Attaching PVC pipe to concrete

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75
Location
New Jersey
My air conditiong unit (in the basement) has a pump which pumps the condensation up over the AC unit into a drain pipe in the ceiling of the basement, the pump has failed me several times resulting in water on the basement floor. I plan to eliminate the pump & run 3/4" Pvc pipe to my sump pump & have it drain by gravity. Cutting, glueing and running the pipe looks pretty straightforward, is it? What is the best way to attach the PVC pipe to the concrete walls in the basement ?
Thanks
Dennis
 
Dennis,

As far as brackets, I would use the metal brackets used for electrical conduit. They come with screw holes on either one side or both sides. I'm sure they sell pvc/plastic brackets. The plastic ones would probably crack if you get your fastener too tight. The metal ones might deform a bit, but would still work.

As to mounting them, you could go with lead anchors. They would work well for this. Another option is Tap-con masonary screws. They are blue in color and can be found with the other fasteners at Home Depot and probably most other hardware stores.

The main thing in doing this, would be to make sure that your PVC is pitched toward the sump. This is one time where the goal is not to be level.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.
 
Sean nailed it. Will just add one thing. Put a T in the line and cap it off but leave the cap unglued so you can pour some bleach down the line to kill any algae. Otherwise it can stop up the line and still back up.
 
Jeff, in all due respect I have some concerns about your post. Now I am not the most earth-friendly woodworker/ homeowner out there, but since this is going into a sump pump, I have concerns with where this bleach is ultimately heading. If it heads into a city sewer or rural leach field I have no issues with it and will give you an apology, but here in Maine a lot of sump pumps just dump the excess water downhill from the home. You might not want to be pumping bleach there however. Just something to think about.

As for attaching the PVC to the concrete walls, plumbers tape would also work and give you plenty of options. Its this soft metal that has a row of holes in it and comes spooled up. Its kind of pricey but is designed to be bent around pipes and ducting, and yet can be nailed anywhere thanks to the holes in it.
 
dennis,
any fasteners you use will require a hammerdrill to install, if you don`t own one i`d suggest going to your local rental yard and renting one for a couple of hours. they should have fasteners and the correct bit to make the job easy.
if you opt to purchase a hammerdrill look at the sds type for medium to light duty, 2-300 bucks.
tod
 
What is the best way to attach the PVC pipe to the concrete walls in the basement ?
Thanks
Dennis

A channel Strut. This is what we used in my basement to attach pvc drain pipe from my water softener to the sump pump pit. Very rugged. YOu can probably go to an HVAC co and buy a few inches/ft. google B-Line, they manufacturer all kinds of fasteners. www.b-line.com I think


Joe
 
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Sean nailed it. Will just add one thing. Put a T in the line and cap it off but leave the cap unglued

Yup, but also add a vent pipe. Had my furnace replaced last December and they did all of this: made sure it sloped to the floor drain, hooked up both the A/C drip and the furnace drip (higher efficiency furnaces also have condensate dripping from the exhaust), and added an air/vent at the starting end, to make sure that things flow well - and it also serves as a cleanout.

I have concerns with where this bleach is ultimately heading.

Travis, when I was a kid we lived on 1 acre with a well and ever now and then (no more than once a year) my dad would dump a whole bottle of bleach into the well to shock it. This was as instructed by some gov't office that he had consulted with on some aspect of the well. (Sorry, I was a kid, I don't remember more details than that) For a few days, we were getting the same chlorine taste as the city water.

Just pointing out that a tiny amount of bleach to clean out a line is likely no big deal, all things considered.
 
I'll add that a quart of bleach diluted into a regular sized sump crock is going to be fairly dilute. Plus it isn't like you are going to do it every day.
 
Yup, but also add a vent pipe. Had my furnace replaced last December and they did all of this: made sure it sloped to the floor drain, hooked up both the A/C drip and the furnace drip (higher efficiency furnaces also have condensate dripping from the exhaust), and added an air/vent at the starting end, to make sure that things flow well - and it also serves as a cleanout.



Travis, when I was a kid we lived on 1 acre with a well and ever now and then (no more than once a year) my dad would dump a whole bottle of bleach into the well to shock it. This was as instructed by some gov't office that he had consulted with on some aspect of the well. (Sorry, I was a kid, I don't remember more details than that) For a few days, we were getting the same chlorine taste as the city water.

