through pipes leading to the floor drain.

With the pipes blocked the condensate backed up into the furnaces where safety switches shut the units down. Shortening the drain pipe to give water less space in which to freeze can also be effective. When that happens most hvac systems are designed to shut off completely leaving homeowners scrambling for a solution. Frozen condensate drains the condensate drain pan and drain lines that run outside from your hvac system have the potential to freeze during colder temperatures.

If there are clogs anywhere in the condensate line the system will freeze. In reality a major repair may not be necessary as thawing the frozen drain lines should fix the issue. The basement has no drain so the the persons that install the furnace ran pvc pipe through finished walls under the concrete floor inside the house and under the patio outside. Condensate drains on the high efficiency condensing units were freezing where the drain pipes terminated outside the house.