In addition to cooling your home, an air conditioner removes moisture from the air to lower the humidity level inside your house. This excess condensed water is removed from the AC unit through a small drain pipe and deposited outside on the ground. Over time algae, mold, and mildew can build up inside the condensation drain line and form a clog, causing water to back up and overflow inside the air conditioner unit. To prevent this from happening, pour a cup of bleach in the access opening in the drain line near the AC unit to kill any algae, mold, or mildew that has formed in the pipe. If the condensation line is clogged, you will need to use a shop vac or special pump to remove the clog from the line. Watch this video to find out more. AC Drain Clean Out (video) Orbital and Random Orbit Sanders Loose Door Hinge Repair Tip “What Do I Do if My Air Conditioner’s Drain Line is Clogged?” Got a clogged condensate drain line eh? It’s a messy problem, which many Phoenix-area homeowners have.

You should get this fixed fast because a drain line clog can cause big problems like: Causing hundreds to thousands of dollars in water damage Allowing harmful contaminants like mold, mildew, virus and bacteria to grow in the drain line Starting a house fire due to backed up water leaking onto electrical components of your heating and cooling system There are two things you can do to unclog it:liquid nitrogen ac unit Call on a professional air conditioning technician from George Brazil1 ton ac unit for sale If you want to do it yourself, this article will give you a simple method of unclogging the drain line. best brand ac window unitsThere may be more wrong with your a/c unit than just the drain line, so we highly recommend calling George Brazil to at least diagnose the problem.

Follow these instructions to unclog your air conditioner’s drain line Step 1: Get out your wet/dry vacuum You’ll be using a wet/dry vacuum to suck out whatever is obstructing the drain line. Step 2: Find the main drain line outside of your home Most homes have a main drain line and a secondary drain line. The secondary drain line is usually located higher and water drips out when the main drain line is clogged. The main drain line is located near the ground on the outside of your home.  It’ll be a 3/4-quarter inch PVC pipe that’s coming out of your home. Step 3: Connect the wet/dry vacuum hose to the main drain line Now we get to the fun part. Before you turn on the vacuum, make sure that the hose has a good seal on the PVC pipe or its suction power won’t be as effective. Let the vacuum run for 3 minutes or so. Step 4: Check the vacuum for algae water and other debris After 3 minutes has passed, turn off the vacuum and check it to see if you were able to get anything out.

You’ll likely find algae, dirt, dust, and/or insects in the vacuum alongside all the water that had been backed up. Toss the junk, and you’re done! If you don’t feel comfortable unclogging your own drain line, contact George Brazil for a repair visit. Scheduling online saves you 10%! Bonus: How to avoid future drain line clogs Avoiding clogged drain lines is easy if your air conditioner gets an annual tune-up. Our service technicians will check your drain line as a part of a typical maintenance visit. But if your system does get clogged, you can easily prevent costly water damage if your system has a float switch. A float switch detects when water is backing up due to a clogged condensate line and shuts off your cooling system, preventing it from producing any more water and leaking everywhere. On your next maintenance visit, we recommend asking your George Brazil technician to install the float switch for you and to double check the cleanliness of your air conditioner’s drain line.

It’s one of the hottest days of summer. You come home from a long day at work to discover that your air conditioner isn’t working properly. You inspect your A/C unit and find that the drain pan your unit sits in is completely full of water. What do you do? In this article, we discuss reasons why water could have pooled in your drain pan and some simple maintenance steps that you can take to prevent this issue from recurring in the future. In most cases, a full drain pan means that you have a clogged drainpipe. The humid conditions inside the refrigerant coils and pipes are the perfect breeding ground for algae and mold, which can clog the drainpipe over time. If not taken care of, a clogged drainpipe can create serious mechanical problems for the air conditioner. First, turn off the power to your air conditioning unit, even if it isn’t running. With the unit turned off, check the tubing on and around your unit to make sure there are no cracks, holes, or leaks in the drain line.

If you find any, these pieces should be replaced. Once you have determined that there are no issues, the next step is to remove the water from the drain pan. The easiest way to do this is with a wet/dry shop vac, which you can pick up at your local hardware store. Simply vacuum up all of the water and dispose of it. Finally, remove any sludge or debris that may be at the drain. Check the drain termination outside for obstructions.  Be sure the drain outlet is not blocked by mulch, pine straw or other debris. The water is gone, but the source of your problem still needs to be fixed. Start by removing the PVC cap from the top of the drainpipe. Next, use a strong, small wire brush to gently clear the clog. Once the large pieces are gone, pour a cup of bleach in the drain pan and into the top of the drain pipe (don’t forget your eye and hand protection). This will get rid of any additional algae, mold, or mildew that may be gumming up the works. Once the clogs are clear, put the PVC cap back on and turn the power to your A/C unit on.