Dehumidifier Pump

Condensate Pump: amzn.to/3iJPl9g
Relay for pump shutdown: amzn.to/3cz3NRD
Short video of the installation of an ac condensate pump used for a dehumidifer.

[@fixitwithzim]

Condensate Pump: amzn.to/3iJPl9g

[@MARIA99886]

*This humidifier works great **Fastly.Cool** to keep our crawlspace at the proper level of humidity. It was an excellent price and shipped so fast we were amazed!*

[@Plotte666]

This bot commented this on every dehumidifier video lol

[@gstrun]

I have done this for 10 years or more. Water goes straight up in the air and across the ceiling and outside to water the garden. I was given this tip years ago by a plumber. Hate empting those buckets! Thanks for posting. My pump finally died after all these years, off to by another.

[@fixitwithzim]

Yup, works like a charm. Makes the whole process automated which beats carrying and emptying buckets. Thanks for watching.

[@MessyBeans]

My dehumidifier runs great but the pump is on it’s last leg. I’m heading to Lowe’s tomorrow to get this external pump and connect it up. Thank you for the video.

[@fixitwithzim]

You’re welcome, good luck with the repairs. For what its worth, this same setup is still going strong 7-8 years later!

[@buttermilkbaysoap9416]

Rather than drilling through the house...we just placed the tube into our water treatment pipe,up near the ceiling or a washing machine drain pipe will work too.Same pump and same dehumidifier. Water is a driveways enemy. Thanks for sharing.

[@Pseudify]

Can you think of any reason not to drain a dehumidifier into my existing condensate pump that’s on my high efficiency furnace?

[@neilbrookins8428]

I did exactly the same as you except that I put the pump into a small dishpan or washbasin. Then I put a cheap $10 water alarm into the same dishpan. Years later the pump failed and I heard the water alarm and was able to replace the failed pump without any water damage in my basement. By the way-- I also had the high level float hooked up to cut off the incoming water supply but when the pump failed BOTH floats failed!!! It was only the water alarm that saved me from disaster. So, this is a warning to anyone using the 2nd float in the pump - it can fail too! Better to have a plan in place to handle that inevitable situation. All these pumps eventually fail.

[@fixitwithzim]

Thanks for the comment and letting everyone know of a possible issue if it should arise. KZbin is a beautiful thing!

[@cMeSeeU]

I previously had a Little Hero Self Contained Submersible Pump that sat inside the Dehumidifier removable tank. The reason I would never use a condensate pump as you demonstrated here, is that if the pump fails, and you don't check it often during humid months, you could have the dehumidifier running non-stop, overflowing your external pump. If the shallow collection pump sits in the tank, this tank is weight triggered to turn off the dehumidifier, when it gets too full, so basically if the pump fails, your dehumidifier will shut off and not cause water damage in your basement. Great idea, but a smaller pump, that sits in the tank with its own float switch, and also 110 volt powered would be best. I still have an ancient Little Hero Pump, don't even know if the company exists anymore, but this still works and has outlasted three dehumidifiers. Good stuff, great video.

[@fixitwithzim]

Thanks for the comment. Interesting idea but I’ve unfortunately seen those float switches in the tanks fail as well which causes the unit to run and not shut off. I guess anyway you slice it, you could have a potential issue. The condensate pump does have a high level cut off that you could wire to a relay and outlet to cut off the dehumidifier in the event of pump failure. Thank you for the idea!

[@fixitwithzim]

Thanks man! Yeah, definitely was a good idea installing this. Basement has never been so dry since it runs all the time now when needed...no more "down for 3 days" because bucket was full.

[@daskugs]

Haha. Yes!! I Love you opened the video. I also absolutely hate doing this chore, hence my search for ideas to run a pump to get that damned water right out of the basement. Was looking at regular low suction pumps but couldn’t figure out if they’d turn off when dry. Great idea on the condensate pump!

[@rahul38474]

Thanks! We have a dehumidifier that doesn't have a pump built in and we don't have space near the utility sink in the basement to keep it above the sink and use continuous gravity draining. The condensation pump is exactly what we need to drain into the sink. Wish I could have used it for watering the houseplants, maybe I can just keep a watering can in the sink and only drain the overflow.

