Use vinegar or dish soap to clean the drain pan, removing mold, algae, dust, dirt, and other particles. If left too long the sheetrock will absorb too much water and the water will cause the entire section of sheet rock to come crashing down inside your home and then things can start to get expensive. "How did my drain line get clogged anyway?". Follow the drain pipe that runs off the drain pan to locate the drain vent, which is a T-shaped section of pipe that comes off the main drain line. Once the switch senses the water level is too high, it will turn off the air conditioning system which prevents the system from making more water and over-flowing on to your ceiling. The product is a slow release enzyme formulated to break down and stop the growth of bacteria and mould. The cold, damp, and dark environment inside a plastic AC drain line happens to be the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, slime, and sludge. Over time this gunk forms and without proper care and treatment just like you see with a untreated swimming pool, and the AC drain lines soon clog because of the build up of this slime and sludge and it drying and solidifying during the heating season when the drain line isn't being used. Condensate pan tablets dissolve over time as the air conditioner makes water and the tablets melt and coat the drain line thus treating the drain line over a longer period of time and this solution works better when compared to liquid bleach. If you see water stains starting to form on the ceiling, immediately shut the system off and take a wet vac to the drain line and vacuum all the water out of the drain line until you can repair the problem. 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This condensate water can cause thousands of dollars of damage and remain undetected for many months. It is wet, dark and easily contaminated with slime and mould. Turn on power to the HVAC system at the homes electrical breaker box. Attach the shop vac or wet dry vacuum to this access point and use tape to make a seal. If the air conditioning system were to continure cycling, more condensate would form and drip into the drain pan, eventually causing water to spill over the sides of the pan and leave surrounding areas all wet. For furnaces, the coils are usually positioned on the side for outgoing air. During the next cooling season a new layer of slime and sludge forms over the hardened solidified layer and slowly, layer by layer, season by season, the drain line becomes irreversably clogged. What about putting bleach is the condensate vents (PVC)? If your able to get the line cleared and properly draining again, just remember to keep the drains treated more often. Please call us at: 1-800-HOME-DEPOT (1-800-466-3337), Please enter in your email address in the following format: you@domain.com. "Ok, I have the drain tablets/bleach, where do I put this stuff again?". Clogging usually happens when you're not at home or when you are returning home from a week long vacation only to find a disaster waiting for you when you open the front door - The ceiling has collapsed in your living room and your carpet is soaking wet and you gaze up only to see the indoor AC unit still steadily dripping water onto what was once your beautiful living room - Welcome back! I don't think Home Depot or Lowes sell pan tablets.yet. The debris particles can stick within the pipe or pan during this process, and when enough matter gathers, clogs form. Schedule Online. Thomas & Galbraith explain why a clogged AC drain line might happen in your home and what you should do when it does. "How often am I supposed to treat my drain lines?". Coil Defender stops the growth of mould and bacteria in HVAC systems, Superior corrosion protection for all ferrous and non-ferrous surfaces in HVAC systems, Coil Defender Enzyme / Passivated / Aerosol Foam Coil Cleaners /Alkaline Coil Cleaners. Locate the drain opening outdoors or near a foor drain located in the area. After you're done treating the drains, make sure to put back all the screws and tape up the front cover when putting it back on in order to prevent air leaks, don't just attempt to tape the door shut for easier access later because the indoor blower motor will blow the door back off if it is not screwed on properly and this will cause more harm than good. Twist and remove to break through clogs and pull out debris if possible. If condensate drain clogs exist within the condensate pan or drain line, this problem could cause poor AC unit performance and even water damage to your home and air conditioning system. The air handler or indoor air conditioning equipment holds the cooling system evaporator coil. Debris found within the air conditioning system can include pollen, pet dander, dust, dirt, and other contaminant particles. All Rights Reserved. Turn the snake and remove it from the drain line to pull out any clog debris