Little Giant Automatic Condensate Removal Pump VCMA-ULST (554415)

In this video, I describe the entire "Little Giant" VCMA series of Automatic Condensate Removal Pumps, including the VCMA-15 and VCMA-20 sub-series. Then I give an in-depth overview and description of the popular VCMA-ULST (554415) model, which is an "Amazon's Choice" model. I take special note of the variations within these two series, so when you go shopping, you can understand the subtle differences denoted by the suffix letters at the ends of the part number.
Finally, I describe how I rigged a model VCMA-ULST (554415) pump to empty a conventional portable dehumidifier in the basement of a relative's house, and what I learned from that experience.

[@gga3053]

I feel like I just attended a PhD level class on automatic condensate pumps! This was extremely helpful and exactly the information I needed. Thank you so very much!

[@Pterocarpous]

It's always a pleasure watching a meticulous, intelligent, knowledgeable, humble natural communicator at work. Excellent instructional video. Well done!

[@ChadAmI80]

And this is why I LOVE KZbin. Such a thorough video. The alarm function is super cool.

[@deadoctopi5070]

I always make it a point to thank folks who make these vids. I have a portable AC unit that I "converted" into an outside one (outside the small office I built in the garage for my wife, you can imagine how loud a portable unit is inside an 8x9ft box haha) anyways...although I built a box to make sure it sucks hot air from her office, blows cold back into the office and vents hot air into the garage, I found after a couple hours condensation builds on the cold air line, hoping punching into the box, and putting this "in line" with the AC units drain path (it is running on cool mode but not dry/cool so it's probably just full of water inside my hacked box) it'll grab moisture and run it out the garage. Again, thanks for such a great detailed vid!

[@61mhall]

A well thought out and thorough tutorial on the pump set and operation. THANK YOU for sharing.

[@hewlejr]

Fantastic walk through! I had to install a different make and model (Proselect PSCPV215WS) with a pathetic manual. The level of detail that you go into was exactly what I needed to understand how the pump functions (especially the over flow detection circuit) so that I could install mine with confidence! Thank you, sir!

[@kimhussey4757]

This was one of the most helpful videos I have come across. To the point, and I know everything I need to know about this pump now. Thank you!

[@drew856856]

Your a legend sir. Thankyou im so tired of dumping the water from the dehumidifier. This is my next project

[@tuboboludo]

Same here, I appreciate deeply the level of knowledge, detail and creativity shown in this video. Brilliant!

[@kevinshea4776]

Well done and well explained! The original owner of my house, had 2 dehumidifiers in the basement and the next owner foolishly did away with them! I noticed the original owner had a doorbell switch and wire over the washing machine that was purposely wired with a door bell "test" button. Thanks to your video, I now know why he had the wiring to the doorbell ... he must have used this as an alarm!

[@patriciaterranova1074]

your video was the best for explaining the pump. I loved your ideas for the alert.

[@walleylr]

Nice review of the little giant condensation pump. I have a similar pump on my air conditioner and it is 14 years old and never failed. More commonly , I find the gravity feed hose obstructs from fungus that forms in the condensate trough under the cooling coils over time and the water overflows the trough before it reaches this pump. I periodically back flush this line with dilute Clorox to keep the fungal build up down.

[@aceinlacey]

Great video demonstration and greatly appreciated as now I can install the exact pump next to my furnace to discharge excess water from my new waterfall humidifier . Thanks!

[@divemetal]

Hey, followed your guide with the alarm sensor and battery pack and it all works perfectly! Just don't forget to move that jumper, that got me until I watched again. Thank you so much!

[@sickboy8354]

Great video I love how you hooked up the alarm!!

[@KentuckyGinger]

Just what I was searching for to set up mine. Thanks so much!

[@dougbowser5532]

Excellent, well thought out and well organized video. One little thing.. I believe you will find that 'ding-dong' doorbells will only 'ding' when energy is applied, and won't 'dong' until energy is removed. Hence, if you was to use that type of doorbell in this application, you would only have one ding to alert you to the problem. I would not recommend using that. Your 'sounder' is a much better solution, as it will make a continuing 'annoyance' to get someone's attention. Again, a very well done video!

[@brianpierce508]

Dang! I just learned so much from watching this video! I love it. I highly recommend watching this video.

[@4thorder]

Very well done! Very thorough and well presented. You should have your own show lol :)

[@plaszid1]

Awesome video, cheers for all your help 👏

[@yartumogborkorquellie2072]

Such an awesome video; it was very helpful. My pump is installed and working great. Thanks a lot.

