What to Do with Collected Condensate

Several choices exist for using the collected water. The best end use depends on the
particular building and location. Ultimately, any water use that displaces using potable
water in the building is equal in value to any other use. Collected water could be used in
one or more of the following common applications:
• Cooling tower makeup;
• Toilet or urinal flushing;
• Makeup for water features; and
• Landscape irrigation.

Cooling towers are one of the better uses for condensate because they continually need
makeup water due to evaporation losses and the need to manage the resulting buildup
of dissolved solids. This evaporation at typical design conditions is in the range of 0.02
to 0.03 gpm per ton of cooling. Some situations preclude the use of condensate for
cooling tower makeup, such as when chilled water is provided by a district energy
system or a local district cooling system with satellite chillers. Although the authors are
not aware of any systems currently doing so, we envision a time when collected
condensate could be fed into a reclaimed water utility. Perhaps one day high performing
buildings may even be able to sell that collected condensate to the local municipality.
Condensate Collection Scenarios:
Two prime factors influence whether condensate collection should be considered for a
particular building project: the local climate, and the building type and usage patterns.
While climate might seem obvious at first, the actual amount of condensate produced
during the course of a cooling season for a given amount of incoming outdoor
ventilation air depends on the ambient humidity and on the number of hours per year
that mechanical cooling is required.

Condensate from air conditioning units is an often-overlooked source of

freshwater. The resultant accumulation (which can be just a trickle or sometimes more)
can provide a sizable amount of freshwater that can be constructively used to offset the
use of potable water. The low mineral content in condensate causes less fouling from
mineral residue in the evaporation process thereby making water ideally suited for use
in cooling towers and fountains. The single caution for condensate reclaims use would
be that aerosols may be created in an occupied space. In this case, treatment for
biological elements contained in the water would be appropriate.
As water shortages become more widespread, condensate from air conditioning is
gaining increased attention for creative non-potable and potable applications. If the
potential hazard of bacteria from aerosols is addressed, the designer of an air
conditioning condensate collection system can utilize this source of water as a viable
supplement.

Condensate is water collected on a cool surface such as that in the evaporator section
oftheair-handlingunit(AHU)ofaHeating,Ventilation,andAir-
Conditioning(HVAC)System(Glawe,2013).ACcondensateandrainwater can be used for
make-up water in cooling towers ,in addition to other non-potable uses such as toilet
and urinal flushing, irrigation, ornamental water features, and manufacturing processes.

How an Air Conditioner Condensate Pump Works

Air conditioner condensate is water removed from the building air as that warm,
moisture-containing air moves across the cooling coil in the building's air conditioning
system's air handler or blower unit. The photograph shown here is of a common air
conditioner condensate disposal pump.

It's a little hard to see the pump's drain tube but it's that clear plastic tube in the upper
left of this photo. If you are really alert you may have noticed those two capped-off
copper tubes protruding from the concrete floor in the foreground of this photo.

This pair of tubes is a convincing indication that there was an oil tank, probably a buried
oil tank, installed at this property - a topic that needs further investigation.

The air conditioner condensate pump photo at the very top of this page shows an air
conditioning condensate pump installed in an attic where it was used to move
condensate across to a final condensate disposal point.

The white piping is a gravity drain that moves condensate from the attic air conditioner
air handler down into the condensate pump reservoir.

We can't see much of the condensate reservoir because the installer placed this pump
down into the attic floor (so that she could drain condensate into it by gravity).

The copper tube looping in the air is the drain line through which the condensate pump
is moving condensate out of its reservoir to a disposal point. You can also see the black
electrical wire bringing power to the condensate pump. The black round motor with a
white label is the motor that powers the condensate pump.

The black rectangular device is a voltage transformer that converts the building's 120V
to the voltage needed by the pump motor.

In the background of this interesting photograph we see a blue sump pump with a green
garden hose connected to it. We surmise that the owner had previously tried to use this
sump pump to remove condensate from the attic air handler. Stains suggest that the
attic floor has previously been wet by air conditioner condensate spillage, perhaps
leading to the more careful condensate pump installation shown here.

Sequence of Steps in the Operation of an Air Conditioner Condensate Pump

 Moisture laden warm air moves across the cooling coil in the air conditioner. As
the air is cooled, moisture leaves the cooler air and condenses on the surface of
the cooling coil.
 Moisture on the surface of the cooling coil drips into a collector tray inside the air
conditioner's air handler or blower unit
 Moisture, or now we'll call it water or air conditioner condensate, flows out of the
collector tray into a drain opening and downwards in a pipe or perhaps a flexible
tube where the water is conducted to the entry opening of an air conditioning
condensate pump unit.
 The air conditioner condensate pump includes a small water reservoir which
receives the condensate from the air conditioner. As the water level rises inside
this small reservoir a float switch located there is lifted by the rising water.
 When the water level inside the air conditioning condensate pump rises to a
near-full level, the float switch turns on a small electric motor (the air conditioner
condensate pump requires electricity to work and has to be plugged-in).
 The air conditioner condensate pump motor and pump move water out of the air
conditioner condensate pump reservoir upwards in a drainage pipe or tube,
usually flexible plastic tubing.
 The air conditioner condensate pump drain tube conducts the water produced by
the system upwards to a building drain or in some conditions, outside, where it is
disposed of as wastewater.