Feed basement dehumidifier into furnace condensate pump?

[Jonathan S.]

As the subject header inquires, any problems with doing this?

More specifically:

• Typical damp New England basement, so I have one dehumidifier running each in the furnace/storage room, finished rec room, and unfinished pool/storage room.
• Plus a bathroom-style exhaust fan is always on in the finished ski workroom.
• A couple years ago I replaced a broken dehumidifier with this model: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...D16BFPIM&psc=1 ... which has a built-in drain pump whose hose I can run across the floor -- without too much of a trip hazard or annoyance -- into the sink in the ski workroom.
• The other two rooms with dehumidifiers wouldn't work out very well running a hose across the floor to the sink in the ski workroom.
• However, I was thinking that I could put another one of these pricey dehumidifiers in the furnace room and run the hose to the furnace condensate pump: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seem like an okay setup?
Only comment I could find on more specialized forums from internet searching was this:
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questi...t-dehumidifier
(And yes, if I receive helpful and/or entertaining feedback, I will provide pictures of the ski touring quiver, mounting jigs collection, pool table, and/or bouldering wall!)

[Core Shot]

Should work fine.

You can also retrofit any dehu with a small pump in the reservoir.
Giant brand “little hero” is what we used to use

But, why pump it twice? Can you send the dehu to the same drain as the condensate?

[Jonathan S.]

[...]But, why pump it twice? Can you send the dehu to the same drain as the condensate?

I think the condensate pump exit hose is going up and off into some mysterious location, i.e., no floor drain (if that makes sense).
So would seem to be easier (from a plumbing layperson perspective at least) to just jam the dehumidifier drain hose into the condensate pump reservoir.

[bigdude2468]

Should be no problem. My furnace, dehumidifier and furnace mounted humidifier all go into the same pump crock. Three dehumidifiers, WOW!

[Talisman]

I would get the largest capacity dehumidifier that will run on 110 VAC and position it in the furnace area to drain to your existing condensate pump. Sealing up the gaps between the foundation walls and floor slab with caulk or hydraulic cement and you will run the dehumidifier less.

[Jonathan S.]

Humming away now -- thanks for the feedback!

[...]Three dehumidifiers, WOW!

Four now.
Plus I forgot to mention that during the summer I turned on the AC in the basement to pump in some drier air.
New England sure is damp!
(Rainy now of course -- so much for the running race I was planning on this morning, although over a foot of snow coming to the summit of Mount Washington...)

[VI]

The Little Giants are very reliable, and probably the most used condensate pumps in HVAC. A dehumidifier in your conditions will produce significantly more condensate than a high efficiency condensing furnace. I'd recommend putting the pump in some sort of container/pan, sized based on how much flow you experience in a given day so that if the pump does fail, the overflow will be contained until the next time you have reason to notice its existence.
Some pumps have a level switch than can be used to interlock equipment - the pump model you linked does. If the attached equipment can be interlocked, run some control wire along the drain hoses and you are laughing.

Cheers

[Jonathan S.]

^ Great idea on the pan, thanks!
(I did that for a dehumidifier unit whose bucket was having a problem with the overflow switch -- saved a big spill when I didn't empty the bucket in time!)

[m3b285]

When using a dehumidifier with a pump in your home you have to check your air filter regularly to make sure your air flow isn’t restricted by contaminants that have already been removed from the indoor environment. Also, make sure you clean out your home’s gutter system on a regular basis because this will keep humidity levels from being artificially high and overworking your new dehumidifier. When installing a dehumidifier with a pump, it is important to connect it to a GFCI outlet so you will have a reduced risk of damaging the appliance and the wiring of your home if the circuit trips for some reason. When you turn on a dehumidifier for the first time, it’s usually a good idea to make sure you have the settings pointed at the highest (or driest) settings available. This will help you to initially stabilize the humidity of your home.

[Jonathan S.]

Even though this thread is a year old, the timing of your reply is perfect, since we went straight from relatively cold and dry weather to very wet weather.
(Including above treeline, sigh.)

[Nobody Famous]

I think the condensate pump exit hose is going up and off into some mysterious location, i.e., no floor drain (if that makes sense).
So would seem to be easier (from a plumbing layperson perspective at least) to just jam the dehumidifier drain hose into the condensate pump reservoir.

This typically always means the hose (clear plastic) is terminated outside the building. I've been talking to a neighbor who modified just such an arrangement to terminate into an outdoor rain barrel, smaller then the usual barrels you see. His thinking was plants love condensate water.

Caution if you change (or already have changed) your arrangement and use it during freezing weather, a risk the discharge end freezes, the pump fails and you get accumulated water somewhere inside.

The Little Giants are very reliable, and probably the most used condensate pumps in HVAC. A dehumidifier in your conditions will produce significantly more condensate than a high efficiency condensing furnace. I'd recommend putting the pump in some sort of container/pan, sized based on how much flow you experience in a given day so that if the pump does fail, the overflow will be contained until the next time you have reason to notice its existence.
Some pumps have a level switch than can be used to interlock equipment - the pump model you linked does. If the attached equipment can be interlocked, run some control wire along the drain hoses and you are laughing.

Cheers

Agree on most used, and good advice. Not at all unusual to see those little giant pumps still working after 30+ years.