[@RDhali]

Thank you so much for this. Including manual and manufactures vid was good, but your video was wonder

[@kp-gbuniqueinterest]

Thank you for this video. I was wondering how to do this. We have those pumps near the thankless water heater and furnace. And we had a dehumidifier that we had to empty. No sink in the basement. In the summer it was getting tired to check every few hours. Thanks again.

[@jameseiden2340]

Iam impressed. Battery and piezo elect alarm

[@BluePhoenix476513]

Excellent video!

[@PCJ52]

Really excellent! Thank you.

[@badcrcz]

I want to do this with a Whynter ARC-14S portable AC unit so I don't have to empty the water 2-3 times a day in the summer. I think I can use a Little Giant low profile unit like the VCCA-20ULS and not even have to raise the unit above the pump (the drain is only about 2" off the floor). What I'm worried about is leaving the house with the AC on and the pump failing. I'm not sure how I'd rig up that alarm switch to turn the AC off. The ideal solution would be an electric valve between the AC drain fitting and the pump to close the drain, but I don't know if they make something like that.

[@shawnpatton635]

This is the best instructional video I think I’ve ever seen A+ thanks for sharing

[@luiscarranza7241]

well done!

[@lrblouie]

Very helpful - thank you!

[@N1Caraguita]

Nice work!

[@jonknapp3926]

Thanks for this tutorial - very helpful. Since a power outage will turn off the dehumidifier, I'm not sure that a battery (back up) feature (and all of the extra mounting work) is all that necessary. I'm going to do mine with a low voltage buzzer (6v/12v/24v) and use a matched low voltage (6v/12v/24v) plug in adapter to power it from the same circuit to avoid the different breaker scenario.

[@youtuuba]

Jon Knapp, as I designed it in this video, the audible alarm is there to let people know that something is amiss. If there is a general power outage, presumably people will already know that. And If the dehumidifier or air conditioner or other water condensing equipment stop working for other reasons (than a power outage) that is not a emergency. But let's say that the condensing water is still being produced, but this condensate pump cannot function for some reason.....perhaps the AC circuit it is plugged into is off or tripped, or perhaps the pump has failed, or the discharge hose is blocked or pinched, or the pump p is simply unplugged, so now the condensate water will overflow onto the floor. Depending on the installation and the area, this could be messy, or causing damage to flooring, furniture, items stored nearby, or possibly it could even be dangerous. People would want to know that the condensate pump is not able to function and that overflow is imminent......THAT is what my audible alarm is designed for. It is battery powered because of the root cause possibly being failure of AC power. Of course, the alarm buzzer and its battery power source don't need to be mounted on the pump. If my installation was a normal air conditioner, I COULD have wired the high level switch to the HVAC controller to have it stop the AC and thus the production of condensate water. But here I am dealing with a portable dehumidifer, so it is more difficult to wire the switch to (and the switch is not rated to directly control the AC power to the dehumidifier). So the alarm made the most sense. And this pump can accommodate up to THREE sources of condensate water....in that case, the switch could not be directly wired to stop all condensate equipment, so again simply making it control a common audible alarm might be the best solution.

[@jameseiden2340]

They don’t want to give you a metal hose clamp because there are too many in experienced people that would crank down on the clamp and break the fitting

[@sickboy8354]

I clearly saw the hose was bent upwards and thought that exact thing was gonna happen!!🤷‍♂️

[@casamia6655]

just a constructive criticism, I highly suggest making a TL;DR at the beginning of the video or in the description section so that ppl know whether if you approved of the item, had a good experience of it. Its great you went through so much depth but it really makes it hard for me to know what spectrum you are on from if you liked it, were neutral about it, to disliked it.

[@chooseanameforme888]

Excellent Excellent Excellent

[@BxCortez2050]

well explained thanx

[@tymitchell1335]

Thank You

[@suepalacios4952]

Hi. Thank you for your explanation. What's the difference between the vcm models and vcma model

[@ArtsiRosi]

One of the most in-depth videos I have ever watched and I have watched 100s of KZbin videos on all types of subjects. Question: can one use a piece of the tubing that is included with the pump as the hose that goes from the dehumidifier to the pump (where you used the garden hose)?

[@youtuuba]

Rosi Garmendia, I think you can use the included hose as you describe, but you might have issues finding an adaptor to go between the dehumidifier and the smaller hose. If you try to jerry-rig it, you could get leaks. You also have to be careful that the bottom end of the hose does not rest on the bottom of the pump's little tank.

[@johnanddiann100]

Thanks for going into great detail on how to use this type of pump! However, in your particular usage example, I'm just wondering if you couldn't simply set the dehumidifier on the bar counter and run a gravity feed hose directly into the sink without needing the pump at all? I guess you'd have to ensure the unit couldn't vibrate itself off the counter, but that shouldn't be too hard.

