# Drain Dehumidifier into sump pump pit



## skb007 (May 23, 2017)

I have to manually empty the bucket every alternate from a humidifier in the basement. My humidifier does not have a pump, I am planning to use a condensate pump to drain the water into sump pump pit.

I have a Radon pipe going out of the sump pump pit, secondly, sump pump pit has been sealed shut by synthetic caulk. I can cut a hole in the pit cover and connect a drainage pipe and seal it. But I am afraid that Radon gas may escape into the basement via drainage pipe.

Can I use some kind of solution so that water may go into the pit but Radon gas should not escape into the drainage pipe?

I recently became a homeowner with this setup, Radon test was done with sump pump sealed and Radon levels were negligible low.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

You need to install a trap. Do you have a floor drain you run the water into.


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## skb007 (May 23, 2017)

No there is no floor drain but there is a french drain. Will you please explain, what do you mean by trap?


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

Look under your bathroom sink. There's a U-shaped pipe there that does exactly as your said, only it keeps sewer gases from coming up the sink drain. That U-shaped pipe is called a trap.

If you use one I'd put a simple shutoff valve in it too, so in the winter you won't have to worry that the trap will dry up.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

Most dehumidifier have a garden hose attachment for gravity feed drainage into sump pump or condensation pump if needed


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## BIG Johnson (Apr 9, 2017)

JustinK said:


> Most dehumidifier have a garden hose attachment for gravity feed drainage into sump pump or condensation pump if needed


They have radon issues. Garden hoses don't have traps.


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## JustinK (Oct 4, 2009)

Pretty easy to create a trap with a flexible hose


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Have a washer riser or wash sink in the area you might be able to drain into?


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## hkstroud (Mar 17, 2011)

Sump pumps never pump all the water out of the pit.

Drill hole in the cover. Stick your hose in until it touches the bottom and then put 6" more. Seal around hole with caulk. The water in the bottom of the pit will act as your seal.

No need for any kind of pump. If humidifier won't drain naturally, sit it on a stool or chair.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

hkstroud said:


> Sump pumps never pump all the water out of the pit.
> 
> Drill hole in the cover. Stick your hose in until it touches the bottom and then put 6" more. Seal around hole with caulk. The water in the bottom of the pit will act as your seal.
> 
> No need for any kind of pump. If humidifier won't drain naturally, sit it on a stool or chair.



Probably work good if you always have a active sump hole. I have on occasion seen them dried out in the warm summer months. I am guessing the radon pump would keep negative pressure on the line if the well was dry, but doing so might reduce the overall performance of the radon pump minimally. 
Another option might be to drill a hole in the cover, insert a PVC drain pan fitting. Then add a short riser with a s-trap to drop in the drain line.


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## skb007 (May 23, 2017)

Yodaman said:


> Probably work good if you always have a active sump hole. I have on occasion seen them dried out in the warm summer months. I am guessing the radon pump would keep negative pressure on the line if the well was dry, but doing so might reduce the overall performance of the radon pump minimally.
> Another option might be to drill a hole in the cover, insert a PVC drain pan fitting. Then add a short riser with a s-trap to drop in the drain line.


All of you guys are awesome...!!!

I see Radon pipe coming out of the pit but I dont see any pump attached to the pipe.

I was able to lookup images for "PVC drain pan fitting and S-trap" now I know how it looks like  (kinda feel more educated now). 
"Short riser" means small piece of PVC pipe having threads on both sides?

I am going to scrap my idea of putting the condensate pump, I will let gravity do the job, I will put the dehumidifier on a table. 

I will do exactly as you have mentioned, I will also add the PVC shut off valve as another gentleman suggested.

Another Question:
I also noticed that previous owner has dumped the HVAC condensate pipe into the french drain. I am thinking to combine this pipe with the dehumidifier pipe as well. Is this a bad idea?

You guys think this whole thing will require some kind of permit?


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## BIG Johnson (Apr 9, 2017)

skb007 said:


> All of you guys are awesome...!!!
> 
> I see Radon pipe coming out of the pit but I dont see any pump attached to the pipe.
> 
> ...




No permit.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

A radon pipe won't have a pump attached. It will have a fan.


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## hkstroud (Mar 17, 2011)

> It will have a fan.


Maybe, maybe not.


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## hkstroud (Mar 17, 2011)

> I have a Radon pipe going out of the sump pump pit,


That does not necessarily mean you have Radon gas. Radon pipes are often installed "just because". Only way to know is have a test done of your home for Radon gas.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

skb007 said:


> Another Question:
> I also noticed that previous owner has dumped the HVAC condensate pipe into the french drain. I am thinking to combine this pipe with the dehumidifier pipe as well. Is this a bad idea?
> 
> You guys think this whole thing will require some kind of permit?




No problem combining the two, actually better since there would be less chance of the trap drying out. 
I did misspeak calling it a pump, it is a fan as Joed mentioned. And you may or may not have one. Might be in the attic crawl space. Is there a readily visible manometer hose sticking out of your radon pipe?


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

A radon mitigation system must have some way to suck away air that is likely to contain radon. Typically it is a fan of some sort but the suction must not be so strong that the liquid in the manometer pictured above is sucked up into the system and drops to the bottom of the pipe shown. If you make a hole in the sump pump pit lid to introduce the outlet pipe of your dehumidifier, you may need to fine tune the suction fan.

The primary target of the radon system is the air inside the (under floor) French drain system. Every once in awhile the basement air should be changed independently of the radon system using a window fan or something like that. In a manner analogous to the sump pump preventing ground water from seeping up onto the basement floor, the radon system minimizes ground air seeping into the basement, although the radon system relies on suction versus the French drain relying on gravity.

The sump pump system is sealed so the radon fan does not waste its effort exhausting basement air in general, wasting home heat as well during the winter. For this reason also a dehumidifier drain hose needs a trap.


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