Little Giant Automatic Condensate Removal Pump VCMA-ULST (554415)

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  • Опубліковано 1 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 86

  • @gga3053
    @gga3053 2 роки тому +17

    I feel like I just attended a PhD level class on automatic condensate pumps! This was extremely helpful and exactly the information I needed. Thank you so very much!

  • @Pterocarpous
    @Pterocarpous 3 роки тому +9

    It's always a pleasure watching a meticulous, intelligent, knowledgeable, humble natural communicator at work. Excellent instructional video. Well done!

  • @ChadAmI80
    @ChadAmI80 3 роки тому +6

    And this is why I LOVE UA-cam. Such a thorough video. The alarm function is super cool.

  • @61mhall
    @61mhall 3 роки тому +8

    A well thought out and thorough tutorial on the pump set and operation. THANK YOU for sharing.

  • @deadoctopi5070
    @deadoctopi5070 2 роки тому +1

    I always make it a point to thank folks who make these vids. I have a portable AC unit that I "converted" into an outside one (outside the small office I built in the garage for my wife, you can imagine how loud a portable unit is inside an 8x9ft box haha) anyways...although I built a box to make sure it sucks hot air from her office, blows cold back into the office and vents hot air into the garage, I found after a couple hours condensation builds on the cold air line, hoping punching into the box, and putting this "in line" with the AC units drain path (it is running on cool mode but not dry/cool so it's probably just full of water inside my hacked box) it'll grab moisture and run it out the garage.
    Again, thanks for such a great detailed vid!

  • @hewlejr
    @hewlejr 3 роки тому +5

    Fantastic walk through! I had to install a different make and model (Proselect PSCPV215WS) with a pathetic manual. The level of detail that you go into was exactly what I needed to understand how the pump functions (especially the over flow detection circuit) so that I could install mine with confidence! Thank you, sir!

  • @tuboboludo
    @tuboboludo 2 роки тому

    Same here, I appreciate deeply the level of knowledge, detail and creativity shown in this video. Brilliant!

  • @aceinlacey
    @aceinlacey Рік тому

    Great video demonstration and greatly appreciated as now I can install the exact pump next to my furnace to discharge excess water from my new waterfall humidifier . Thanks!

  • @patriciaterranova1074
    @patriciaterranova1074 3 роки тому +1

    your video was the best for explaining the pump. I loved your ideas for the alert.

  • @drew856856
    @drew856856 5 місяців тому

    Your a legend sir. Thankyou im so tired of dumping the water from the dehumidifier. This is my next project

  • @kevinshea4776
    @kevinshea4776 3 роки тому +1

    Well done and well explained! The original owner of my house, had 2 dehumidifiers in the basement and the next owner foolishly did away with them! I noticed the original owner had a doorbell switch and wire over the washing machine that was purposely wired with a door bell "test" button. Thanks to your video, I now know why he had the wiring to the doorbell ... he must have used this as an alarm!

  • @kimhussey4757
    @kimhussey4757 3 роки тому +4

    This was one of the most helpful videos I have come across. To the point, and I know everything I need to know about this pump now. Thank you!

  • @walleylr
    @walleylr 4 роки тому +3

    Nice review of the little giant condensation pump. I have a similar pump on my air conditioner and it is 14 years old and never failed. More commonly , I find the gravity feed hose obstructs from fungus that forms in the condensate trough under the cooling coils over time and the water overflows the trough before it reaches this pump. I periodically back flush this line with dilute Clorox to keep the fungal build up down.

  • @divemetal
    @divemetal 4 роки тому +1

    Hey, followed your guide with the alarm sensor and battery pack and it all works perfectly! Just don't forget to move that jumper, that got me until I watched again. Thank you so much!

  • @sickboy8354
    @sickboy8354 3 роки тому +2

    Great video I love how you hooked up the alarm!!

  • @KentuckyGinger
    @KentuckyGinger 3 роки тому +1

    Just what I was searching for to set up mine. Thanks so much!