that has been caught. If this is the case. As it removes heating from the air, condensate forms and calls into the drain pan below before exiting the HVAC system through the AC drain line. "Will condensate drain tablets unclog my drain line?". The #1 question asked by NEW MEMBERS. what's your opinion on putting chlorine tablets in the drain pans. The air conditioning system is an environment that can concentrate dirt, mould bacteria and pollution. Call Thomas & Galbraith today to schedule air conditioner maintenance and cooling system repair as needed. Contact Thomas & Galbraith to perform HVAC service that clears your drain lines and helps your air conditioner run efficiently. The wet environment and access to nutrients in pollutant particles can lead to mold and algae growth within the HVAC unit or drip pan, and these particles can also collect and create clogs in the drain line. Condensate forms on the evaporator coils and eventually drips off, then is caught by the condensate pan below. The following methods can unclog drain lines at this point of access: Push the plumbers snake up through the pipe opening. To unclog the drain line yourself, follow these instructions and you may be able to avoid waiting for a technician and paying to have your drain line cleared. Thanks for the good advice. Some HVAC systems have a built in accessible area where you can drop the tablets or pour the bleach directly into the drain line (see below) which makes treating drain lines a quick and easy process: However, some systems don't have this "T" shaped tee adapted to the drain line which means you might have to do a little work to get the tablets into the AC drainage system. Once the unit is located we now need to find the drain lines, there should be 2 drain lines coming off your AC system, although some systems only have 1 (shown below). In order to keep the slime and sludge from forming in your AC drain lines you have to keep your drain lines treated with bleach or chlorine tablets just like a pool. Leave the vinegar to sit for several hours before you pour water into the access point to flush out the drain line. Turn on the hose so that water flows through the AC drain line and out its exit point to flush out clogs if possible. All of this water the AC system pulls out of the air is then collected in a small drain pan located inside of the air conditioner's indoor evaporator coil section and if the system's drain line isn't clogged the AC system then dumps all of this water it extracts from the drain pan into the drain line and (hopfully) drains the water away into your home's plumbing. At Adams Air we install these float switches with all of our new HVAC installations and recommend them to all of our clients if their system is without one: AC drain lines are a pretty serious topic when it comes to an HVAC system because they can cause extensive and expensive water damage to the places we live and work in - Destroying ceilings, furnishings, floors, walls, art, computers, electronics, and more. Condensate tabs or bleach won't clear or unclog your drain lines if they are already clogged or in bad shape. If water flows cleanly out of the condensate drain pipe, the clog is likely gone. Air conditioners make a lot of water. Make sure to thread the hose down into the drain pipe towards its exit, not back in the direction of the air handler or indoor HVAC unit. IN: H0010016, KY: HM01276 and HM06160, OH: HV-49040. Flush the drain line with water at the vent. Website Accessibility. Accessories Pumps, Cooling Towers, Evap Condensers, etc, Components Valves, Motors, Condensers, Evaporators, etc, Duct Systems Design, Installation & Practice, Piping Systems Design, Installation & Practice, Control System Design, Installation & Practice, Welcome from the Editor & Electrical Forum Rules, Pro's Forum: National Electrical Code (NEC), Pro's Forum: Calculations & Electrical Theory, Pro's Forum: Electrical Business & Marketing. This unique tablet is a blend of enzymes that naturally break down the bacteria and mould allowing it to easily be flushed down the drain. Hold a garden hose to the opening of the pipe with your hand. But they will prevent it from clogging. pan tabs are enzymes. Some people use liquid bleach as an alternative, but as an air conditioning technician I don't recommend using liquid bleach over the tablets because it is a liquid and naturally it flows right through the drain line and doesn't have enough time to stick around and kill off all the bacteria like a tablet would. Products shown as available are normally stocked but inventory levels cannot be guaranteed, For screen reader problems with this website, please call 1-800-430-3376 or text 38698 (standard carrier rates apply to texts), Safe tablets made to clean condensate drain pans, Use in refrigerators, air conditioners and dehumidifiers.

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