DIY Tips to Cleaning Your AC Unit's Drain Tube It can happen to anyone. You’re walking through your home, when suddenlyYour feet splash into a gross, wet puddle on the floor.Unless your pet has a bladder control problem, it’s more than likely a clog in your AC unit’s drain line. What made my drain tube clog? Your AC doesn’t just cool your home, it also controls humidity, condensing moisture in the air and shuttling it outdoors through a small pipe called a drain line tube. Mucus-like algae, mold, mildew, and even ice in extreme temperatures, can build up inside your condensation drain line forming a clog that causes water to backup into lines, your AC unit, and eventuallyIf you need a flotation device to traverse your carpet, the AC condensate drain line is a likely culprit. Where can I find my drain tube to clean it? The AC drain line should be located near the outside unit, leading from your AC unit’s evaporator coil.

It is typically a ¾ inch PVC pipe – however some drain lines may be copper. Feeling brave enough to combat your own clog? Locate your condensate drain line. Using a wet/dry vac you’ve previously removed the paper filter from, connect the attachment from the vacuum to the drain line using duct tape or simply wrapping a cloth tightly around it with your hand.main parts of air handling unit Run the wet/dry vac for a few seconds to a few minutes until the drain is clear.window ac vs air cooler If you don’t want to fork out tons of dough to repair water damagecentral air conditioner ratings and reviews in your home, it would be a wise idea to perform a little maintenance on your AC drains lines.

Drain lines should be properly angled down and kept clear of mud, grass and debris for water to flow out properly. After the gunk has been removed from your drain line, get in the habit of performing a little DIY maintenance. Simply open up the drain line clean out or T on your inside unit and pour a 50/50 warm water and bleach mixture OR warm water and vinegar solution through the line. use a minimum of 2 cups once or twice per year. Be advised, however, some newer units no longer recommend bleach or vinegar due to oxidation/degradationIn these cases, boiling water is recommended. Installing a safety switch to automatically turn off your AC whenever the drain line clogs can help you avoid expensive water damage. Regular, professional maintenance not only keeps your system running at peak performance, but can catch messy drain line clogs and other issues AC have you feeling stuck? Contact Aire Serv® today.If you own an air conditioner, you might notice that after a while it appears to be pumping out less air, and is becoming less effective at cooling your home.

While there’s a wide range of things that could potentially be causing this, if you want to try and restore your air conditioner to its full capacity, the first thing on your to-do list should be a full and thorough clean. While many modern air conditioners come equipped with self-cleaning functions, nothing beats a proper hands-on clean of the various bits and bobs within your unit that can get clogged with dust and dirt over time. So for those unfamiliar with the process, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide detailing how to clean your air conditioner, and turn it back into a lean, mean, cooling machine. Note that this guide has been written for split-systems, so if you have a vented, window, or portable air conditioner, your unit’s cleaning needs may vary from what’s outlined in this article. For this first step and all following steps, you’ll need to turn off all power running to the air conditioning unit. Turn off any power point(s) it’s plugged into, and even turn it off at the circuit board if possible.

You’re going to be dealing with the big outdoor component of your system for this step, and it’s crucial that there’s no power running through the system. So to access and clean the coils, you’ll need to remove the outer casing, which will most likely require a screwdriver or similar tool. Once you’ve removed the outer casing, remove any other components obstructing access to the coils, and then locate the coils. Brush off any surface dirt or grime using a stiff brush or duster, and then remove trapped or caked on dirt by applying a suitable cleaning agent, and then rinsing it away with water (spraying from the inside) after 10 or 15 minutes. While you’re there, you should check the coil fins, and if any appear bent or damaged, you can comb them straight with a ‘fin comb’, which can be purchased from most hardware or specialist air conditioning stores. It’s time to move to the indoor unit for this step. If you remove or flip up the front grille on the inside air conditioner unit, you should be able to remove one large mesh panel, or two smaller ones.

These filter panels are your unit’s primary line of defence against airborne nasties such as dust and bacteria. However, this means that they tend to get dirty and clogged incredibly quickly, and need cleaning more regularly than other parts of the unit. The flipside of this is that the filters are the easiest part to clean. To clean the panels, simply take them outside, being careful not to dislodge any of the dust inside your home, and give them a bit of a bash on a railing or post of some sort. This will dislodge most of the dust and grime, and any remaining nastiness can simply be vacuumed off. This is the part of the indoor unit that actually deals with blowing the cool air out of the unit and into the room it is serving. To access the fan coil, you’ll need to completely remove the indoor unit’s chassis, which will most likely require the use of a screwdriver or some similar tool. Once you’ve gained access to the fan coil, simply spray it with a suitable cleaning solution, leave it for a few minutes, and then rinse it off with warm water.

Don’t worry about spillage or mess, as most if not all of the runoff will be caught in the drip pan. Rinse the fan coil until the runoff is completely clear and no solution remains, but be careful not to flood the drip pan! Allow it to drain off before rinsing further. Allow the fan coil to dry at least partially before putting the chassis back on. Once you’ve completed the three main steps outlined above, there’s a handful of smaller things you should do which will also go a long way towards keeping both you and your air conditioner happy and healthy. It might be a bit of a chore, but cleaning your air conditioner is definitely worth the effort you put in. Not only does a cleaner air conditioner mean cleaner, healthier air, but it also makes for a more efficient air conditioner, which means smaller electricity bills! With those factors in mind, there’s really no good reason why you shouldn’t give your air conditioner a clean now and then – even if it’s only once or twice a year, you’ll still reap the benefits.