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Old 10-14-2015, 11:27 AM   #1
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AC condensate drain to bilge 😡

My AC drains to the bilge, and as a result I always have a wet bilge. The bilge pump is not able to suck all the water out for some reason. It turns on and gets almost all of it out, but then when it turns back off some of the water drains back into the bilge.

Anyway, I would like to run the AC drain lines to my existing shower sump pump, but the run is up hill.

Is there some kind of a booster pump I could hook into the AC drain line that would send it to the shower sump, or do I need another sump pump in the bilge to get it up to the shower sump? There is very little room to mount another shower type sump, but I suppose it could be done.

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Old 10-14-2015, 12:04 PM   #2
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Raise the ac condenser?
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Old 10-14-2015, 12:23 PM   #4
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Just buy another shower sump pump kit in a box, and drain it to the outside of the boat. You could also send it to the shower sump, but that would make it dependent on 2 pumps. The shower sump would be more likely to clog than the condensate pump.
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Old 10-14-2015, 12:30 PM   #5
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This looks like the easiest solution. If I read the description correctly, it hooked the condensate drain to the raw water discharge line somehow? That would be good-- would rather not drill another hole in the boat.
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Old 10-14-2015, 12:39 PM   #6
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Bill, if it is a self contained unit with no separate air handler the condensator drain should work. My Blackfin has that arrangement. My Sabre has 4 remote air handlers that drain to a sump to be pumped over board through the head sink drain.
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Old 10-14-2015, 01:06 PM   #7
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Damn, $200 bucks?? They must be pretty proud of that little gizmo, lol.
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Old 10-14-2015, 01:21 PM   #8
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Damn, $200 bucks?? They must be pretty proud of that little gizmo, lol.
Yeah, if you're reasonably hand you could cobble one up yourself.
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Old 10-14-2015, 02:00 PM   #9
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Our Cruise Air units have had the venturis since 2004. Work great. They don't look quite the same as the ones in the Mermaid ad....maybe they are available elsewhere for lower cost. One thing about them is if the tray gets rusty the condensate will leave a rust stain on the side of the boat where the raw water discharges. I solved the problem with a very thin wall plastic extension tube stuck into the through hull (duh).
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Old 10-14-2015, 02:03 PM   #10
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As it usually goes, while I was working on my AC drain project something else decided to quit working. The AC control unit flashed HPF, which usually means my strainer is clogged.

When I closed the crappy ball valve on the substandard through hull setup it felt a little funny I thought. I check the strainer and there were some jellyfish at the bottom but not many. Cleaned the basket, reinstalled, same thing. HPF.

This time I unscrewed the strainer top and opened the crappy ball valve, and no water came out. Nothing. So figuring something was clogging the through hull, I attached my trusty shop vac to the hose and attempted to blow back through the crappy ball valve, but got nothing. Just solid pressure. Valve is open (or shows to be anyway).

Could the ball valve have failed closed? The handle moves but nothing happens. Or do I just have one bad ass jelly fish in there? 😢

Here is the ball valve. I know I need to replace it with a proper seacock but would like to get the AC going again.

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Old 10-14-2015, 02:57 PM   #11
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Maybe this will make you feel better about your set up .It's kinda redneck but it doesn't clog .
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:00 PM   #12
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AC condensate drain to bilge 😡

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Maybe this will make you feel better about your set up .It's kinda redneck but it doesn't clog .

I'm pretty redneck myself so I like those. I don't trust these water-circulating marine units.
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:07 PM   #13
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$48.00 at Home depot, only works on 120VAC but I bet your AC's require it as well.



Little GIANT 115-Volt Automatic Condensate Removal Pump-554401 - The Home Depot
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:26 PM   #14
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Damn, $200 bucks?? They must be pretty proud of that little gizmo, lol.
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Yeah, if you're reasonably hand you could cobble one up yourself.
Yeah! I bought a venturi off Ebay for <$10 shipped., Do a search, pick the fitting size you want, add some clear tubing between the drain and the Venturi, and plumb it into your cooling line....It's a $15 solution..

Why add pumps, drains, complexity and $$$ when a simple and cheap solution is out there..

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Old 10-14-2015, 03:28 PM   #15
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Here is the exact unit on the Sabre. It is 12 volt. If you can get to a sink drain hose, you can "T" it into that. If not probably have to bore a hole.

Attwood Shower Sump Pump- 500 Gph 4141-4
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:50 PM   #16
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Quote:
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Yeah! I bought a venturi off Ebay for <$10 shipped., Do a search, pick the fitting size you want, add some clear tubing between the drain and the Venturi, and plumb it into your cooling line....It's a $15 solution..

Why add pumps, drains, complexity and $$$ when a simple and cheap solution is out there..


Awesome. Thanks y'all.
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:52 PM   #17
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So this thing will just hook into the AC raw water discharge line?
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:54 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heron View Post
Yeah! I bought a venturi off Ebay for <$10 shipped., Do a search, pick the fitting size you want, add some clear tubing between the drain and the Venturi, and plumb it into your cooling line....It's a $15 solution..

Why add pumps, drains, complexity and $$$ when a simple and cheap solution is out there..


Looks like an item available on Amazon for even less. One question I'd have is whether it's self priming
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YUIHW/...l_7ygjohr955_b
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Old 10-14-2015, 04:01 PM   #19
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I don't like the idea of water flowing from outside through this device without some assurance regarding leakage.

On the other hand my bilge pumps are of greater capacity then my AC pumps and I do like to keep it simple, hmmmm.

My condensate pump is self contained and discharges via a thru-hull, but when the time comes to replace this is a thought.
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Old 10-15-2015, 06:30 AM   #20
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If above the water line, run it out a through hull directly outside. This eliminates the water in the boat and having to rely on a pump.


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