  • @brianpierce508
    @brianpierce508 2 роки тому

    Dang! I just learned so much from watching this video! I love it. I highly recommend watching this video.

  • @yartumogborkorquellie2072
    @yartumogborkorquellie2072 2 роки тому

    Such an awesome video; it was very helpful. My pump is installed and working great. Thanks a lot.

  • @plaszid1
    @plaszid1 3 роки тому +2

    Awesome video, cheers for all your help 👏

  • @4thorder
    @4thorder 3 роки тому +1

    Very well done! Very thorough and well presented. You should have your own show lol :)

  • @badcrcz
    @badcrcz 2 роки тому +1

    I want to do this with a Whynter ARC-14S portable AC unit so I don't have to empty the water 2-3 times a day in the summer. I think I can use a Little Giant low profile unit like the VCCA-20ULS and not even have to raise the unit above the pump (the drain is only about 2" off the floor). What I'm worried about is leaving the house with the AC on and the pump failing. I'm not sure how I'd rig up that alarm switch to turn the AC off. The ideal solution would be an electric valve between the AC drain fitting and the pump to close the drain, but I don't know if they make something like that.

  • @kp-gbuniqueinterest
    @kp-gbuniqueinterest 2 роки тому

    Thank you for this video. I was wondering how to do this. We have those pumps near the thankless water heater and furnace. And we had a dehumidifier that we had to empty. No sink in the basement. In the summer it was getting tired to check every few hours. Thanks again.

  • @dougbowser5532
    @dougbowser5532 3 роки тому +1

    Excellent, well thought out and well organized video. One little thing.. I believe you will find that 'ding-dong' doorbells will only 'ding' when energy is applied, and won't 'dong' until energy is removed. Hence, if you was to use that type of doorbell in this application, you would only have one ding to alert you to the problem. I would not recommend using that. Your 'sounder' is a much better solution, as it will make a continuing 'annoyance' to get someone's attention.
    Again, a very well done video!

  • @RDhali
    @RDhali Рік тому

    Thank you so much for this. Including manual and manufactures vid was good, but your video was wonder

  • @danielj2653
    @danielj2653 6 місяців тому

    Great video and solution! Can the condensate pump suck up water from a puddle that's on the concrete floor? If not, what would you suggest for me to do to achieve that suction, up into the pump (the puddle would be at the bottom level of the condensate pump).

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  6 місяців тому +1

      Danielj, this is NOT the kind of pump you are needing for sucking up puddles on concrete floors. It can't do it.
      If your puddle is shallow (less than perhaps 5/8" or thereabouts, you need something like a wet/dry shop vac; I don't know of an alternative. If your puddle is deeper, you can probably use one of the many automatic pumps that can be set on a floor to pump away standing water.

  • @BluePhoenix476513
    @BluePhoenix476513 Рік тому

    Excellent video!

  • @jonknapp3926
    @jonknapp3926 3 роки тому +1

    Thanks for this tutorial - very helpful. Since a power outage will turn off the dehumidifier, I'm not sure that a battery (back up) feature (and all of the extra mounting work) is all that necessary. I'm going to do mine with a low voltage buzzer (6v/12v/24v) and use a matched low voltage (6v/12v/24v) plug in adapter to power it from the same circuit to avoid the different breaker scenario.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  3 роки тому +1

