Patent ID: 8182243

Claim:
A condensate pump for collecting condensate water and pumping the condensate water to a remote location comprising: a. a condensate water reservoir for collecting condensate water; b. a solenoid pump comprising: i. a cylinder with an inlet and an outlet; ii. a plunger slidably mounted in the cylinder for drawing condensate water into the cylinder from the reservoir and discharging the condensate water out of the cylinder; and iii. an electromagnetic solenoid coil for moving the plunger within the cylinder; c. an AC current source having a first half cycle and a second half cycle; and d. a solenoid pump control module connected to the AC current source, wherein the solenoid pump control module: i. connects the AC current source to the electromagnetic solenoid coil of the solenoid pump during the first half cycle of the AC current source; and ii. disconnects the AC current source from the electromagnetic solenoid coil of the solenoid pump when a preselected amount of energy has been delivered to the electromagnetic solenoid coil.