My AC drain gets clogged every so often. Any trips for a more permanent fix?
About 2-3 years ago the line clogged and I didn’t catch it for a while and we had some serious water damage. It just clogged again and I caught it pretty quick but it could have been bad.
Shop vac solves the immediate problem but I’d like a more permanent solution. Any ideas?
My drain has a float switch. If the line clogs and water backs up, it turns off the unit. I also have a leak sensor in the pan that integrates with my security system.
A permanent fix would be a larger drain or a backup drain.
Water sensors are a cheap investment that can be reused later. You can also buy inexpensive ones from Tuya or Aqara that are smart and should be able to notify you on your phone over just a simple one that beeps.
I live in Florida, I keep two things on hand for my HVAC drain line. First is condensate cleaner (less harmful to the plastic than bleach) which I use monthly and my backup is a Gallo Drain Gun. Even on my worst blockages, 2 shots of the drain gun cleared it out.
Can't say I've seen much difference, In my case, there is a place inline in the drain tube to pour in liquid so I use Algaecide in that but if you don't, use the drain pan tablets -- no idea which would work better though. It does work best as a preventative before you get buildup. My drain line is long with many twists and turns, lots of places ideal for buildup (I curse the builder for this!)
I'm assuming this is a split unit? I don't have one, but I thought there was a float protection to prevent the AC from running if there was too mich water in it. Of course, this would probably only work if the clog was near the unit itself.
"Gunk" is probably a combination of algae sludge plus any captured lint from the ventilation. Not much to do about the algae other than blast it with a disinfectant like bleach once in a while.
How's the incoming air filtration into the unit? Is it sealed reasonably well at the filter?