An ORACCA Member was cited for a code violation, apparently based on an interpretation by the official.

“The City of Portland is calling us on 3/8 condensate tubing in a garage terminated to an interior laundry drain. They want us to increase the size to ¾ inch inside diameter, and because it’s not in a conditioned space, we need to insulate it? I have included the code they are referencing, but I do not see anything about freeze protection, the definition or requirements for tubing size when using a condensate pump, or whether we need to insulate the drain in a garage. Industry best practices have been to terminate to an interior drain, which has not been considered industry best practice.”

The issue was referred to the State office for clarification, resulting in the following response:

“If this is from a condensate pump, there is no requirement for sizing the line from the pump (per MII). Over a decade of application supports that the line from the condensate pump does not need to be ¾ inch. Discharge piping can be flexible tubing until the pump discharge location. As for insulation: there is no code requirement to insulate a condensate line. A garage is not considered an unconditioned space, and there’s no requirement to insulate. The new interpretation (23-02) notes that ‘drain pipe exposed in a garage, such as for the installation of a heat pump water heater, is not a location considered subject to freezing.’”

Statewide Code Interpretation: Under this interpretation, the discharge from a heat pump water heater is not subject to insulation requirements.

For the 2026 ORSC, the Division plans to resolve these issues in full detail, since the model code does not address them. If we need to issue any official guidance, we will do so.