How It Works

• Pipes move moisture from the air handler of the air conditioner into the reservoir of the condensate pump. When the water reaches a set level, it activates the pump, which moves the water through tubes into a building drain, according to Inspectapedia.com.
  
  

Pump Problems

• An insufficiently secured condensate pump can dislodge and tip over. The pump can accumulate algae and scum, especially when it lies idle for prolonged periods, and the drain tubing can become blocked.
  
  

Pump Drainage

• If the tubing from the pump dislodges or doesn't go directly into a drain, water can spill across a building's floor. If the drain trap dries out in dry or cold weather, foul gases may rise up. Without an air gap in the tubing from the pump, wastewater can back up into the pump and then onto the floor.