      Jon Knapp, as I designed it in this video, the audible alarm is there to let people know that something is amiss. If there is a general power outage, presumably people will already know that. And If the dehumidifier or air conditioner or other water condensing equipment stop working for other reasons (than a power outage) that is not a emergency. But let's say that the condensing water is still being produced, but this condensate pump cannot function for some reason.....perhaps the AC circuit it is plugged into is off or tripped, or perhaps the pump has failed, or the discharge hose is blocked or pinched, or the pump p is simply unplugged, so now the condensate water will overflow onto the floor. Depending on the installation and the area, this could be messy, or causing damage to flooring, furniture, items stored nearby, or possibly it could even be dangerous. People would want to know that the condensate pump is not able to function and that overflow is imminent......THAT is what my audible alarm is designed for. It is battery powered because of the root cause possibly being failure of AC power.
      Of course, the alarm buzzer and its battery power source don't need to be mounted on the pump.
      If my installation was a normal air conditioner, I COULD have wired the high level switch to the HVAC controller to have it stop the AC and thus the production of condensate water. But here I am dealing with a portable dehumidifer, so it is more difficult to wire the switch to (and the switch is not rated to directly control the AC power to the dehumidifier). So the alarm made the most sense.
      And this pump can accommodate up to THREE sources of condensate water....in that case, the switch could not be directly wired to stop all condensate equipment, so again simply making it control a common audible alarm might be the best solution.

  • @johnanddiann100
    @johnanddiann100 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks for going into great detail on how to use this type of pump! However, in your particular usage example, I'm just wondering if you couldn't simply set the dehumidifier on the bar counter and run a gravity feed hose directly into the sink without needing the pump at all? I guess you'd have to ensure the unit couldn't vibrate itself off the counter, but that shouldn't be too hard.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  2 роки тому +2

      John Thompson, of course one COULD put the dehumidifier on the counter in a sort of "redneck fixit" solution. But, yes, it could vibrate itself off the narrow countertop, and it would not be safe, and any leaks would go onto the countertop and down onto the wooden cabinetry below (rather than only onto the waterproof tile floor), etc. But ultimately, as I said in the video, I was setting this pump up in somebody else's house, so I put it where they wanted it. If it were in my own house, I would have set up an overall better arrangement.

  • @suepalacios4952
    @suepalacios4952 4 роки тому +1

    Hi. Thank you for your explanation. What's the difference between the vcm models and vcma model

  • @gregfaris6959
    @gregfaris6959 Місяць тому

    Slight error at the beginning - the "15" and "20" designations are not for the pump power or lifting capacity, but for the input voltage, the "15" units being for 125VAC and the "20" series for 230VAC. If you are working with an air-conditioning unit, you likely have a source of 230V AC power at the air-conditioning unit, so the "20" version would be correct. In your case, you pretty much lucked out that you didn't decide you needed more lift, as had you chosen the "20" model you would have ended up with a 230-volt unit and no way to power it.

  • @shawnpatton635
    @shawnpatton635 Рік тому

    This is the best instructional video I think I’ve ever seen A+ thanks for sharing

  • @PCJ52
    @PCJ52 Рік тому

    Really excellent! Thank you.

  • @luke9822
    @luke9822 3 роки тому +1

    27:31 I am a little confused about the extensive modifications you made to the hose portion extending inside the pump. Why was a trough needed there? Was the entire issue because of the bend shown in the hose in which it was slightly angled up, or was there an additional issue inside the pump? I ask because I want to use this as a condensate pump for a crawl space in which I want to seal that connection and make sure no bugs, dirt, etc ends up in the pump.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  3 роки тому +2

      Luke H, the whole point is that the incoming water from the hose must be able to strip unimpeded into the pump tank. If you run the house all the way into the tank (to the bottom), little water will flow into the tank. If you cut the hose shorter, perhaps half way down into the tank, when the tank level rises to the end of the hose, out may not flow in as freely. Ideally, the hose can end just below the tank's top opening, so water can flow in unimpeded, but then you need to find a way to attach the house end there, so it does not just fall into the tank. I solved this by attaching the hose to a brass pipe that goes all the way down to the bottom of the tank just to support the hose weight, but cut away half the diameter of the pipe so it is like a trough, so from the water's perspective, the closed hose/tube ends at the top of the tank. Regarding your idea of closing all the tank inlet holes, remember that you need to allow air to escape freely.....perhaps you can put some screen across one of the unused holes.

  • @luke9822
    @luke9822 3 роки тому +1

    Any idea what the decibel rating is for this pump? I'd like to use it for my dehumidifier in the crawlspace, but don't want to hear it in the room above.

