Question: What is this black "box" by my furnace? (dehumidifier, tank)

[Mjames]

Hi!

I need some help. There is a black square shaped item at the foot of my furnace in the basement. It has a power cord and PVC pipes that run to the furnace. Can someone tell me what this is and its purpose? I attached a picture of the furnace with a red arrow pointing to the black square at the bottom right hand corner.

Thank You!!!

[Threerun]

More than likely a condensate pump. Condensation from the HVAC goes into the 'black box', which is really a small tank, and when it reaches a certain fill point, the pump triggers and pushes the water out throught the PVC pipe.

Highly recommended you keep that thing plugged in. Periodically check the pvc line and outlet for any clogs. My old house had the pvc running straight outside the house to the drain/splash block. I pout a one way flapper on the end to keep birds and mice from blocking the pipe.

[faithfulFrank]

Threerun is correct.
It is a condensate pump. They are used when one does not have a drain close to the furnace.
Every so often, I get a call from someone to replace it, if the small pump goes bad, or the float goes bad. It is a 5 minute job, and they cost about $50.00 at any plumbing store.

Frank D.

[Mjames]

Thank you Threerun and faithfulFrank!

I googled condensate pumps for some pictures and it is definitely a condensate pump.

Really appreciate the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Threerun]

I'll tell you a neat little trick I did with mine. We had the condensate pump in the basement of our last house, and the basement got really humid in the summer regardless of the A/C running. We used a stand alone dehumidifier to remove excess moisture, but emptying the tank became quite a pain after a while.

So I elevated the dehumidifier above the condensate pump, ran a dedicated line from the humidifier tank to the condensate pump and let it do it's thing. We had it installed like that for many years w/out problems.

The only thing is that you need to periodically check to make sure the condensate pump is working, otherwise you'll get a messy on the floor.

Since our basement was unfinished, I wasn't too concerned. If it was finished I would somehow wire the pump and dehumidifier together so that if the pump alarm goes off, or fails, the dehumidifier would stop working as well.

[goodkelly]

Hi Threerun and faithfulFrank I have the same furnace with the condenser pump attached to it, but it's not even plugged up, and I don't see electricity down in the basement for it to be plugged in. Should it be plugged in at all times or is this ok? thanks