Just pointing out that a tiny amount of bleach to clean out a line is likely no big deal, all things considered.

You are probably right...they do recommend running bleach through your coffee maker now and then to clean it out...now that I think about it. I was probably out of line...my apologies.
 
Sean
Can I just use a regular electric drill with a bit made for concrete to drill the holes for the tap -cons? (I see that a bit comes with the box of 100 tap-cons)
Thanks
Dennis
 
You are probably right...they do recommend running bleach through your coffee maker now and then to clean it out...now that I think about it. I was probably out of line...my apologies.
Not out of line at all. You respectfully brought up a point or question, and had it respectfully debated. That's what this place is here for. ;) :)

Out here in earthquake land, they recommend adding a little bit of unscented Clorox to your long-term stored drinking water. They also recommend having some in your survival kit for water purification.
 
Sean
Can I just use a regular electric drill with a bit made for concrete to drill the holes for the tap -cons? (I see that a bit comes with the box of 100 tap-cons)
Thanks
Dennis

Matt hit it on this one. You can use a regular corded drill. As Matt said, the bit won't last too long. I know this from personal experience.:doh: A hammer- drill is more made for this task. If your local HD has a tool rental section check to see if they rent hammer drills. If not there has to be a tool rental company in your area that has them. If you are not planning on using one on a regular basis, I would try to go the rental way. This way you don't have to worry about wear and tear on your corded drill.

As to the bleach down the line. A little every once-n-awhile shouldn't have any negative impact. Along the lines of what Vaughn said, when I was in Scouts we used a ratio of drops of bleach to a gallon of water that we took out of a lake in the Adirondaks. It killed all the nasties, with no ill effects on us.
 
Hammer Drill

Talk about luck, today I got a coupon in the mail offering the Harbor Freight 1/2" variable speed reversible hammer drill for $22 (normally $50). Since I'll only be using this in frequently I think the Harbor Freight will be OK
Thanks for all the advice
Dennis
 
Talk about luck, today I got a coupon in the mail offering the Harbor Freight 1/2" variable speed reversible hammer drill for $22 (normally $50). Since I'll only be using this in frequently I think the Harbor Freight will be OK
Thanks for all the advice
Dennis

At $22, even if it only lasts for this one project, that isn't too bad. $22 could be written off as a materials cost-- if you want to look at it that way.
 
I concur about the vent in the line as well as a place for Bleach. for example the ceilings in our shops had units that povided AC and heat they drained 24/7 but not too well. Company came back and added additional drain lines as they said it was with the construction NOT... We hired HVAC students to regular maintain the units cleaning filters and each month they placed a 1" Swimmingpool Chlorine tablet in the drip pan for the AC. They drained all summer and kept the air clean. (we previously had a sick building where folks would get congestion etc.) After they closed the HVAC department and there were no students to hire, the job fell on the janitors and we all know the results of that.... No matter how good your janitor is, he/she can't do it all and often as not, the AC tablet was eliminated. Last time I walked into that building I could smell the mold.
 
You may be really suprised by the HF drill. I haven't seen one of those, but I know I'm pretty happy with my angle grinder and my right angle drill. Then $15 angle grinders don't have the power of my $90 angle grinder, but are comparable to my dad's $50 Makita angle grinders in terms of power. The right angle drill is downright nice.
 
Bleach is no harm apparently.

This is correct, commercial pool cleaners sometimes use it instead of tablets for heavy use pools that neutralize chlorine quickly. Bleach is also quickly consumed by exposure to sunlight, though I can't say what it turns into.
 
3 miracles in one day

Well I finally got around to the air conditioner condensation drip line repair today & 3 miracles occurred:
1-I went to Home Depot & they had everything I needed
2-When I got home I actually had everything to complete the job- no return trips for more parts were required ( a first for me on any plumbing related job)
3-The job went pretty quickly and actually worked the first time... a rare occurrence for me
The PVC pipe was very easy to work with. The AC company wanted about $200 for the job , I did it for about $30-40, so I guess it's time to buy some more tools with the money I saved, any suggestions?

Thanks for all your advice, it was very helpful
Dennis
 
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