DIY guideFurnace

Test the condensate pump and float switch

Pour water into the small pump by the furnace or AC, watch it start and empty, check the hose, and test the float switch that shuts the unit off.

7 steps

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Find the small box with a tank on the floor beside the furnace or AC, a thin hose coming out of its top.
Follow the thin hose to a drain, a sink or outside. It should be whole and unkinked.
Pour water slowly into the pump's tank until it starts. It should hum and empty the tank.
Check the water comes out at the hose's far end.
With the unit running, lift the float of the switch in its drip pan or on its drain. The unit should stop.
Unplug the pump, lift its lid and rinse out the slime.
Unplug the pump before you open it.
The pump hums but no water moves, water spills over, or the switch doesn't stop the unit: switch the unit off and ask Handyman for a heating and cooling tech.

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