HVAC Condensate Line

[Titleist]

I'm very diligent about home maintenance. Especially "preventative maintenance". Having lived in very hot climates, I understand the absolute need for HVAC maintenance in particular. Proper filters with regard to adequate yet, not too restrictive MERV and condensate line maintenance is crucial to avoid paying for service calls.

Our latest home is only 2 years old and we're second owners. One of the first things I did after moving in 2 months ago was to replace the filter, inspect and vacuum out the filter box area and pour a solution down the condensate drain line to make sure to reduce bacteria and slime buildup.

This morning, I was awakened by higher than usual temps in the house and discovered the thermostat had been shut down. So, I discovered that the shut down float on the condensate line showed lots of water in the line and the drip pan was also full.

So, I must have dislodged something in the line in June with my solution and it gathered downstream and loaded up the drain line. Simple fix really, I removed most of the clog using a wet/dry shop vac attached to the drain line outside.

But, I'm thinking that I will be procuring one of these to assist in cleaning out the drain line thoroughly.

I don't hold the previous homeowner to much at fault. She probably had a service call for general inspection once (if that), and by the looks of the original filter that I found in June when I replaced it, that was some time ago.

We're back to 75 degrees here inside the home (with the outside temps at 100 degrees). But, I want to get after that drain line with the Smart Snake and pull some more of that gunk out if there.

All the best,

 

[ColtRevolver]

I am lucky. My condensate line is a few feet of PVC running to a floor drain that goes to a sump pump. Even a condensate leak is going nowhere but to bare concrete and would make its way to the drain in the concave floor.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

The smart snake seems pretty cool.

What solution did you use? I was advised to use hot vinegar, but that ended up being too smelly. Later I used a couple bottles of lemon juice, and it seemed to work pretty well.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I have a 25ft auger that attaches to a drill. It does a good job. I got it at Harbor Freight for about 15 bucks.

 

[Bobbers]

I made and installed one of these. It goes in the condensate line and uses water pressure to flush out the pipe. The flowing water cleans the all surfaces inside the pipe and flushes all the gunk out. Simple and easy.

 

[Titleist]

The smart snake seems pretty cool.

What solution did you use? I was advised to use hot vinegar, but that ended up being too smelly. Later I used a couple bottles of lemon juice, and it seemed to work pretty well.

I've used hot water and bleach,, hot water and white vinegar mostly. Some people would caution against the use of bleach. I'm thinking that with mechanical cleaning of the snake and a wet dry vacuum, hot water and white vinegar should be sufficient.

 

[StillShaving]

I'm very diligent about home maintenance. Especially "preventative maintenance". Having lived in very hot climates, I understand the absolute need for HVAC maintenance in particular. Proper filters with regard to adequate yet, not too restrictive MERV and condensate line maintenance is crucial to avoid paying for service calls.

Our latest home is only 2 years old and we're second owners. One of the first things I did after moving in 2 months ago was to replace the filter, inspect and vacuum out the filter box area and pour a solution down the condensate drain line to make sure to reduce bacteria and slime buildup.

This morning, I was awakened by higher than usual temps in the house and discovered the thermostat had been shut down. So, I discovered that the shut down float on the condensate line showed lots of water in the line and the drip pan was also full.

So, I must have dislodged something in the line in June with my solution and it gathered downstream and loaded up the drain line. Simple fix really, I removed most of the clog using a wet/dry shop vac attached to the drain line outside.

But, I'm thinking that I will be procuring one of these to assist in cleaning out the drain line thoroughly.

I don't hold the previous homeowner to much at fault. She probably had a service call for general inspection once (if that), and by the looks of the original filter that I found in June when I replaced it, that was some time ago.

We're back to 75 degrees here inside the home (with the outside temps at 100 degrees). But, I want to get after that drain line with the Smart Snake and pull some more of that gunk out if there.

All the best,

Based on limited experience with my home, I would say that a long snake is probably overkill. I think the approach that @Bobbers posted is better, which is to have some kind of access port near the evaporator in order to remove any clogs. And use a short snake (or water pressure) there at the access port to clear the line.

