Normal for heat pump drip tube to exit fascia??

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JayADee

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#251281 17-Jun-2019 12:37

Was up in the roof space the other day and wondered where the drip tube for the cassette heat pump was exiting since it went off in a direction down into the north side soffit space (front of house) I didn’t think had an egress.

Got up on a ladder today outside and the drip tube exits at the top of the fascia board where they must have drilled a hole for it. Then afterward when we had the new Marley typhoon spouting installed last year the spouting installers cut a hole in the guttering to accomodate the tube poking out. So the guttering has a gap or hole it wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Is it normal practice to put a drip tube there? I would have preferred they had run the tube to the west side, gone down through the soffit close to the wall then down the wall to the ground like our electrician did to put a power point in out the back yard.

Aredwood

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#2259469 17-Jun-2019 13:48

Probably did it as it would have been easier and cheaper for them. Is it possible to raise the height at which the tube enters the spouting, so the tube will go over the back edge and the hole could then be patched?

If the spouting was metal, then the condensate would be an issue. As the spouting wouldn't be able to dry out, and it would then rust.

JayADee

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#2259644 17-Jun-2019 17:16

Thanks for your reply, the spouting is grey Marley plastic. I think the hole is as high as it's going to go given the roof is concrete tile and slopes over it a bit. POSSIBLY before the spouting was replaced it MAY have cleared the top of the old plastic spouting if the old spouting was lower there (I kind of doubt it because from my cleaning the spouting in the past as I recall it has always been snugged under the tile). Even worse the expansion joint for the spouting is very close to where the drip line sticks out into the spouting.

I've got a heat pump installer (different company from original) coming to check it out for me this week. The heat pumps were installed in 2012, the new spouting went on last winter. I figure it's time to get the pumps checked over anyway. Hopefully this tradie can tell me if it's ok to leave it the way it is from a water management perspective.

Via email the company I have coming said no, it's not usual to put a drip line through the fascia as it provides a possible ingress for water into the house (paraphrasing). Which makes sense because the hole in the fascia is higher than the underside of the soffits. If it gets in there, it has nowhere to go as they are well sealed and painted. He said usually the drip line would follow the other copper pipes outside and down the wall (like the other two heat pumps do).

I hate that they even did that to the fascia, it's original rimu from when the place was built and I've been careful to keep it all painted so it won't rot. Normally I'd check over work done on the house but 2012 was the year I got sick and had to resign and I haven't felt up to much until this year, certainly not checking the roof space.

I'll let you know how it goes after they installers check the pumps and pipe out.

MadEngineer

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#2259668 17-Jun-2019 18:27

Bad on many levels. If that down pipe were to flood then the water will flow down the condensate line and pour out of your indoor unit.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

JayADee

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#2259880 18-Jun-2019 05:59

Yeah I'm already mentally preparing to have the drip pipe moved, the hole filled and the piece of guttering replaced. I can’t even diy the hole repair, that section of the roof is too high up for me. I am hoping a builder I had do our garage roof for us can do it and the gutter piece.

JayADee

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#2260000 18-Jun-2019 09:19

Update: my lovely builder/roofer came over this morning for a consult and in his opinion given the height of the tube up the fascia, the angle the tube comes out and the hole cut in the spouting he says it's in his opinion ok to leave it as long as the gutters are kept clear with usual maintenance but to get the heat pump guy who is coming to give his opinion as well. Additionally my builder will fix the hole and replace a section of spouting if that's what we decide we want to do.

I'll let you know what the heat pump guy says.

Bung

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#2260018 18-Jun-2019 09:45

At least they made some effort to route the drain pipe into the gutter. There's a building in Wellington where a window mounted aircon just drips down 3 levels to the footpath.

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wellygary

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#2260040 18-Jun-2019 10:27

Bung: At least they made some effort to route the drain pipe into the gutter. There's a building in Wellington where a window mounted aircon just drips down 3 levels to the footpath.

Heh, Go to New York, the huge number of Window mounted A/C units is a perennial source of summer showers on the sidewalk...