Look in the crawlspace and see if this pipe connects to the furnace inside the house. If it does, then it appears to be a condensate drain, just in an inconvenient position. If there are 2 pipes coming out of the furnace, this could be a secondary condensate drain, indicating that the primary drain is clogged. If you don't feel confident checking this yourself, by all means get a plumber to check it out. You could also get a heating/AC company to check it for you but they tend to be hit and miss, and may even try to sell you a whole new system!

Just from reading the title, I assumed that this was going to be a condensate drain. They are supposed to drip when the heater is being used. If its cold it will be dripping. Usually the whole heat and AC are together. If you also have AC, I might wonder if the drip were something else.

The musty smell could be a sink or shower with a drain trap that has dried up while the home was empty, letting plumbing drain smells back into the house.

You will have to identify both of those pipes, typically these pipes are related to your water heating system. One of those pipes is for the Temperature / Pressure Relief of the water heater.

The other would be the emergency drain of the water heater, as the water heater is typically required by building code to sit in a pan with a drain line so you don't get a flood in the home should the tank rupture.

Temperature / Pressure relief valves when they leak is typically an indication that it's failed.

If someone hooked this pipe to a condensing furnace, they should have their license revoked. (when the furnace is operating it's cold outside creating an ice slick for someone to slip and fall... DUH!)

A/C condensate lines are run over head, typically in eave of the house. If those are ever dripping means you have a problem call your HVAC provider. (I service the Katy, Texas area)

In older homes you may have a regular condensate line run close to the ground. These pipes would be normal for water to be coming from them, and if that's the case they should be draining into what is called a French drain, so the water has somewhere to go without making a big mess.

In newer homes, AC condensate AND Furnace condensate waste water is run thru various connections that drain into your house drain system.

Could be a water heater T/P relief pipe but if the furnace/AC is in the crawlspace it could still be a condensate drain (if the furnace is in the attic, then it may exit in the eave, as you say).

"A/C condensate lines are run over head, typically in eave of the house."

This is mostly only the case if the AC coil is in the attic, which I believe is true for only a small minority of US homes.

"A/C condensate lines are run over head, typically in eave of the house."

"In newer homes, AC condensate AND Furnace condensate waste water is run thru various connections that drain into your house drain system."

Must be a regional thing and/or house built on slab as our lines run from the mechanical room in the garage under the house and out a side wall and they do not drain into our drainage system. Year old home in Washington State.

"Must be a regional thing and/or house built on slab as our lines run from the mechanical room in the garage under the house and out a side wall and they do not drain into our drainage system. "

Exactly right. Slab construction is less expensive to do and is typical in some areas and circumstances. It's very common in Texas where Austin Air works. It's seen in my area (California) in low to moderately priced condo/apt and housing developments. Same as you, our mechanical equipment is in the garage and a second is in an interior closet. Both AC coil condensation lines run through the crawl space and then out side walls to flower beds.

Depending on where you live in Texas, its very common to build on a slab or in earlier years on pier and beam. The limestone rock starts about 4-6" down from ground level, so any hole for a basement or for water pipes requires a jackhammer and rock removal. However, I find it ironic that nobody thinks twice about building a pool, which requires the same jackhammer and rock removal.

In any case, installing HVAC equipment in the attic is very likely. In my house (1996 vintage) there was a primary line from the drain pan that ran into a soil stack, and a 2nd drain line that ran out to the eaves. I was told by the A/C company that if I ever saw water draining out of the line at the eaves it meant the primary drain was plugged and I needed to have it cleaned out.

Bruce

Raised poured concrete or, less frequently, concrete block perimeter foundations are very common in my area. Less so slabs (other than as mentioned). Basements are rare although making a comeback with knockdown rebuilds in some areas where house height is limited and more space is desired for a zoning-limited footprint. With a raised foundation, ductwork is most commonly in the crawlspace. Attic installs are seen only in more budget-limited projects. Putting air conditioning ducting and equipment in hot attics is about the dumbest thing going but depending on the house's construction, it may have been the only choice.

Bruce, the "water out the eave pipe" situation is often the secondary coming from the overflow pan of an attic install and yes, it can be when the main line is clogged.

How your drainage pipes are run are vastly effected by the time in which the home was built. A lot of homes built prior to 1970, were built without air conditioning and latter retro fitted.

The code is for those who are licensed for this sort of work. You do what ever you want, suffer the consequences. I follow the code.

I am not a plumber, however I still know the code AS IT APPLIES FOR WHAT I DO PROFESSIONALLY.

I only service the Katy, Texas area. I am a servicer, not a builder.