[@fixitwithzim]

That’s an idea!! Would be cool to set something up to automatically water the plants from it but I’m good at over complicating things sometimes 😉

[@neubianx]

The pump is tested to push the weight of the water inside the diameter of the hose provided. If you increase the diameter to 1/2" PVC, the pressure from the weight of that might cause excessive wear on the pump and also negate the expected siphon effect to clear the whole line after the pump shuts off.

[@EdLampl]

In reference to your video using a condensate pump to discharge the water - I recommend as a home inspector that you consider letting everyone know that it is not recommended to discharge the water to the outside. If you are in a geographical area with freezing temperatures - it is always important to control humidity to have good indoor air quality -

[@fixitwithzim]

No need go run dehumidifier in the winter time. Air is dry naturally so no need to worry about freezing. Dehumidifiers do nothing to control the air quality. All they do is remove moisture. If there is a problem with the air, you'll still have issues even if you run one. Dry air can still have mold spores, odors, etc. Thanks for stopping by.

[@EdLampl]

Depending on climate example, Pittsburgh. We have a lot of freezing/thawing even in the winter. You are correct humidity levels are lower wintertime. However, they will increase in the building when you get that two days of rain, snow, then the temperature becomes 40°. Why not leave your dehumidifier on and let it do the work to control humidity levels. If you do not control the humidity levels in the building. You can run into serious health issues. Also high humidity attracts wood destroying insects

[@fixitwithzim]

Correct sir. Mine is plugged in year round and set to 55%. It never runs during the cold months in my area (New York). I do agree with you. Controlling humidity and moisture is critical to a healthy home and or building.

[@666dynomax]

Thanks for that comment as that was one of my thoughts. I was thinking of using one of these so not to put a slow drip from it being right in my floor drain so it doesnt freeze going from camp to septic (tank is about 35' from wall). Do you think the condensate pump will give enough flow so as to not freeze (like I'm worried the slow drip from the dehum might?)

[@fixitwithzim]

Run it outside - no need to worry. I doubt it will ever come on in the winter. Mine never has in the 3 years its been in service.

[@dantbow]

Thanks for the great detailed video. This helped me at work with the exact units maintenance and proper installation.

[@fixitwithzim]

Dan Thibeault great, glad to hear the video helped!

[@innercityprepper]

Good stuff. Doing this exact thing except running the outlet tubing to my basin sink.

[@DT-uj1kr]

How about adding a check valve into the pvc to keep the water from flowing back into the pump. Just like a sump pump set up. It would lessen your pump run time saving pump life and electricity.

[@NHPlumber]

I was thinking the same thing

[@casamia6655]

Wonder if it would have been a good idea to attach one of those drip garden setups - might be a good way to do some type of self sustainable system.

[@dabriola1]

Good idea I will do that soon. I noticed you were in your basement, and the receptacle did not appear to be Ground Fault protected. When you had a separate single outlet there for your freezer it probably didn't need to be ,but now it should be. Thanks

[@dylanreischling4151]

Dennis Abriola wow so everything will die because there is no gfi. Safety police alert. You don’t need one. And plus why’s he going to install one for no reason 🤦‍♂️

[@Eddiesage]

Thanks for the video. I'm intimidated by most of these types of projects. Your video hasn't cured me but it's nice to know my problem is common.

[@biotechie]

Nice video! May want to screen the outlet to prevent any critters from clogging up your pipe.

[@frankcastle5294]

Great vid. I'm shocked that pump has enough ooommmph to pump water almost 20 feet vertically. Nice job.

[@timl545]

Genius, I was wondering how to get mine set up like this.

[@jshenderson]

Exactly what i wanted to see. Thanks for the video

[@fixitwithzim]

Yes, I actually did this after reading your comment...good idea, thanks!

[@fixitwithzim]

I typically don't run this in the winter. No need to here. Basement is dry naturally from the dry air in the cold.

[@jimream8449]

Very clear instructions and very neat and thorough job.. Thanks

[@fixitwithzim]

I don't find a need to run the dehumidifier in cold weather. Basement is dry in the cold months naturally. I suppose you might be able to get a pipe heat trace to put on the discharge line to prevent freeze ups.

[@nochanceimtooyoung]

Just curious---saw the black drain pipe in the video----why not just place a barb fitting (NPT on one side) into the drain pipe and connect your hose to it? You can still include a one way check valve to make sure no drainage comes back thru--and then no worries about winter time usage if you needed it.

[@dronepilotx8092]

Thanks bud. Good DIY..