    • @bjorno2080
      @bjorno2080 5 місяців тому

      Doesn't make any noise apart from a slight hum for 5 seconds as it empties.

  • @jameseiden2340
    @jameseiden2340 Рік тому

    Iam impressed. Battery and piezo elect alarm

  • @luiscarranza7241
    @luiscarranza7241 3 роки тому +1

    well done!

  • @JayDillDrums
    @JayDillDrums Місяць тому

    This is my last option aside from emptying a 5 gallon water jug, on its side so I can still flow in. I’m in a basement and my indoor plants cannot take the humidity.

  • @sbreed58
    @sbreed58 Рік тому

    Great video. I have a question though. I want to put one of these pumps near my hot water tank, there is no floor drain close to the hot water tank. Are these pumps gravity fed for the intake of residual water? I am wanting the pump to draw water from the pressure release valve but also any residual water from the floor if the hot water tank begins to leak. If this pump won’t work can you suggest a pump that would work. Thank you.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  Рік тому

      Scott R, I thought my video was very clear about how it works, specifically that the source water needs to gravity feed into the pump's little tank. If your hot water heater cannot be rigged to drain into this pumps tank, then it won't work for you. Also, this pump is designed for condensate water, which is usually cool......it might be damaged by hot water coming from your heater. And also, condensate water is clear and free of debris, whereas discharge from a water heater probably has a lot of settled sludge and minerals, which might foul this pump.
      When I want to drain or flush MY hot water heater, I connect a length of garden hose and run that to a floor drain or sump.

  • @N1Caraguita
    @N1Caraguita 4 роки тому +1

    Nice work!

  • @ArtsiRosi
    @ArtsiRosi 2 роки тому

    One of the most in-depth videos I have ever watched and I have watched 100s of UA-cam videos on all types of subjects. Question: can one use a piece of the tubing that is included with the pump as the hose that goes from the dehumidifier to the pump (where you used the garden hose)?

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  2 роки тому

      Rosi Garmendia, I think you can use the included hose as you describe, but you might have issues finding an adaptor to go between the dehumidifier and the smaller hose. If you try to jerry-rig it, you could get leaks. You also have to be careful that the bottom end of the hose does not rest on the bottom of the pump's little tank.

  • @DjTranz956
    @DjTranz956 3 роки тому

    can a bad condensate pump make the furnace not power on? my ac in my home stopped powering on and all i can hear is the pump with a loud noise at all times? will a replacement fix the issue of the noise and enable my ac furnace to power back on? thanks.

  • @brandonvelasquez3530
    @brandonvelasquez3530 Місяць тому

    Is it possible to not connect anything to the 2 little wires and just plug this into a wall with a dehum piped into it?

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  Місяць тому

      @brandonvelasquez3530 ,hmmm....if you watched the whole video, this should have been pretty clear.
      Anyway, of course it is "possible"; it all depends on what functionality you desire.

  • @chooseanameforme888
    @chooseanameforme888 3 роки тому +1

    Excellent Excellent Excellent

  • @casamia6655
    @casamia6655 3 роки тому +2

    just a constructive criticism, I highly suggest making a TL;DR at the beginning of the video or in the description section so that ppl know whether if you approved of the item, had a good experience of it. Its great you went through so much depth but it really makes it hard for me to know what spectrum you are on from if you liked it, were neutral about it, to disliked it.

  • @kamac1980
    @kamac1980 Місяць тому

    have you noticed that their concept of NO and NC are backwards from industry standard?
    shouldn't "normally open" mean that when the system is functioning correctly the circuit is OPEN (broken) and when the switch is triggered the circuit closes (completes)

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  Місяць тому

      @kamac1980 kama, what you describe is NOT industry standard. A NO contact is the one that is open in "shelf state" (i.e. with the switch just laying on a shelf, not connected to anything and not being actuated), and NC contact is the one that is closed in shelf state.