Yes, in my neck of the woods, we aren't permitted to have hi-eff furnace condensate drain into the public drain/sewer system (I guess they are concerned about the effects of acidic condensate). So we just dump it out on our property and hope for the best (!?)

The key words are that I service Katy, Texas area so when I was saying 'outside the city limits' I was referring to where I live.

I don't service California, New Jersey, Louisiana or any other area beyond about 10-15 miles of where I live.

So if I don't service those areas, you left to your own devices.

These are things Mr. Fudd doesn't consider in the comments I make.

The 'UNIFORM' plumbing code as I posted is good advice to follow, if you have some variation of the code for 'YOUR AREA' that solidifies where condensate can or can not be drained to, be a real 'doll' and please post it to the board for all to see.

Just blabbing on and on with no proof, I believe we're beyond the point of thinking that just because something is on the internet that it's true.

I posted my proof, now how about you?

recently bought house? can you contact former owners and ask them? you did have the hvac inspected prior to purchase? what did inspector say it was?

Austin, do you assume that people who read comments in this forum live within 10 miles of your home? Hopefully not, because I suspect none do. That's why I question when you make specific comments that are obviously location-variable, they likely apply to few readers. Or none. More general comments are more useful.

Posting a portion of the building code for your area and the comment about in-city and in-county rules? Location specific, may apply to no one. But when presented as you often do, people can read it and be misinformed.

Mr. Fudd,

How novel, you say that I assume... but you only suspect. ( If anything, I am at least fair.)

The Uniform Plumbing code snippet was obtained from the internet. So is now the internet providing misinformation? (I can't post something I can't obtain, again if you have this magical proof of what you're saying is true, where is it?)

If people are afraid of misinformation, why should they listen to you and other non-professionals of this board with no proof in what you post? Where is this the Head Quarters of this board located? Why am I able to access it?

You have the ability to post your information that proves what you say is true. Don't you?

Is my standing as a Professional Member of this board any more favorable to me than to you? (In your ability to post information?)

Didn't the OP here, post pictures describing his situation?

What is preventing you Mr. Fudd or anyone else for that matter... posting your PROOF of what you say is ACCURATE.

Yet it is you claiming that I am posting misinformation? So please post your proof, for the whole world to see.

---------------

The way I see it, it's a two way street. We have a single website forum board dealing with everyone coming to it even though things like climate, design and plethora of other differences via location.

With that said in terms of someone calling me because they live in or near my service area of Katy, Texas (far west suburb of Houston). I'll use a fishing analogy to answer this with.... 'You can NOT catch a fish, without going fishing can you?'

I am always looking for a new AC customer, maybe it's the silent reader of this board who dislikes the politics and theatrics of those that frequent it. It matters not one bit of how or where they find me. Only that they find me.

I've gotten calls all across the USA, BEFORE I became active on this board. Assumptions / Suspicions are useless. I do not troubleshoot or 'diagnose' AC systems over the phone. HVAC is a 'in person' service business. I come to you, provided you live within my service area.

"The Uniform Plumbing code snippet was obtained from the internet. So is now the internet providing misinformation?"

Since you're a professional, you know that states and local jurisdictions can and do amend and adapt the uniform building codes to the particular requirements or preferences of the area. It can vary considerably.

So the answer to your question is Yes, a uniform code found on the internet may easily be wrong or have misleading information for any particular area. Or, maybe not, it depends. But you know that. Or do you?

So the point you are arguing is that the 'Code' does not want someone dumping condensate in an area that causes a nuisance. Such as a wet spot, a slick as algae grows over it, or ice slick if it gets cold outside and very common in my area rust stains.

This part of the code is somehow causing you 'hardship'. But the nuisance is not causing you a 'hardship'? (The code allows for hardship cases in case you the reader missed this but in situations such as that, you give up benefits that the 'CODE' provides if you follow it.)

What was the reason for this post? A nuisance.

Common sense tells me Mr. Fudd, you are in the deep end of the pool with out a life vest on. I know common sense is lost these days, but I digress....

No need for me to repeat prior comments. You're off the road into the weeds, you seem to have misunderstood what I've said. Okay with me.

Mr. Fudd, How can I understand what you say when you don't answer the questions I am asking you?

You do not post any proof in regards to what you are saying?

You do not project any means of settling the original complaint of the thread?

Your argument is that the 'code' of my area is different from other areas. BUT what you fail to understand (for some reason) is that this portion of the 'code' that I posted solves the problem of the complaint of this thread. (Provided that you follow the code as it was written.)

SO I ask you what difference does it make if this code is required in a location or not?

If this section of the code works here, it works everywhere. If you believe this is not so, post your proof.

You can be sure that once you do, I will no longer be able to hide in the weeds as you say.