HVAC in basement with concrete slab. Is an emergency drain pan with overflow switch required by current 2015 code?

does the condensate have to be pumped or is it freely draining. if it has to be pumped your going to have to have a secondary pan for the system to operate

There is a condensate pump. Currently there is not a pan in place. This is in a basement.

Here is a photo of the setup. I'm not an HVAC guy really, but I have this as part of a case I'm working on and need to figure out the code.

Primary equipment pan goes into condensate pump. Check.
Secondary drain? or Primary pan cutoff installed? Don't know.

Question 1: Waht is the the short second elbow? Is that the secondary drain to the primary drain in the required conspicuous place?
Question 2: Is a secondary pan, or an auxiliary device or level cutoff switch method --as a backup--required in this basement set up?. Finished rooms are in the area.

What happened. Homeowner unplugged the condensate pump, leaving it useless, so condensation leaked out and messed up some floors. On top of some other issues in the case. Trying to figure out the HVAC part.

Any help?

Same setup in my basement. No secondary pan with float switch for cutoff. If the pump is not working, basement will get wet.

But is a secondary drain, pan, switch required? House built in 2015

I can't answer your question as I don't have a code book anywhere near by and am not on the new construction or install side of things but I can say this is a fairly common set up. I don't think ive seen many vertical AH in that application have a secondary pan and switch.

Fwiw, that pump has a float switch built into it and appears to not be hooked up. If the pump was installed correctly and safety switch wired, it would of killed the power once pump was full and prevented ruining some flooring.

The secondary port on the pan has the elbow pointing up just so the pan and drain can easily be tested by pouring water into it. That way it flows back into pan, then out primary drain into pump. Where is that vertical pipe out of the "T" going leaving the picture?

I don't know.

You probably already know this but add a little Clorox in that pump once or twice a year to keep it clear. I found out the hard way

I have that setup in a house I own but there is a secondary pan with cutoff switch and a condensate pump. System was installed in 2007.

you should have two float switches one in the main pan and one in the tank for the pump Im not aware of any codes requiring it though.

Don’t have a code book, but you are pretty much never going to see a pan on a air handler that sits on top of a return plenum or return duct.. for obvious reasons...

Not sure about the HVAC question but that gas water heater should be 18in off the ground to meet code

That's what I saw right off the bat. Don't know where the line goes after the trap

Right. Where would it go?

So I've been reading the code tonight. From my limited understanding of the IRC mechanical code, a secondary pan OR secondary cut off switch OR secondary drain to a visible location is required if the unit is in an area where the structure or components of the structure could be damaged due to the primary drain mechanism becoming clogged or non operational.

So in this case of a mechanical closet in a finished basement, with this specific setup, it seems that there is a requirement for some type of secondary cutoff switch or something to cut off the unit of the condensate pump fails or is ever unplugged.

Y'all agree with that?

not gonna matter either way there aint nowhere for it to drain anyway or the ac condensate wouldnt have a pump installed. i thought water heaters were ok to be on the ground as long as it was a ground level install and not on a second or third floor or in the attic

your pump has a secondary cut off in it i see the wires now if its hooked up or not is another thing. the way that reads seems to me that since its ground floor and in a basement it doesnt apply to you you cant damage concrete with water if it was in the attic over sheetrock then it could damage structure. at the most you need a cutoff at the coil and at the pump pan to comply. they are cheap and wire in series to the red thermostat wire

Gotcha. I realize I need to study the plumbing and mechanical codes more. We normally don't get involved with it much. But it's part of this case.
Thanks. I'll check specs on the pump.

18" above the floor doesn't apply here because not in a garage or hazardous location for fumes. Allowed to be at floor level because its in a separate mechanical closet.

I'm fairly certain that's a little giant vcma-15 pump. 15' vertical pump max. It can pump 65GPH at 1', 50gph at 5', 30gph at 9'. It definitely has a cut off switch built into it. Anything hooked to the two little black wires? Hard to tell but doesn't look like it.That's the safety switch wires. Doesn't look like anything is hooked up. It should break 24v at AH.

Like I said in a previous post. If the switch was wired up. It wouldn't matter if the pump came unplugged. It would of shut the unit off when full if not pumping.