    • @kamac1980
      @kamac1980 Місяць тому

      @@youtuubathat sounds exactly like what I just described… normally open. It is normally open circuit (not conductive) unless triggered by the switch. In the case of the little giant pump (in the manual where it describes its terminals as NO and NC), the shelf state when wired to NO is that the circuit is closed and connected….

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  Місяць тому

      @@kamac1980 Little Giant does not make the switch. The switch manufacturer puts the industry standard NO and NC markings on it.

  • @BxCortez2050
    @BxCortez2050 2 роки тому

    well explained thanx

  • @tymitchell1335
    @tymitchell1335 2 роки тому

    Thank You

  • @sickboy8354
    @sickboy8354 3 роки тому +1

    I clearly saw the hose was bent upwards and thought that exact thing was gonna happen!!🤷‍♂️

  • @terriboothe3497
    @terriboothe3497 4 роки тому +1

    Is this an Underwriter Laboratories product being sold on Amazon?

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  4 роки тому

      UL does not have products.

  • @joebarbs00
    @joebarbs00 3 роки тому

    Wouldn’t it be better to set this up so that the overflow turns off the dehumidifier? What good will the alarm do if someone isn’t home? You come home to a big mess to cleanup. I bought one of these pumps and now I’m trying to figure out how to get it to turn off my dehumidifier. Can’t find any clear instructions anywhere on how to do that.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  3 роки тому +2

      Joe Barberio, your basic point is good, however I thought I already addressed that when describing my deliberations when doing this specific project. 1) Yes, the High-High Level switch is by default configured to interrupt the signal that turns a condensing unit (dehumidifier, air conditioner, etc) on, but some equipment is not controlled by low level electrical signals; 2) Here, it would be necessary to interrupt the mains voltage, high current AC feed to the portable dehumidifier, and as I stated in the video, the High-High Level switch is NOT rated for that kind of load, so it would be necessary to build a controller (relay, solid state, whatever) to interpose between the switch and the AC line feed; 3) Little Giant recommends that if there is NOT a low level control signal to interrupt, that the next best thing is to wire the High-High Level switch to some kind of alarm; 4) In this instance, the condensing unit is equipped with a shut-off switch that turns it off if the water level in its own condensate tank is too high; when piped to the pump's condensate tank as shown in this video, the dehumidifier's internal tank should not ever fill, but if the pump's own tank fills, this means that the pump has lost power and cannot empty its own tank; this is the only time when the alarm would sound, a rare occasion, but at least the alarm is battery powered (not dependent on whether the power is on or off), is in an area open to the rest of the house, and can easily be heard elsewhere in the house. 5) To sum up, since using the High-High Level switch to interrupt AC power was not an option (I COULD have done an interposing panel, but the homeowner did not want to pay for it), it was felt that, in the rare situation when AC power was lost, sure, the pump would not run, but then neither would the dehumidifier, so no NEW water being made, so the alarm was a good solution to at least let the homeowner know there was a problem, and call for somebody to check it out. Your point about 'what if nobody is home to hear the alarm' is also true for things like sump pump overflow alarms, alarms that go off if a pipe freezes, alarms that detect a ruptured clothes washer hose, etc; at least there IS an alarm......in the case of this particular house, the homeowner never leaves the house, so it is a very low risk situation as far as this pump goes.

    • @metalmayhem4365
      @metalmayhem4365 3 роки тому

      In other words the pump doesn't have enough voltage to trigger another pump or dehumidifier

  • @jameseiden2340
    @jameseiden2340 Рік тому

    They don’t want to give you a metal hose clamp because there are too many in experienced people that would crank down on the clamp and break the fitting

  • @thequarterman
    @thequarterman 3 роки тому

    I am using this for my dehumidifier in the basement. Do I need to hook up those 2 black wires to anything or will it run fine without that? I do not have an alarm like you sawdered to it.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  3 роки тому +3

      The Quarterman, I already described this in my video. You can use those two wires to stop the production of condensate, or to alarm on high level in the tank, or you can choose to use them for nothing.

