Little Giant 554415 VCMA-15ULST Automatic Condensate Removal Pump with Safety Switch and 20-Feet Tubing, Оne Расk

This revised version is based on revision 5. A review of the Little Giant model VCMA-20 is presented here The 15ULST is also known as the 554415, a condensate pump. Several pumps by the same manufacturer look similar so please read what I have to say below about the important differences between them. A pump like this one, or other pumps like it by Little Giant (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), is often used to collect condensate water from air conditioning units or other systems that generate Fluids that have flammable or explosive properties should not be used with it. As its name implies, the pump is actually a small sump, and it consists of a half-gallon tank, the pump itself, and a float switch to operate it. Typically, condensation water gets into the pump tank by gravity and accumulates until the float switch detects a high water level. At this point, the pump turns on and stays on until the float switch detects a low level, at which point the pump There is a built-in check valve with a 3/8" hose barb that must be attached to a suitable 3/8" ID hose to allow the pump to discharge water. By using a hose of this size, the pump is able to discharge water vertically as well as horizontally over a considerable distance. There is no doubt that it is capable of pushing water up a height of one normal residential house level, such as from a basement to above ground, then from there it can be directed outdoors, or into a drain, sink or whatever container you wish. Pumps can also pump across a floor, across a wall, and back down to a sink, drain or sump pit, or they can pump up to a ceiling, then across to a wall so that water points toward a sink, drain or sump As described below, here's my attempt to differentiate between the various similar models available on Amazon and elsewhere. There are many listings on the site, making it difficult to determine which model is best for you. There are two sub-brands that Little Giant produces that are very similar The VCMA series offers awards for the best in animation, film, and video There are 15 of them and one There appears to be no difference between these apart from the truncation of In the 15, the motor is 1/50 HP, while the - has a 1/12 HP motor A 1/30 horsepower pump motor is used for the 20 Based on the current situation, it would seem that A 15 and a This is the height to which the pump can elevate water in feet. There are a number of models in the- There are 20 sub-sections A series of pumps is obviously better suited for pumping more water a greater distance or For more information on this section, please visit -series can also be ordered with a 220V motor option, whereas the -series does not appear to be offered with a motor option The following 15 subheadings are available There are only 115VAC models in this series. Prior to making a purchase, I recommend checking the online manual or specifications sheets, though I have personally found Little Giant's documentation on their website to be lacking in detailed information. In this review, we will discuss a specific pump that is used to The following 15 subheadings are available There are two types of pumps in this series, so you should know that the lower capacity pump is in this series. A list of the VCMA's members may be found at The following 15 subheadings are available There are certain digits in the model number which have importance for the purchaser in the series. In the model number, the first letter is always If there are more than one digits in the sequence, it will be 15UL. If the pump's name contains an "S" it means that it is equipped with a secondary float switch that detects high water levels A high level of competence In this case, the air conditioner or other condensing unit that is producing the condensate water can be turned off, and some sort of audible and/or visual alarm can be operated. There is a T on the pump's check valve, which indicates that it comes with a 20 foot long clear vinyl discharge hose that fits the 3/8" hose barb on the pump. There is a listing on Amazon for the VCMA-compliant product The 15ULST model is also known as 554415, which makes it obvious that it has the secondary high-power circuit The system includes the 20 foot discharge hose as well as a high level switch. The pump's manual, which applies to all models within the VCMA series, is spooky about certain things, and one of those is the distance and height at which it can be pumped. From the manual I have, I understand that The following 15 subheadings are available The series has a "15 foot shut off", however that is defined My guess is that it cannot pump higher than 15 feet, but I do not know if that is correct. However, elsewhere in the same manual, it states "Route outlet (discharge) tubing or piping straight up as high as necessary. ". It is not recommended to extend the pump above 75% of its total dynamic head. I cannot find any information in the manual that indicates what it In no place on the actual pump does it state at what elevation it can be relied upon to perform I would say the pump is capable of pumping water from a basement floor all the way up to a ceiling, or even up to a sink or drain on a second floor. As per the manual, a discharge pipe or hose larger than 3/8” ID should not be used It seems that a wider discharge may lead to an excessive reverse flow as the pump shuts off, and the check valve may not be able to handle that circumstance. recommend that the discharge hose/pipe be installed such that it does bend back down towards the end, so that it can be routed at least a few inches above the ground beneath the eventual discharge in a waste Ensure that the condensate drain line going into the pump's tank is fitted in such a way that its bottom is not pressed flat against the pump's bottom If a pipe or hose enters the pump tank, it should always be designed so that it ends slightly inside the top of the tank so that condensate can drip into it. In the event that the pipe or hose coming in cannot be angled at the bottom end, it should be at least cut at an angle. The water that is being pulled through this pump can be used to dehumidify portable dehumidifiers, so the dehumidifiers do not need to have their There is usually a garden hose fitting on the side or back of these types of dehumidifiers, and the condensate water drains directly into the dehumidifier. The condensate water will run out of the hose, but not into the condenser. If you install a garden hose fitting to the dehumidifier's own fitting, then you will need to empty the condenser's In this case, the hose can be routed into the pump's tank so as to drain into it. It has been found, however, that even if the hose straight from the