[@fixitwithzim]

Thank you again!

[@lorenhenderson7044]

I recently bought a dehumidifier used and it was missing the piece to bypass the basin. Did it come with the dehumidifier or did you have to buy it?

[@purpleeagle]

Two words. Smart person

[@QuirksMom]

Do you know what the white rigid tube-looking part is that collects the water and connects to the hose. I lost that white piece and need to order a new one. thank you!

[@fixitwithzim]

The pump I used (Little Giant) has an over circuit built in. I don't have mine connected. What you could do is wire the 2 outputs of this circuit to the low voltage side of a relay coil and wire the 120v outlet for the dehumidifier to the high voltage side of the relay, That way when the overflow circuit trips in the pump, it would kill power to the dehumidifier. Maybe I'll make a video of this sometime.

[@joebarbs00]

Got a link to a relay coil? I have no idea what to buy.

[@fixitwithzim]

@@joebarbs00 yes, I’ll get you the link later on tonight to the relay you need. They’re cheap, around $10

[@joebarbs00]

@@fixitwithzim thanks! If you can point me to instructions on how to have it turn off the dehumidifier, I’d appreciate it. Can’t find any details anywhere on how to set it up to do so.

[@fixitwithzim]

@@joebarbs00 I put a link in the description to a relay that should work for what you're trying to do. Good luck with the job!

[@zx8401ztv]

Thats a brilliant job done mate :-), not a lazy mans way out at all, clean/neat/reliable :-). I cant fault your installation. I love smart ways out of problems, as you said "better than buying a new unit", Good video :-)

[@Megalink82]

I just did this today. Should have done it sooner

[@fixitwithzim]

Great! I said the same thing when I finally installed mine. It’s a big time saver!!

[@Pseudify]

I have a high efficiency furnace - so already have a pump that drains outside. Any reason I couldn’t just connect a dehumidifier to empty into the furnace pump?

[@franciskramm1190]

What did you do about the class 2 low voltage circuit that comes out of the pump?

[@Phonejag1]

Very resourceful. Love it! Great job!

[@fixitwithzim]

Phonejag1 Thanks for the comment!

[@johnmaxwell258]

I'm gonna use this idea. Was just gonna buy one with a pump unit

[@pfettig77]

Thanks for the video. I'm going out to buy the parts right now.

[@sharonducci7089]

I have one of those $900 models it has a built-in pump the pump has died trying to get another pump or trying to get a technician to call me is impossible and it’s a five-year warranty but the machine is only two years old and the pump is gone how do I know because no water is coming out of the tube even though I removed the tube And got a new tube and it’s still not working it overflows and goes out of the machine and all over the floor is there anyway to bypass that pump inside and go directly to the pump on the outside by hooking it up to the drainage that it had as if it was just gonna go in the drain however I’ll use one of those pumps instead is there anyway to do that

[@patriciaterranova1074]

great info

[@fixitwithzim]

Thank you!!

[@thetruthchannel4634]

I build crawlspace encapsulations in Kingsport, TN and have for a decade. NEVER buy a dehumidifier with a pump. They’re weak and they fail. Always use an external pump. The cost is the same. Every dehumidifier that we got with an internal pump ( about 10) we had to go back and install an external pump ($40)

[@fixitwithzim]

Agree 100 percent. I haven’t had much luck with those either

[@sweetboykenny9754]

Nice idea and I would do the same but I have drain next to the air conditioner and let it pump into a drain

[@matthewf9525]

I feel ya, I hate emptying the dehumidifier bucket what seems like daily and am thinking planning the same set-up you have. How did you handle the issue of the condensate pump possibly failing? I'm trying to figure out how to use the safety switch (two smaller black wires on the left of your pump) to turn off the dehumidifier should the pump fail, rather than continuing to dump water on the floor. Thanks.

[@loumirag450]

Anyone have a video to reference on a leaky pump connection? My dehumidifier leaking water. Have that pump to go up. Been working well over a year. No problem till now. Unlike this video,my pump hose is connected in bucket section. Leaking at connection. Havent taken apart yet. Is leaking common. What could be wrong. A washer gone bad. Unit never moves. Someone help me go in right direction. Thanks

[@ThePopDisplay]

occasional bucket emptying will seem a pleasant chore as opposed to mopping up a soaked basement floor.How will your dehumidifier stop dumping water into the full condensate pump should the pump fail? Further, where is the hose clamp on the pump fitting? Lots of back pressure from your 10' elevation

[@fixitwithzim]

+Popdisplay Thanks for the comment. Might be fun emptying a bucket of water for you but I never enjoyed it. Haven't had any problems with the setup since install. Proper maintenance on all equipment will help prevent failure. There also wouldn't be a terrible amount of water dumping onto the floor if the pump failed. Thanks for watching.

