Can anyone give me a code reference # (IRC) and the wording that requires the emergency pan to be plumbed to a visible exterior location?
Are you referring to a drip pan for the evap-coil?
**M1411.3.1 Auxiliary and secondary drain systems.
**
In addition to the requirements of Section M1411.3, a secondary drain or auxiliary drain pan shall be required for each cooling or evaporator coilwhere damage to any building components will occur as a result of overflow from the equipment drain pan or stoppage in the condensate drain piping. Drain piping shall be a minimum of 3/4-inch (19.1 mm) nominal pipe size. One of the following methods shall be used:
- An auxiliary drain pan with a separate drain shall be provided under the coils on which condensation will occur. The auxiliary pan drain shall discharge to a conspicuous point of disposal to alert occupants in the event of a stoppage of the primary drain. The pan shall have aminimum depth of 1.5 inches (38 mm), shall not be less than 3 inches (76 mm) larger than the unit or the coil dimensions in width and length and shall be constructed of corrosion resistant material. Metallic pans shall have a minimum thickness of not less than 0.0276-inch (0.7 mm) galvanized sheet metal. Nonmetallic pans shall have a minimum thickness of not less than 0.0625 inch (1.6 mm).
JP,
I am referring to what I call the secondary pan or others have called the emergency pan. I guess it can also be called the drip pan. Its the metal pan under the unit that is their in case the main internal condensate pan over flows or rust out.
Got it. See my previous post. . .
Thanks JP!!
I have my IRC books on order.
Peter,
Is the air handler unit in the attic?
Yes it is.
Make sure you check for that “***conspicuous” **pipe to actually be present. Had one yesterday that looked fine from the attic…it ran off out of site. *
I try and take a picture of the outside pipe to alert people that it will not normally leak, and noticed that it wasn’t there. Subsaquent investigation revealed that while they ran it off from the pan, they just left it open to the attic out of site.
Jeff’s way faster than any ole BOOKS!! 
Look too for the float switch (tertiary safety?) in the pan…
They’re required here if the AHU is above finished space (attic)…