dehumidifier slopes even slightly uphill before it bends to go into this pump's tank, the condensate water does not drain appropriately. It has also been my experience that if a hose extends too far into a pump's tank, the condensate water will cease to flow once the level of the tank water rises much higher than The steps I took were as follows The end fitting of a short washing machine hose was screwed onto the dehumidifier, and I cut the hose off to about 14" long. My next step was to redirect the flow downwards using a brass hose barb fitting (sized to match the ID of the washing machine hose) and a brass 45 degree elbow. A length of brass pipe was attached to the other side of the elbow, then the pipe was inserted into the tank of the pump. Rather than slope uphill from the elbow, I trimmed the length of the pipes so that the hose sloped downhill from the dehumidifier. A few 14" holes were drilled through the pipe at different heights (retrospectively, it may have been sufficient to drill a single hole on the pipe, located just beneath the lid of the tank). As a result, the pipe's length defines the slope of the hose from the dehumidifier and supports its weight, at the same time allowing water to pass freely through any hole(s). Water and air can always escape through the holes into the pump's Please note As you can see in the three photos I have attached to this review, the first one shows a preliminary test with just the washing machine hose going directly into the sump tank, while the remaining two photos show the revised hose configuration with the brass elbow and pipe going Here you can see how the hose angles down much better in the revised version. This is important In spite of the fact that you may or may not receive 3/8" ID discharge hose with the pump (you will receive it if you purchase the exact model being reviewed), let's assume that you do, however. It is clear from the instructions that the pump does not come with a hose clamp, yet the check valve hose barb cannot hold the hose tightly enough to prevent leaks caused by back pressure in the hose, especially if the hose is routed up many feet in the air. In the event that the hose pops off the barb, quite a bit of water can potentially flow backwards and pool on the ground. Additionally, if the discharge end of the hose happens to be submerged in water, all that water will back up through the disconnected bottom end of the hose and down into the drain. If you plan on putting the discharge hose over the check valve hose barb, make sure to purchase and install a hose clamp. This pump holds a tank that holds about 1/2 gallon of water (it actually holds more, but the extra water is reserved for the optional high-pressure system. A high level of float comes with the pump if the model number ends in an “S”, as it does for this specially reviewed pump). Those three inlet holes are located on the tank's top cover, and one or two or all of them can be used at the same time, as long as the combined condensate flow rate does not exceed the pump's In addition to the plugs used to cover the unused inlet holes, the pump comes with two other parts Insects will not be able to live in this area. The only thing left to do is plug in the pump's power cord. I recommend pouring water into one of the unused inlet holes until the pump turns on to verify the primary float switch is working and that the pump can pump the water all the way to the discharge location. As I installed it, the pump raised the water under my basement about four feet and it took just 15 or 20 seconds to pump it out. A condensate pump is usually placed next to an air conditioning coil or other source of condensate water on the floor. A wall mount can be made using the brackets on the corner of the pump tank, and the pump can be installed on an HVAC unit by screwing onto the unit's side. Designed to fit #8 screws or bolts, the brackets can be mounted on a wall or ceiling. Here's where we come to that "S" in the model number it denotes that the pump is a quiet one A float switch at a high level, that is separate from the primary level switch. According to the manual, it is NOT recommended that you use this an extra level switch to control motors or other major According to factory configuration, this switch is ready to be connected to the thermostat wiring, which normally turns on the air conditioner, so there is a high probability of some sort of interference. When the condensate level reaches a high level, the condensate factory will stop producing more Basically, the switch is factory configured as "normally closed" and will only open when the load is high This is a high-level position. The pump motor cover needs to be removed and then you have to adjust the switch if you want the switch to activate some type of alarm. It is necessary to remove a single screw on top of the pump housing, as well as any plugs at the inlet hole of the discharge check valve. In the next step, the pump housing slides toward the barb of the hose, and then it lifts away. Wire pigtails connect to the switch via the case, making it easy to identify where they enter the case. The bottom switch terminal is connected to one wire and the middle switch terminal to the other wire Grab that push-button on the middle wire A needle is attached to the connector You can pull it off the switch with needle-nose pliers, and then push it into the terminal at the top. Make sure to route the switch pigtail wires out of the case slot before putting the cover back on the pump. It is now configured to always be open it will close only when required by high pressure This is a high-level position. The battery holder for four AA cells produced a 6V battery in my installation, which was powered by a loud 6V buzzer. As a result, the battery, the buzzer, and the high-power wire are all wired A series circuit is formed by connecting the high level switch's pigtail wires to the high level switch, so as soon as a high level is reached - If you are at a high level, you will hear a buzzer. A 3 volt battery and a buzzer are mounted on the 3 volt. The two 8-inch screws are inserted through pieces of 1/4" plywood attached to the side of the tank, measuring 5" x 11" This pump comes with 32 bolts and nuts. If you use it with a portable dehumidifier, you can set up a circuit so that it turns on when the dehumidifier is running. Switches at high levels operate a relay whose contacts could be used to cut off AC power to the dehumidifier only the relay contacts are activated. When I tip the pump unit to one side, it activates the high pressure mode It is easy to test that way, because it is a high level switch. The only other aspect of this pump that really stands out is that it comes with a limited 12-month warranty, and it seems to be constructed, designed, and built with quality materials.