Again using my home as an example, I found that the drip pan under the evaporator was overflowing with water. The air handler and evaporator are in the crawlspace so it went unnoticed for a long time :-( The PVC condensation line is laid on the ground so it is easy to access in the crawlspace but I could not the exit point. On the outside of the house I dug through compacted soil along to foundation to discover that the condensate line terminated into the drain tile. I don't know why it was designed or constructed that way but it makes it difficult to monitor. I had dug outside looking for the condensate outlet as I wanted to know where it went as I had not seen any outlet or water in the yard, so it was confusing as to where does this drain water go?? I had expected the exit point to be clogged, but after digging up the drain tile, then cutting the PVC halfway down the line I came to find that the only place it clogged was where the water leaves the drip pan and enters the condensate line. The standing water at that point is where the scum had a chance to grow first, so it made sense. So as long as you can unclog the first foot of the line, I think you should be okay. But it also depends on how much slope is in your line.

This thread reminds me that I need to visually check my drip pan and do some preventive maintenance.

 

[Titleist]

My order from Smart Snakes arrived today. I'm waiting on an adapter for my shop vacuum to complete the setup before I snake out the condensate line from the outside.

Cooler weather would be nice too.

 

[Mr. Bonney]

I finally discovered a great P-trap system made for HVAC systems. Called the E-Z Trap. Most often traps will clog in the bottom of the loop, causing back-ups, overflow, and all the other condensate problems. the E-Z trap comes with a smooth loop that's made of clear PVC pipe so you can see if it's clogged. And they include a flexible brush like your snake tool to clear out the clog. Easy to add to most drain lines, can be bought with it's own cutoff in case of pump failure. I love mine!

EZ Trap

Features Proven reliability and higher switching capacity with microswitch technology. (4A NO/NC) Transparent Trap is easy to clean and easy to inspect Quality construction with durable schedule 40 PVC fittings Watertight red caps provide easy access to clean the trap and drain pan...

rectorseal.com

A guy who makes HVAC service videos on YouTube uses this adaptor and cordless vacuum to help him in pulling out obstructions from the outside. The end adaptor fits several sizes of PVC pipe, clear hose lets you see plug when it comes out, elbow can then be attached to any wet vacuum with the appropriate fittings. Don't have need of one, but post it for those interested.

The adaptor can be found on Amazon.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[KW Driver]

I had one good clog I cleared with a roto-rooter styled snake, coat hanger, and air pressure. I just run a cup of bleach monthly that goes in above the bodged together PVC 90 degree elbows, tight pea trap configuration that's been affective the last 60 odd years here. I'm not interested in an upgrade system until I need to because that's going to involve sprawl and a fair bit of narrow virtical gap digging under the house I suspect.

that smart snake system does look nice.

 

[Titleist]

I finally discovered a great P-trap system made for HVAC systems. Called the E-Z Trap. Most often traps will clog in the bottom of the loop, causing back-ups, overflow, and all the other condensate problems. the E-Z trap comes with a smooth loop that's made of clear PVC pipe so you can see if it's clogged. And they include a flexible brush like your snake tool to clear out the clog. Easy to add to most drain lines, can be bought with it's own cutoff in case of pump failure. I love mine!

EZ Trap

Features Proven reliability and higher switching capacity with microswitch technology. (4A NO/NC) Transparent Trap is easy to clean and easy to inspect Quality construction with durable schedule 40 PVC fittings Watertight red caps provide easy access to clean the trap and drain pan...

rectorseal.com

A guy who makes HVAC service videos on YouTube uses this adaptor and cordless vacuum to help him in pulling out obstructions from the outside. The end adaptor fits several sizes of PVC pipe, clear hose lets you see plug when it comes out, elbow can then be attached to any wet vacuum with the appropriate fittings. Don't have need of one, but post it for those interested.

The adaptor can be found on Amazon.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

That is the very adapter that I am currently awaiting from Amazon.

 

[Titleist]

Finally was able to get outside in decent temperatures to set up my new tools for cleaning and clearing up clogged or blocked HVAC condensate lines.

It was sort of simply an exercise and a "dry run" because I had already cleared up the line at the beginning of this discussion.

The Smart Snakes tool worked just fine and the accompanying three way attachment is important to have. I didn't run the shop vac while snaking out the line because I figured anything that be up there was minimal. I was correct, not much more than silt and water was eventually vacuumed out.

The vacuum attachment that I purchased separately was probably all I needed. But, as a former Navy Engineer type, I like tools and gadgets to make life easier. In the end, was this overkill? Not really because I consider handing another man money for doing something for me that I can do for myself as real overkill in my book.

Plus I learned a few things along the way and maintain my self sufficiency.