[@ThePopDisplay]

+zimsjeep I have my dehumidifier and condensation pump connected to a dedicated GFI outlet. I placed the pump in a small storage tote so that if the pump fails and the water rises, the tote will fill with water, short out the motor and trip the GFI- killing the power to the dehumidifier.

[@gumarro72]

I have the same setup. The issue is that in cold days, the how freezes. What do you do about that?

[@kenpappas9520]

Will that outlet freeze in winter?

[@davorco]

Great video. Told me just what I needed to know.

[@coconyc8375]

Should I continue using this unit or is it cost efficient to get a new one to save on energy consumption.

[@donschilp6365]

Good setup, but what do you do if the pump fails and the dehumidifer continues to run? Does the overflow go back to the dehumidifier bucket to shut it off? This is likely a rare occurrence, but I'd be interested to know if there's a way to stop the dehumidifier if the pump fails. Thanks!

[@PlanetMezz]

I use one of these water alarms right next to the pump. Little battery lasts forever and it screams loudly if it detects water - works great - amzn.to/2FFbJzI

[@neilbrookins8428]

@@PlanetMezz yes that’s what I do too. But I also use a cheap dishpan to put both pump and alarm into so the overflowing water doesn’t run away from the alarm. Without a pan the overflow might not reach the alarm.

[@PlanetMezz]

@@neilbrookins8428 thats a great idea

[@NortonsNestMonthly]

Good information and well presented.

[@Powerstroke98]

Thanks! In the market for purchasing a dehumidifier for the crawl space. After doing some research (so far) the Frigidaire unit comes out on top...but doesn't have a pump..or at least the model I'm looking at. It 'does' have a hose going to the rear of the unit with a plug which can be taken off, thus one can do as you've done with the condensate pump! I currently have a high efficiency furnace, and was wondering if I could run a hose to it, as it has the ability to pump out condensate? Will have to look into that....or am I just better off buying a unit that has a pump built in?

[@fixitwithzim]

Spend the extra money and buy a dedicated pump. They don't cost a whole lot and you can monitor just how much moisture your dehumidifier is pulling by checking the pump chamber. Your built in furnace condensate pump might only work if the furnace is running, calling for heat, etc. Not worth the headache if something goes wrong. Good luck brother and thanks for stopping by my channel.

[@hawk93x21]

I would love more information on how to wire the shutoff switch to the dehumidifier to prevent overflows with a failed pump.

[@fixitwithzim]

Hox You would need a relay with a low voltage control coil and a high voltage trigger side. The high water level limit switch on the pump is low voltage. You could hook up 12 volts through the limit switch and then through the coil. When limit switch activates it would turn the coil off disrupting power on the high side of the relay( make and break the hot leg on the 120 volt outlet) the dehumidifier is plugged into. The switch in the pump is meant to be hooked up in series with a thermostats +24 volt wire . The idea is that it would break the +24 volts from the stat to an AC control board shutting down the AC unit before condensate over flows and floods.

[@hawk93x21]

zimsjeep Here's how I did it: I found the wires connected to the "bucket full" switch and cut them. I wired the safety switch on the condensation pump to these wires, so now if the pump fails the safety switch will act just like the bucket full switch. Works perfectly.

[@fixitwithzim]

Hox Great idea. I never thought of tapping into the internal overflow wires of the dehumidifier. Appreciate the comment and hopefully it helps everyone else out.

[@jds1vette]

+Hox Those pumps go for 15-20 years. You could put a water alarm down there for about $10.

[@PlanetMezz]

I use one of these water alarms right next to the pump. Little battery lasts forever and it screams loudly if it detects water - works great - amzn.to/2FFbJzI

[@traceybrogan4753]

We have that one. I connected it, ran it through the wall into the sump pump, it still fills the bucket anyways???

[@kevduce]

Did this today. Thank you!

[@fixitwithzim]

Great, glad the video helped!

[@RyanDube]

Where did you find the adapter that connects to the small drainpipe inside of the unit and goes to that outside adapter you can hook the hose to?