Aniya MISTRY

| Jul 15, 2021

It turned out so easy! As many of you reading this described, I was tired of having to empty a dehumidifier bucket or forgetting to do so, and constantly being reminded by a musty basement odor. The site also did not have any drainage in the basement floor, so I did not want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a new dehumidifier with an inbuilt pump. by simply adding this external pump, I was able to solve all of the issues in one step for around $50. In addition, I made a temporary shelf for my dehumidifier so it doesn't collect dirt and pet hair as much on the floor, and I got it off of the floor which also made the filters less likely to get clogged as much. It drained into the pump right at the bottom when I connected an 18" length of standard garden hose. It is so quiet that if I hadn't watched the bubbles in the hose, I wouldn't know it was even running. The pump is mounted next to the dehumidifier on the same shelf, and the hose is routed to a dry well pipe in the basement about 10' away. Just as an air conditioner can be an energy hog, dehumidifiers also use a lot of power. I bought a mechanical outlet timer and set it up to run the pump and dehumidifier for four hours each twice a day as well. Now my basement humidity stays below 35% and stays that way all the time, after it went from 75% to under 35%. It also saves me from having to buy a new dehumidifier, since I need to remember to change buckets, there is no musty mildew odor, and it uses less energy. This product was easy to install, the price was reasonable, and it performed as expected. My recommendation is definitely to try it out!.

Stella Espinoza

| Sep 22, 2020

Once I figured out how to wire the safety switch into my HVAC unit, the installation was very simple. You can find plenty of youtube videos showing you just how to wire your devices. I had to do a little research on the wiring, but it didn't seem that difficult. The following tips will help you complete the installation It is preferred to cut the end of the inlet pipe on a bevel so that it does not sit flat on the Little Giant pump bottom. As a result, the air handler's flow will be improved. Make sure that you don't install the pump too low to the ground so that you can't drop it. Pumps are difficult to remove when it is time to replace them because the inlet pipes can be difficult to remove. The block puts the pump on an angle, so you can drop it down and free it from the pipe. Other people prefer to mount the pump to the air handler using self-tapping screws. Sheet metal screws need to be tapped. My actions were not like that at all. As long as I could easily remove the block and drop the pump down if I needed to service the pump or inlet pipe, I placed the pump on top of a piece of 4x4 wood.

Kai Ochoa

| Dec 10, 2020

It was like what my old girlfriend was like! A tennis ball can be sucked through a garden hose if you want. That's not what we're talking about here. While this may not empty out the entire load quite quickly, it will provide sufficient suction to drain the load This gun is powerful enough to shoot distant objects 20 feet and beyond. That's not good! The hose is provided by them!.

Westin Keller

| Aug 23, 2020

I installed this pump about a month ago and it worked great for about a month until it suddenly failed to generate enough pressure to pump out the basin, resulting in an overflow in To no avail, I tried everything I could to troubleshoot it. The product you are looking at is junk, and you should choose another. It's unfortunate that this all happened ONE day after the return window closed, so it looks like I'm.

Will HARTLEY

| Aug 02, 2020