Freeze protected condensate system

A furnace system comprising:

• a burner;
• a combustion air inducer configured to receive combusted gases from the burner;
• an outlet pipe configured to receive the combusted gases from the combustion air inducer;
• a condensate trap configured to receive the combusted gases from the outlet pipe and to trap condensate present in the combusted gases;
• an exhaust pipe coupled to the condensate trap;
• wherein the condensate trap comprises:
• a trap inlet configured to receive the combusted gases;
• a condensate chamber coupled to the trap inlet and configured to trap condensate;
• a trap outlet coupled to the condensate chamber and configured to exhaust the combusted gases;
• a header box inlet configured to receive condensate from a header box of the furnace system;
• a condensate outlet configured to drain condensate from the condensate chamber;
• and
• wherein when combusted air cannot flow through the trap outlet, the combusted air recirculates from the condensate chamber through the header box inlet.

A method of removing condensate from a furnace system, the method comprising:

• determining, via a controller comprising a processor and memory, if a temperature of an enclosed space is below a set-point temperature of a thermostat;
• responsive to a determination that the temperature of the enclosed space is below the set-point temperature of the thermostat, burning a fuel with a burner of the furnace system to provide heat to the enclosed space, the burning creating a combusted gas;
• exchanging heat between air for the enclosed space and the combusted gas;
• flowing the combusted gas through a condensate trap, the condensate trap comprising:
• a trap inlet configured to receive combusted air;
• a condensate chamber coupled to the trap inlet and configured to trap condensate;
• a trap outlet coupled to the condensate chamber and configured to exhaust combusted air;
• a header box inlet configured to receive condensate from a header box of the furnace system;
• and
• a condensate outlet configured to drain condensate from the condensate chamber;
• draining condensate from the condensate trap;
• wherein the combusted gas provides heat to the condensate trap to warm condensate within the condensate trap;
• and
• wherein when combusted air cannot flow through the trap outlet, the combusted air recirculates from the condensate chamber through the header box inlet.