[@fixitwithzim]

It came with my dehumidifer. Remove the bucket and take a look up inside. Sometimes the manufacturer tapes it up inside the unit somewhere for future use. If not, you could probably rig up a hose and clamp on the inlet to the bucket.

[@shaniatwane3375]

I would REALLY like to know how much water one of these produces in a single day please.

[@sharonducci7089]

Aren’t you using the same circuit for four plugs now instead of designating one plug and one circuit to the pump I’m not sure if that’s what you wanted to do because now it looks like you just turned it into a surge protector without the surge protection just multiple outlets

[@aardvark9119]

Good video! Thanks.

[@sharonducci7089]

Like using the one I because the electricity is so small compared to the model you just showed

[@darlenezettergren8283]

The concept is great, my plumber installed the pump and hooked the dehumidifier to it. The pump is about 6 ft away from the dehumidifier and water continues to fill the bucket and some goes into the hose to pump. Could the pump be too far away from the dehumidifier? I'm frustrated as still emptying daily!!

[@caitversella5141]

Darlene Zettergren the same thing is happening to me! Why is the water going to the bucket instead of the hose going to the condensate pump! It used to work but suddenly stopped 2 weeks ago.

[@HuygYT]

is it normal for heat to come out of the outlet grille

[@hiadd5530]

Do you know how to clean the air filter? Thanks

[@MrMikeCarlson]

Do you have a link to the pump you used?

[@fixitwithzim]

I put a link in the video description for the pump used in the video. Hope this helps

[@rksmith5273]

I was hoping to see how you connected the two wires that are part of the condensate unit. That's what my issue is. But thanks for posting.

[@fixitwithzim]

RK Smith That's easy to hook up. You'll need a relay coil. Low voltage side gets connected to the pump overflow shut off. The line voltage side of the relay gets connected to the outlet the dehumidifier is plugged into. So when the pump senses high water, it will kill power to the dehumidifier preventing a flood from occurring.

[@joebarbs00]

@@fixitwithzim do you have a video of this? I’d like to set mine up the same way.

[@fixitwithzim]

@@joebarbs00 soon, Moving to a new house and I’ll need to do this install again. Stay tuned!

[@ef5842]

In winter, will that outside pipe freeze and stop the flow?

[@fixitwithzim]

No because the dehumidifier wouldn’t be running in the winter months as the humidity naturally drops

[@aitchkaye1953]

With this usage, the automatic shutoff switch isn't connected. I've tried to install the same way and have no idea what to do with that wiring as there is nothing to connect to (typically connects to AC unit). Anyone have an idea?

[@fixitwithzim]

It can be done. You’d need a plug in relay that would be plugged into the wall outlet and the dehumidifier would be plugged into that. You’d then wire up the low voltage side to the high water cutoff from the condensate pump.

[@fixitwithzim]

There is a solution to this below that I've posted.

[@PlanetMezz]

is the pump loud?

[@PlanetMezz]

to answer my own question I asked 5 years ago- the answer is no - the pump is very quiet

[@joshuamemos5756]

Can someone help, my dehumidifier is turning off by itself and the bucket is empty

[@fixitwithzim]

Float switch is hung up, check and clean. Should fix your problem

[@ehler7533]

I have the same issue. I fixed it by turning down the humidity to low. Hope this fix your problem.

[@nickcsanady2926]

Put a screen or something at end of pvc pipe. Your Gunna get bugs crawl in

[@fixitwithzim]

Yes, neglected to show that in the video at the time, it’s had a screen for a while now. Thanks for the comment!

[@nickcsanady2926]

Good man

[@terrisymington3673]

I ran the tube to washing machine drain

[@fixitwithzim]

Yup, that’s works too!

[@rocky7gd]

Problem i see : if pump goes down, iy flood the basement

[@Swt71Sun]

If the pump fails....you will have a nice mess. First hand experience.

[@PlanetMezz]

I use one of these water alarms right next to the pump. Little battery lasts forever and it screams loudly if it detects water - works great - amzn.to/2FFbJzI

[@sharonducci7089]

Bace aire 90 I need help I can’t find anybody to help me this thing weighs 90 pounds the company was absolutely useless I’ll never buy another one from them again horrible horrible Service just ignored me

[@sharonducci7089]

Like using the one I because the electricity is so small compared to the model you just showed