[@youtuuba]

John Thompson, of course one COULD put the dehumidifier on the counter in a sort of "redneck fixit" solution. But, yes, it could vibrate itself off the narrow countertop, and it would not be safe, and any leaks would go onto the countertop and down onto the wooden cabinetry below (rather than only onto the waterproof tile floor), etc. But ultimately, as I said in the video, I was setting this pump up in somebody else's house, so I put it where they wanted it. If it were in my own house, I would have set up an overall better arrangement.

[@danielj2653]

Great video and solution! Can the condensate pump suck up water from a puddle that's on the concrete floor? If not, what would you suggest for me to do to achieve that suction, up into the pump (the puddle would be at the bottom level of the condensate pump).

[@youtuuba]

Danielj, this is NOT the kind of pump you are needing for sucking up puddles on concrete floors. It can't do it. If your puddle is shallow (less than perhaps 5/8" or thereabouts, you need something like a wet/dry shop vac; I don't know of an alternative. If your puddle is deeper, you can probably use one of the many automatic pumps that can be set on a floor to pump away standing water.

[@luke9822]

27:31 I am a little confused about the extensive modifications you made to the hose portion extending inside the pump. Why was a trough needed there? Was the entire issue because of the bend shown in the hose in which it was slightly angled up, or was there an additional issue inside the pump? I ask because I want to use this as a condensate pump for a crawl space in which I want to seal that connection and make sure no bugs, dirt, etc ends up in the pump.

[@youtuuba]

Luke H, the whole point is that the incoming water from the hose must be able to strip unimpeded into the pump tank. If you run the house all the way into the tank (to the bottom), little water will flow into the tank. If you cut the hose shorter, perhaps half way down into the tank, when the tank level rises to the end of the hose, out may not flow in as freely. Ideally, the hose can end just below the tank's top opening, so water can flow in unimpeded, but then you need to find a way to attach the house end there, so it does not just fall into the tank. I solved this by attaching the hose to a brass pipe that goes all the way down to the bottom of the tank just to support the hose weight, but cut away half the diameter of the pipe so it is like a trough, so from the water's perspective, the closed hose/tube ends at the top of the tank. Regarding your idea of closing all the tank inlet holes, remember that you need to allow air to escape freely.....perhaps you can put some screen across one of the unused holes.

[@DjTranz956]

can a bad condensate pump make the furnace not power on? my ac in my home stopped powering on and all i can hear is the pump with a loud noise at all times? will a replacement fix the issue of the noise and enable my ac furnace to power back on? thanks.

[@aps125]

I just brought a dehumidifier that comes with gravity draining hose option. Doesn’t require a pump if you already have AC drainage hole on your basement floor.

[@youtuuba]

adaptus primus, I am not sure of what your point is. First, pretty much all dehumidifiers have a gravity draining hose option, so your is not unusual. Second, the whole idea of these pumps is getting rid of condensate water when you can NOT use gravity feed alone to a floor drain, so your mention of your setup not needing the pump seems like WHAT? Why was this comment left, as it is a total no-brainer, and not applicable to the subject of this video?

[@aps125]

youtuuba you can call me stupid. I didn’t even realize the draining hose option is available until I watched this vid. See, I learned something.

[@luke9822]

Any idea what the decibel rating is for this pump? I'd like to use it for my dehumidifier in the crawlspace, but don't want to hear it in the room above.

[@bjorno2080]

Doesn't make any noise apart from a slight hum for 5 seconds as it empties.

[@sbreed58]

Great video. I have a question though. I want to put one of these pumps near my hot water tank, there is no floor drain close to the hot water tank. Are these pumps gravity fed for the intake of residual water? I am wanting the pump to draw water from the pressure release valve but also any residual water from the floor if the hot water tank begins to leak. If this pump won’t work can you suggest a pump that would work. Thank you.

[@youtuuba]

Scott R, I thought my video was very clear about how it works, specifically that the source water needs to gravity feed into the pump's little tank. If your hot water heater cannot be rigged to drain into this pumps tank, then it won't work for you. Also, this pump is designed for condensate water, which is usually cool......it might be damaged by hot water coming from your heater. And also, condensate water is clear and free of debris, whereas discharge from a water heater probably has a lot of settled sludge and minerals, which might foul this pump. When I want to drain or flush MY hot water heater, I connect a length of garden hose and run that to a floor drain or sump.

[@ericoxford7069]

Tell me you're a Machinist without telling me you're a Machinist. (Taps wood)

[@joebarbs00]

Wouldn’t it be better to set this up so that the overflow turns off the dehumidifier? What good will the alarm do if someone isn’t home? You come home to a big mess to cleanup. I bought one of these pumps and now I’m trying to figure out how to get it to turn off my dehumidifier. Can’t find any clear instructions anywhere on how to do that.

