Little Giant VCMA-20ULS 115 Volt, 80 GPH, 1/30 HP Automatic Condensate Removal Pump for HVAC/Refrigeration Systems/Dehumidifiers with Overflow Detection Swtch and 6-Food Cord, White/Black, 554425

First, the crap and gunk that this unit battled - I am amazed that it was still running. Here are some notes from my experience:-+ DON'T ASSUME THE PUMP TANK IS CLEANED WITH ANNUAL OR PERIODIC SERVICES. Many companies (I have experience with a fairly wide range) will do just enough to clear the lines and keep the unit functioning. Not once have any of the companies *ever* cleaned this tank.+ DON'T ASSUME THE PUMP IS REPLACED WHEN THE FURNACE IS REPLACED. We had a huge, new Lennox system installed and the not inexpensive, certified installers just left the old pump in place. If the photo wasn't so terrible, I'd attach it. Cannot believe this Little Giant battled through.+ DRAIN LINE. There was so much gunk in the unit that the line out was also full of sediments. I replaced it based on guidance from amazon contributors. It was not at all difficult. I think you will do much more for your own unit than someone normally has time to do on a usual service. If you want it replaced, it is probably something you'd have to specially request.+ DRAIN LINE CONFIGURATION. There are notes on how to do this given your specific location (rise precedes horizontal run, length, etc.). Mine was twisted, tied so tightly to the pipes that it was constricted in multiple places, and the run configuration was inverted. The Little Giant manual contains relevant info. as well.+ REPLACEMENT. For less than $50 it is much, much more economical to replace the pump. There are also many good notes in the reviews -- together with You Tube vids.+ INTAKE PIPES. I just knew before I removed the unit, I'd find that the ends of the pipes were not only flat cut, but also almost flush up against the bottom of the tank. A read of the very straightforward installation instructions highlights this as an issue. It's just not something the normal retail customer would even know to check until a water or functional issue develops. Cut at a 45 degree angle.+ P TRAP. So important and so often overlooked. Equipment manufacturers may not really focus on these, and service technicians are busy once there's an obvious fail. My installation was riddled with errors. No wonder it has been leaking for years. Every time I asked about it, every co. agent just said, yeah, they do that. Well they do if they are not installed correctly. It is easy to check the levels and venting requirements by reading 1.5 pages of the manual. Risks of improper installation: water damage to the system and area, and worse, distribution of substandard air throughout the house.+ MAINTENANCE. The tank needs to be flushed and cleaned regularly. That's IMPORTANT. From what I gleaned, that's a minimum of every 2 years........ but realistically at *least* annually (with that service contract) and possibly more frequently in humid or damp areas.I have friends who are GREAT service technicians. I admire their skills. The thing is that unless you understand the equipment in your own house, it's hard to appreciate those talents -- and also know when someone is lacking. It also helps to do some normal maintenance to preclude issues.Edit: The check valve (and float switch) supplied with the unit are working well; no issue and there is a 10 ft vertical run preceding the inverted U down to the drain entry point. Nevertheless I will cut in a second check valve given the length of the vertical rise.

Easy to install. This was a replacement for another one just like it that lasted for more than 10 years. Setup took just a couple minutes and it worked instantly. Very reliable. Don't forget to clean out sludge from the HVAC unit now and then. Great product.

Great pump easy installWorks!

The most remarkable feature of this item was the speed at which it was delivered. Ordered at 4:00 pm and got it by 9:30 pm same day! The A/C system was accumulating 30+ gallons a day so this was much appreciated. Great overall value and power. Relatively easy to install. Noisier and more powerful than previous. Details below:1. It is more powerful than the previous unit which is great, but it is also is more noisy - which isn't so great. I've added some foam against the wall to muffle some vibration and noise. Choose what you need and limit excess noise. For me, the noise level is probably worth having fewer clogging problems, easily blown out by the more powerful unit.2. Installation: Mounts easily to the wall on 2 screws and if you are replacing an existing unit, it is easy to set up. There are 3 intake openings and snap-in caps for the ones you don't use. The hose clamp shown on the outtake nipple isn't included and may not be necessary. $1.49 for that extra peace of mind is worth it. This model came with a grounded plug, which I used to test the unit. I later cut off the plug and wired it into the fused shut-off box for the whole A/C system.3. Reliable switching: The internal switches (attached to floats) come on when an inch or so of water enters and a second switch cuts off the A/C unit via the thermostat when there is too much water in the reservoir. If the motor fails or there is a clog in your pipes, your house will not get flooded. The shut off works great when there is about 3" of water in the reservoir. Typical run time to empty the reservoir is about 5-7 seconds.4. Quirks: (Which may mean nothing) A. The motor smelled a little oily/smokey for the first 3 days until it broke in. It settled in nicely. The ice cold air from a high efficiency A/C unit creates some condensation on the outside of the reservoir. (See photo) I have not noticed dripping but keep squared plastic shoe container beneath just in case. So far, so good.

The media could not be loaded. 1. Works2. Not loud when discharging water and only stays on long enough to empty out water, almost 10 secondseasy to install.3. NO tools required, just put back the PVC drain pipe and put the discharge hose back on, the pump comes with the connector to slide the rubber tubing on with ridges on it to keep it on tight, but I did use Tie Wraps for extra protection to keep the hose from slipping off, probably not needed.4. Empties pretty much most all of the water when float turns on the pump to discharge the water, stays on several seconds to get all water out.5. I stuck finger down inside water container and it was full and when pump discharged the water, it was empty, and my discharge copper pipe is long and goes UP from foundation floor, UP inside the A/C closet, UP through the attic and comes down outside at bottom of foundation.6. It shoots the water out of the 50' copper pipe with lots of pressure to empty the copper pipe completely.7. LONGEVITY??????????? Just put it in today, we will see, the one I replaced was working for the last 25+ years, and is STILL working but the plastic was so old it cracked and was leaking from the water tank.

We had a similar one to this, and it failed. So, rather than getting a plumber to install a new one, we tried it ourselves to save some money. It was surprisingly fast and easy to install, and so far (we are about a month into it), this is working perfectly. We are not normally "do it yourself" type of people, so were pretty happy that we could do this so easily.