  • @aps125
    @aps125 4 роки тому

    I just brought a dehumidifier that comes with gravity draining hose option. Doesn’t require a pump if you already have AC drainage hole on your basement floor.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  4 роки тому +1

      adaptus primus, I am not sure of what your point is. First, pretty much all dehumidifiers have a gravity draining hose option, so your is not unusual. Second, the whole idea of these pumps is getting rid of condensate water when you can NOT use gravity feed alone to a floor drain, so your mention of your setup not needing the pump seems like WHAT? Why was this comment left, as it is a total no-brainer, and not applicable to the subject of this video?

    • @aps125
      @aps125 4 роки тому

      youtuuba you can call me stupid. I didn’t even realize the draining hose option is available until I watched this vid. See, I learned something.

  • @patriciaterranova1074
    @patriciaterranova1074 3 роки тому

    Just wondering why you would install the Alarm and Battery Hookup at the level where water overflow could wet your electronics?

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  3 роки тому

      Patricia Terranova, there are no 'electronics' in this alarm setup. If the dehumidifier and/or condensate pump overflow, the water will not get the simple electrical circuit wet, because it will spread across the floor in a thin, shallow puddle. Putting the electrical circuit somewhere else would be more cumbersome.

  • @Denny_E_Lee7575
    @Denny_E_Lee7575 3 роки тому

    Does the inlet hose have to go in vertically or doesn't it matter?

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  3 роки тому

      Denny Lee, WHAT "inlet hose"? You need to be more specific......with the openings in the top of the pump reservoir, any inlet needs to be pretty much vertical, at least when entering the pump reservoir. A major thing to get right is that any inlet NOT go all the way to the bottom of the reservoir, indeed it is best if any inlet feed pipes/hoses stop not too far below the top of the reservoir, dripping the rest of the way down.

    • @Denny_E_Lee7575
      @Denny_E_Lee7575 3 роки тому

      @@youtuuba Yes sorry I wasn't too specific on the the line hose. It's the line coming off the back of the dehumidifier going into the pump, now that i know it should be vertical going into the pump and not to touch the bottom.Thanks a lot for the response and stupendous tutorial.

  • @JayDillDrums
    @JayDillDrums Місяць тому

    Guys is just gonna be worth the peace of mind of not having to change my dehumidifier all the time? I’m talking about like 80% humidity so my Frigidaire fill up overnight

  • @ericoxford7069
    @ericoxford7069 3 роки тому +1

    Tell me you're a Machinist without telling me you're a Machinist.
    (Taps wood)

  • @phungus
    @phungus 2 роки тому

    What is the point of the alarm when the goal is for it to empty your water unattended?

    • @soundcityintl
      @soundcityintl 2 роки тому

      To alert you of high levels or water or pump failure .

  • @bjorno2080
    @bjorno2080 3 роки тому

    Bollocks. If anything the angled cut hose is more likely to cause what he's trying to avoid.

  • @bjorno2080
    @bjorno2080 5 місяців тому

    Overkill there pal. No need for brass fittings and troughs and all that nonsense but if you are happy with it fair enough.

    • @youtuuba
      @youtuuba  5 місяців тому +1

      Bjorn, there was a need for the brass fittings and trough in this installaton. I explained the reasons in the video. So your comment is "nonsense" to me.

  • @bjorno2080
    @bjorno2080 3 роки тому +1

    No need for all the extra angles on the inlet pipe. Talk about over complicating stuff? 15mm hose and just sit it in, as long as no right angle kinks are in the hose it will flow into the pump no problem. 12 years I ran one of these without the need of any of this nonsense. These type of videos make people afraid to try anything simple.

  • @paulb8188
    @paulb8188 3 роки тому

    BORING! This should have been a 5 minute video, BLAHH BLAHH BLAHHH

  • @lrblouie
    @lrblouie 2 роки тому

    Very helpful - thank you!