Electricians?

[Rootsruler]

I reconfigured my irrigation setup and have deleted the dehumidifier condensate from draining back into the reservoir. I didn't have a problem doing it last time but I do know that it can carry toxic metals and bacteria/mold so better to just remove it from the equation.

Of course this change presents a new problem for me. Where to I put that condensate now that it's not draining into the res? I've decided to use a condensate pump to automate the removal. I currently have a 5 gal bucket collecting the condensate but I'm trying to set this up so that if I go away it will manage itself.

Here's where you come in. The condensate pump model I'm getting has a high high shut off float. This means that if the high water float fails or is overwhelmed by the volume of water coming in the high high can activate and keep the pump from overflowing but it only activates a low voltage device like a thermostat to shut off an HVAC system so that it doesn't continue dumping condensate in the already full pump.

I have a portable dehumidifier. I'm curious if there is a simple way of or device that I can use to shut off the dehumidifier if the high high on the condensate pump activates. I'm guessing it'll take some sort of low volt relay but maybe there is a simpler, easier way of accomplishing this. Not sure so I'm deferring to you!

 

[LJFarming]

Gravity is your friend!

The least amount of electrical or mechanical parts reduces the chance of a FUCK UP, Accident, or OPPS!

The drain for anything would optimally work by gravity and the drain reservoir, catch or whatever should be slightly larger than the potential amount the feed source can provide or optimally unlimited.

In short if your dehumidifier potentially makes 1 gallon of condensate per day and you want to leave for 7 days the condensate needs to gravity feed into an 8 or more gallon reservoir, catch, or whatever.

Set the dehumidifier on a milk crate or something high enough and send the condensate down hill into a container large enough to hold over the potential max amount of condensate or again optimally unlimited.

No working parts to fail down stream of the equipment that really needs to work equals less chance of failure!


I know I 100% did not answer your question and hope I didn’t confuse you or make it worse! I hope this helps and guarantee you it will someday when an unnecessary part fails.

Peace

 

[Rootsruler]

Gravity is your friend!

The least amount of electrical or mechanical parts reduces the chance of a FUCK UP, Accident, or OPPS!

The drain for anything would optimally work by gravity and the drain reservoir, catch or whatever should be slightly larger than the potential amount the feed source can provide or optimally unlimited.

In short if your dehumidifier potentially makes 1 gallon of condensate per day and you want to leave for 7 days the condensate needs to gravity feed into an 8 or more gallon reservoir, catch, or whatever.

Set the dehumidifier on a milk crate or something high enough and send the condensate down hill into a container large enough to hold over the potential max amount of condensate or again optimally unlimited.

No working parts to fail down stream of the equipment that really needs to work equals less chance of failure!


I know I 100% did not answer your question and hope I didn’t confuse you or make it worse! I hope this helps and guarantee you it will someday when an unnecessary part fails.

Peace

I considered your setup prior but I don't really have the footprint for a larger container to catch the condensate. That was one of the reasons I removed the bin res. It was taking up too much floor space and the water level would be too low at around 10 gallons for the pump to be able to pump it without sucking air. Ultimately, I want to be able to just run the drain hose out a window and have it drain into the ground. To do that in gravity feed I would need to mount the dehu on a raised platform. I can already see me bumping into it and knocking it over.

I agree that the less mechanical stuff happening the less chances for failure. The other solution that I thought of as a backup rather than using the high high float in the pump was to stick the pump inside a bucket but, again, I'm using up the original footprint that I had with the bin so that idea was dashed.

I've used condensate pumps for most all of the builds I've done in regards to moving condensate and have not had a problem with them failing much. My post is more an OCD thing along with the pump I have in mind having this feature so I thought why not if it's built into the pump as a failsafe.

One thing I was considering was to hook up the signal wires coming from the pump to the relay inside the dehumidifier itself. Unfortunately I lost the manual to my dehu but I'm sure the electronics are similar in most dehu's. One manual I read had a relay with an NC(Normally Closed) and NO(Normally Open) connection. It said you can connect the wires to the NC connections and when the pump actuates the high high signal it should shut off the dehu but I'm not sure if that only applies to commercial dehu's.

 

[LJFarming]

This is what I used back when I was in a tent. It’s at least 7 years old and still working without fail for the grobro I gave it to for his tent set up. Little Giant pumps have a reputation of being bulletproof.

Little Giant VCMA-15ULS 115 Volt, 65 GPH, 1/50 HP Automatic Condensate Removal Pump with Safety Switch, White/Black, 554405 https://a.co/d/iuTIt4f

 

[Rootsruler]

This is what I used back when I was in a tent. It’s at least 7 years old and still working without fail for the grobro I gave it to for his tent set up. Little Giant pumps have a reputation of being bulletproof.

Little Giant VCMA-15ULS 115 Volt, 65 GPH, 1/50 HP Automatic Condensate Removal Pump with Safety Switch, White/Black, 554405 https://a.co/d/iuTIt4f

That's one of the units I'm looking at. That particular unit is one of the ones that has the High High float.