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Need to run a drain line at the office.


Zero Knievel

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The pic shows you what I'm working with.

We have an old school cooling system (chilled water running through pipes).

Office gets a lot of humidity, and our copier room is the chief concern. We run a dehumidifier, and with doors to the room closed, it fills before the office opens the next morning. I don't know if these style of A/C units have drain pans for water (I presume they do), but I'm looking to run a line from the dehumidifier into an existing drain line OR....

post-3006-0-42039500-1435071081_thumb.jp

Find a way to run a line out a window such as this which opens inward from the top. I figure the drain line could go into one of those electric A/C sumps that will pump water out a drain line, but we'd have to route it out the window WITHOUT leaving it open to just let all the hot/cold/humidity in as fast as it's extracted.

I don't know if they make a seal kit for these types of windows.

Thoughts?

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Where is the water going right now? It is just condensation on the cool pipe?

I'm dumping a dehumidifier bucket 2-3 times a day. I presume there's a catch tray and drain line in the wall unit(s), but I have no easy way to open one up and look.

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My first thought is eliminate all that brain damage and do a through-the-wall air conditioner which will cool the room AND dehumidify it.

Otherwise, why not just drill through the wall for your drain? Or have somebody come out and do it?

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My first thought is eliminate all that brain damage and do a through-the-wall air conditioner which will cool the room AND dehumidify it.

Otherwise, why not just drill through the wall for your drain? Or have somebody come out and do it?

Place is leased. Owner would have to approve it. If I can't find a workaround, that's my next step because a drain line to the outside (that can be sealed if we ever leave), is the most effective option.

JoWhee, if I can get a way to run a sealed line out the window, that's my thought exactly.

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Nothing nearby. The window (or if there's a drain line in the wall unit) would be the closest options.

I'm debating if we could just run a line into a MUCH larger bucket. Standard bucket is only 2 gallons. I'm sure a 5 gallon would work for overnight but I don't know about over a weekend. The exit port is 12 inches (center) from the floor, so I'd have to keep a bucket shorter than that or get something to elevate the unit off the floor.

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Got the cover off. There is a drain line in the unit. Cheapest option is to get something to elevate the dehumidifier so gravity does the work and rig some 1/4" clear hose down through the air vent into the drain line.

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attachicon.gifFullSizeRender.jpg

I don't know if they make a seal kit for these types of windows.

Those are referred to as "Hopper windows". You can get an exterior screen to keep bugs out.

Crack it open enough to get a drain line out (with the pump previously mentioned), and compression foam to make a seal?

How professional does it have to look? Do you have clients that come into that room?

Edited by XXitanium
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Find a plastic plug that you can place in a hole after the hose is remove. Drill a hole through the inside wall of the frame ONLY, not the sash, and run the hose to the area underneath the sash. There are weeps on the outside that will allow water to drain to the outside. The window weeps are designed to allow water to escape to the outside. When you take out the hose pop the plug into the hole with a little clear silicone.

....If the water running down the face of the building is considered unsightly....

You could also have a glazier come and replace the glass - to be saved for replacement later- and have a nice sandwich panel placed in that you could plumb a line through.

Then when it's time to move out, fix it.

This one would take some thought to make sure rain wouldn't seep in.... You could also consider removing the sash and storing it in a safe place for re-installation after the muggy season. Place a panel where the sash was.

Edited by XXitanium
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Find a plastic plug that you can place in a hole after the hose is remove. Drill a hole through the inside wall of the frame ONLY, not the sash, and run the hose to the area underneath the sash. There are weeps on the outside that will allow water to drain to the outside. The window weeps are designed to allow water to escape to the outside. When you take out the hose pop the plug into the hole with a little clear silicone.

....If the water running down the face of the building is considered unsightly....

You could also have a glazier come and replace the glass - to be saved for replacement later- and have a nice sandwich panel placed in that you could plumb a line through.

Then when it's time to move out, fix it.

This one would take some thought to make sure rain wouldn't seep in.... You could also consider removing the sash and storing it in a safe place for re-installation after the muggy season. Place a panel where the sash was.

Sayeth the engineer.

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Non engineer thoughts-

Are you on a raised foundation? Small hole down.

Foam insulation strip on the window frame to block around the hose.

Bigger bucket(s).

I like the water cooler idea best, that's a win win.

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You supposedly DO NOT want to drink water from a dehumidifier basin...at least not without treating it first.

It worked fine for a week. Now there's water all over the floor. The drain line clearly is blocked later down the line. AC guys will have to come in and check it out. So, I'm back to dumping the water manually.

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I have found that in offices people just want it to work and really dont care about how much it costs. Just get someone to do it.

Edited by TuffguyF4i
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Just an FYI, you can use a condensate pump to run quite a distance. If you can get to a drain or a sink.

If this is a lease, try to get the landlord to fix it. I know in most leases the tenant is responsible, but it is worth a shot.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not quite, but little things...you either bug someone to bring in an "expert" to do something, or you fix it yourself for 1/100 the cost and 1/10th the time of waiting for someone higher than the office manager to okay the work.

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For how long the office dumped a bucket of water 2-3 times a day and NEVER could keep the file room dry.

Now we don't dump buckets and the files are dry.

All because of ME.

You decide if it was the right call.

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