[@youtuuba]

Joe Barberio, your basic point is good, however I thought I already addressed that when describing my deliberations when doing this specific project. 1) Yes, the High-High Level switch is by default configured to interrupt the signal that turns a condensing unit (dehumidifier, air conditioner, etc) on, but some equipment is not controlled by low level electrical signals; 2) Here, it would be necessary to interrupt the mains voltage, high current AC feed to the portable dehumidifier, and as I stated in the video, the High-High Level switch is NOT rated for that kind of load, so it would be necessary to build a controller (relay, solid state, whatever) to interpose between the switch and the AC line feed; 3) Little Giant recommends that if there is NOT a low level control signal to interrupt, that the next best thing is to wire the High-High Level switch to some kind of alarm; 4) In this instance, the condensing unit is equipped with a shut-off switch that turns it off if the water level in its own condensate tank is too high; when piped to the pump's condensate tank as shown in this video, the dehumidifier's internal tank should not ever fill, but if the pump's own tank fills, this means that the pump has lost power and cannot empty its own tank; this is the only time when the alarm would sound, a rare occasion, but at least the alarm is battery powered (not dependent on whether the power is on or off), is in an area open to the rest of the house, and can easily be heard elsewhere in the house. 5) To sum up, since using the High-High Level switch to interrupt AC power was not an option (I COULD have done an interposing panel, but the homeowner did not want to pay for it), it was felt that, in the rare situation when AC power was lost, sure, the pump would not run, but then neither would the dehumidifier, so no NEW water being made, so the alarm was a good solution to at least let the homeowner know there was a problem, and call for somebody to check it out. Your point about 'what if nobody is home to hear the alarm' is also true for things like sump pump overflow alarms, alarms that go off if a pipe freezes, alarms that detect a ruptured clothes washer hose, etc; at least there IS an alarm......in the case of this particular house, the homeowner never leaves the house, so it is a very low risk situation as far as this pump goes.

[@metalmayhem4365]

In other words the pump doesn't have enough voltage to trigger another pump or dehumidifier

[@terriboothe3497]

Is this an Underwriter Laboratories product being sold on Amazon?

[@youtuuba]

UL does not have products.

[@bjorno2080]

Bollocks. If anything the angled cut hose is more likely to cause what he's trying to avoid.

[@Denny_E_Lee7575]

Does the inlet hose have to go in vertically or doesn't it matter?

[@youtuuba]

Denny Lee, WHAT "inlet hose"? You need to be more specific......with the openings in the top of the pump reservoir, any inlet needs to be pretty much vertical, at least when entering the pump reservoir. A major thing to get right is that any inlet NOT go all the way to the bottom of the reservoir, indeed it is best if any inlet feed pipes/hoses stop not too far below the top of the reservoir, dripping the rest of the way down.

[@Denny_E_Lee7575]

@@youtuuba Yes sorry I wasn't too specific on the the line hose. It's the line coming off the back of the dehumidifier going into the pump, now that i know it should be vertical going into the pump and not to touch the bottom.Thanks a lot for the response and stupendous tutorial.

[@patriciaterranova1074]

Just wondering why you would install the Alarm and Battery Hookup at the level where water overflow could wet your electronics?

[@youtuuba]

Patricia Terranova, there are no 'electronics' in this alarm setup. If the dehumidifier and/or condensate pump overflow, the water will not get the simple electrical circuit wet, because it will spread across the floor in a thin, shallow puddle. Putting the electrical circuit somewhere else would be more cumbersome.

[@thequarterman]

I am using this for my dehumidifier in the basement. Do I need to hook up those 2 black wires to anything or will it run fine without that? I do not have an alarm like you sawdered to it.

[@youtuuba]

The Quarterman, I already described this in my video. You can use those two wires to stop the production of condensate, or to alarm on high level in the tank, or you can choose to use them for nothing.

[@phungus]

What is the point of the alarm when the goal is for it to empty your water unattended?

[@soundcityintl]

To alert you of high levels or water or pump failure .

[@bjorno2080]

Overkill there pal. No need for brass fittings and troughs and all that nonsense but if you are happy with it fair enough.

[@youtuuba]

Bjorn, there was a need for the brass fittings and trough in this installaton. I explained the reasons in the video. So your comment is "nonsense" to me.

[@bjorno2080]

No need for all the extra angles on the inlet pipe. Talk about over complicating stuff? 15mm hose and just sit it in, as long as no right angle kinks are in the hose it will flow into the pump no problem. 12 years I ran one of these without the need of any of this nonsense. These type of videos make people afraid to try anything simple.

[@paulb8188]

BORING! This should have been a 5 minute video, BLAHH BLAHH BLAHHH