Has your technician offered you a condensate safety switch for your AC system but your
not sure what it is? That’s coming up today on Fox Family Heating Air and Solar.
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stuff we wear on the job out in the field! Too many times on a service call, have we
gone out and found that the ceiling is flooding with water. Sheetrock is bulging from the
ceilings, ductwork is saturated, Insulation is wet and pressed up against the sheetrock,
which if left over time can start to create mold. Water Damage Abatement teams are brought
in to dry up the house in an effort to keep everyone healthy. Floor coverings need to
be replaced, etc. All this can be prevented with the help of our little friend, the condensate
safety switch. Your air conditioner has a hot coil outside
and a cold coil inside. The cold coil inside has a fan blowing room temperature air across
those cold coils. Well, that causes condensation, which on normal occasions flows down the main
condensate drain with the help of gravity, and out the side of the house where you normally
see the pipe dripping with water in the summertime. That’s’ normal!
If that primary drain pipe were to ever clog, or a family of mud wasps build a nest in that
drain pipe. Heck you know, nothing even needs to happen for it to clog, the bacteria and
gunk that builds up in ¾ inch PVC pipe is so disgusting, it will clog itself.
What you don’t want to see is the secondary or emergency drain dripping with water. Where
is that one located? Normally it terminates above a window around your house. Check for
it around your eaves, you’ll see it. If you see water coming out of that pipe, call
your favorite AC company and they’ll likely come out with compressed nitrogen and clean
that line out for you. It takes quite a bit of pressure to really clean that thing out,
so let’s leave it to the pros. People can really hurt themselves trying to mess with
compressed gasses. Back to the drain pan. A condensate safety
switch is mounted on the side of your condensate drain pan or directly to your secondary drain
port on the evaporator coil. There’s a float inside the switch that will rise if the water
level of the pan fills up with a certain amount of water. So, when that normally-open switch
closes, the contacts energize at a low voltage, and send a signal to the control board to
shut down operations. Now I know this turns off your system, but
which one would you prefer? Water damage or cool air? I’m pretty sure at that moment
you’ll be glad there’s not thousands of dollars in water damage coming down your walls.
The reason you should have one of these for your home is that it will provide a 24-hour
watch dog to make sure your overflow or emergency pan doesn’t fill up with water. I know it’s
supposed to be there for overflow, but you really don’t want this thing filling up
with water. Imagine that coil draining water down; trickle, trickle, trickle.
Do we want that happening outside the house draining to the grass, or do we want that
drip, drip, dripping down on our sheetrock on the ceiling above our heads? This happens
way to often in Sacramento. And don’t think your off the hook because your system is in
the closet or garage. If those system’s pan fills with water, then it will overflow
and come down onto the control board down below as well as the blower motor. That’s
an easy 1000 dollars in repairs; and a furnace that might never quite work the same.
Other people have found this inexpensive item to be a real lifesaver. I’ve been selling
these safety switches since I first started HVAC in 2010. People seem to like the peace
of mind they get knowing there is something watching their condensate drainage in the
attic, so it doesn’t come through the ceiling. As long as these things are mounted properly
and inspected every year for proper operation, it will last for many years. Hopefully you
never need to use it, right? Some people don’t think these will fit their
hvac system. I’m here to tell you, there is a condensate safety switch for every single
evaporator coil out there. Whether your system is in the attic, closet, or garage, the potential
for the primary drainage to clog and back up is almost 100%. It’s going to happen.
It’s really just a matter of when. Folks who practice routine maintenance on
their system have no idea what I’m talking about because they have never had clog. This
is really just another smart thing you can add on to your HVAC system that didn’t already
come with it. Your HVAC technician will choose the right switch for your system, install
it and wire it to the furnace control board. If you are not a licensed technician, you
could really injure yourself or your property unknowingly by installing this safety switch
improperly. Don’t let this happen to you. It’s expensive
to repair your ceiling, let alone to match the texture on the ceiling in that particular
spot. It’s a real art form to be able to do that. It’s a small price to pay for sheetrock
protection. Check out my video on this topic. I leave
it on the end screen of this video. It goes over the basics of the condensate safety switch
and even shows me installing one at a house. Well I hope this answer your questions as
to what a condensate safety switch is and how it can work for you and your home. It’s
an inexpensive item to purchase, Fox Family can install it for you. If you’d like us
to come out and take care that for you, we’d be happy to. Give us a call at 916-877-1577.
If this is your first time watching our channel, please click subscribe down here on the bottom
right, and if you click that little bell right next to it, you’ll be notified of all our
videos as soon as they come out. Don’t forget to get your official Fox Family
merch available on Teespring.com down below this video. If you’ve ever wanted Fox Family
swag, here’s your chance to grab the same stuff we wear on the job out in the field!
Thanks so much and see you next week!