Several things are wrong with A/C condensate water. First is that it has ZERO buffering capacity; no alkalinity....NONE. While it is "sort of" distilled water it isn't really that pure. Yes there may be some weird bacteria growing in the coils or in the discharge line but that wouldn't be my first suspect of choice. A second issue is that the pH will be slightly acid. This wouldn't bother your pond initially since the buffering you started with would take care of it. But sooner or later it will drop the pH in the pond. Third issue would be metals and organic from the evaporator and the drain line. Again, not a lot at first but as it continues to drip into your pond....well, you get the picture. Your condensate is probably fine for using in you steam iron but I wouldn't put it in my pond. ---David

GaryG, Grainger said they only sell to businesses. It just so happens I own and operate a cleaning business and only had to show a business card and Driver License to register with them. Grainger no longer carry's the Part# 5W402. They replaced it with a like product Item# 2YJ67 (non-acid coil cleaner). The sales person said that they still had some of the Part# 5W402 at a location in another state and could have it shipped and have it in a few days. But instead I opted for the new product. The sales person didn't know why they switched. But the new stuff worked like a champ. The directions said it can also be used outdoors, so I also used it on the fins of the big unit outside. The directions say to mix it with three parts water and I used almost two quarts (mixed). Each time the A/C cycled on/off it worked better and better. After each of three cycles I again applied the product, and with each cycle the A/C worked better. The A/C now works like a champ and there is no iceing or frosting of the evaporator at all now. When I can I'm gonna buy the MERV 8 filters and quit using the blue one's. Thanks Gary and all you guy's for all your help. You guy's really Rock. You all have a great day. Charlie

It sounds like your primary condensate drain pan drain line is stopped up. What you are seeing is the secondary overflow drain line doing its job. Now if this secondary drain line stops up those five gallons of water will be cascading down your interior walls and make a huge mess, you need to have a tech clean out the main drain line ASAP or you may be able to DIY if you are willing and able. Do it quickly though.

You are going to have a lot of problems. You're sealing the concrete wall with the insulation? "I started with 1 layer of the 4” XPS over the ceiling and then covered all the walls with 1 layer of 4” XPS foam leaving 1’ of bare concrete at the floor on the exterior North and East walls)." What's on the other side of the concrete? Dirt? Or is it an attached house like a row house? If it's a detached house and it's just dirt on the other side, which seems to be the case because you said it extends 7 ft below grade, you will have a great deal of condensation and eventually mold. The concrete walls are not completely dry and sealing them the way you did allows no place for the moisture to go. Don't seal those walls off. "As for venting, no. It is a fully inclosed concrete box. Monitored humidity is a constant 70%." So the ceiling is concrete too and your entry stairs are over that? If so, no wonder you have condensation. On the other hand, you have the makings of a great wine cellar. I wish I had that. Depending on where you are, the soil temperature can vary quite a bit between winter and summer but you're in a cool area so you should be fine. If you have 70 percent humidity in the concrete room, why are you insulating with a vapor-proof material and then sealing off all possible avenues for the moisture to escape? You can't do that. What happens to the temperatures if you don't seal the ceiling and concrete walls and just insulate the walls exposed to the basement? I think you'd be far better off with that approach. If the concrete walls give you a stable temp, why insulate them? Also - the door is R10 and the rest of the insulation is R20? If you really want R20, put insulation on the door too. Otherwise, you have a huge section of your wall that has a lower R value than everything else and you will effectively have insulation of R10. To start, I would take down the insulation from the concrete and monitor the resulting temp in the room. It seems like you can actually get a pretty good temperature and perfect humidity with what you have, doing minimal work. Good luck.