Plumbing question

[dust in the wind]

Disclaimer - this post has no useful information for you.

our neighbors have a similar pipe (copper) coming out not too far from their AC unit. Our house is the same floor plan basically and we don't have it - built by the same builder within a year of each other.

I had asked him about it a few weeks ago and no clue where it went to or what it was for. I haven't seen anything come out of it though.

 

[Obi-Wan]

Can you get your hand in there enough to use your phone to snap a picture?

 

[guywhofishes]

smartphone video can get into places your head can't

make sure you turn the LED on

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if it drips when your AC is running and stops when it doesn't then it's pretty cut/dried

although most furnaces/ACs use PVC for condensation drainage

I run mine into the basement drain

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also - please taste the fluid coming out - it's critical that we know what it tastes like

 

[AR-15]

start cutting to fine where it goes, better fix before winter

 

[dwos03]

changes flow? it flows?

what kind of cap/connection is that on the end?

had you not said that about shutoff valves affecting it I might have guessed condensate from AC

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your ceilings are finished in the utility room in the basement?

suck

This was my exact same thought...

No cistern or doomsday end of the world backup tank hidden in the walls is there? ;:;rofl

 

[DirtyMike]

I'm headed to the lake with the water shut off. I'll resurrect this on Sunday. Thanks everyone, I think

 

[dgully]

A/C moisture drain

 

[Maddog]

I’d get a metal cap with a seal in it and tighten that sumbich down.

careful.....it may explode inside !!!! :;:deadhorse

It may be a vent for something. Take away the vent and you may create other issues.

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AC condensate drain is usually lower than the unit.
Ours is on the basement floor.

Is your AC heat exchanger (inside the house) above this drain. If so, my bet would be on the AC.

If your AC heat exchanger is below this drain. That ain't it. : )

 

[walleyeman_1875]

I would not plug the line. That water needs to drain somewhere. Better outside that backing up somewhere in your house and finding out the hard way where it's coming from.

You can try fish something up the pipe and see how far you can go before finding where it originates. This will help you narrow down your search on where it starts.

 

[JayKay]

If you'd like, I'd be happy to come over on sunday. I'm pretty smart. Ask anyone.

I agree with guy. It's important that you taste it. Then pee through a strainer for a few days. It's science..

Like others here have said, I wouldn't plug it. Whether or not it has ever been needed in the past (like a T & P valve on a water heater), it was put there for a reason. It might be something else that needs diagnosing, but at least the water is outside the house, for now.

It LOOKS like an A/C moisture drain, but it would be odd that it's not coming right off the central air unit. Unless at some point, there was a swamp cooler (not common in ND) on the house.

Do you have April Aire? Mine drains into the floor drain in the utility room, but one never knows...

 

[701FishSlayer]

Sell the house, get outta there now while u still can....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[2400]

Gas meter is not buried in mulch. Until recently, the pipe has been dry/the pvc cap held. Now I have a steady stream of water. As far as getting picture from the inside, the ceiling is sheet rocked.

You do have a hammer or hatchet don't you? Just make a nice BIG hole in the sheetrock to look through, problem solved! :;:smokin

 

[pointer]

Irk could be a dumb question, but could it be somehow tied into the sprinkler system, like a blow out valve

 

[risingsun]

I'm headed to the lake with the water shut off. I'll resurrect this on Sunday. Thanks everyone, I think

Hope you shut the water heater off also, just in case the water disappears, which shouldnt happen, then again things happen.

 

[LBrandt]

Air exchanger drain? I know my air exchanger has one that goes to my floor drain.

 

[eyexer]

I'm at a loss on this one. All the drains for AC/Air exchanger, etc. have to be below the units. This obviously isn't unless those units are on the main floor.

 

[DirtyMike]

Condensation hoses go to the drain in the basement. I’ll be tackling this issue in the AM and then retreating to the AC.

 

[Ericb]

If messing with the main shut off effects it I'm guessing it has a shutoff valve that is failing. Do your outside spickets have a way to drain them? It may be a low point where you can shut the main water off and open that to drain during the winter. If not I'd guess the previose owners had somthing attached and a shutoff valve that has been removed. I'm on my phone but the pipe looks threaded.

If you need a extra set of eyes let me know. I'll PM you my #.

 

[guywhofishes]

Is it possible it's attached to a pressure relief valve somewhere in your house? You mentioned it had water coming out of it when you played with a couple of valves, otherwise I am at a loss for what the heck it's for. Sure doesn't look anything like a sump discharge, so I'm guessing it's a pressure relief valve, perhaps on your water heater.

has this been eliminated?

 

[DirtyMike]

Moved the two shut off valves around a bit and the water stopped. I’m assuming it’s a bad valve or something to be investigated this winter. I think I’ll cap it and rig up some sort of insulating housing for this winter. What a weird deal.