Comments on: AC Drain Clean Out

By: Vernell Stepter, III

Vernell Stepter, III — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:44:27 +0000

I recently had the annual furnace check. The tech recommended that I place another T clean out at the coil, to prevent any buildup that might occur at the site of the coil. I have a T clean out on the main drain and pout bleach into it every spring. I looked at my coil and noticed another drain connection on it (next to the primary drain) and it is capped off. Do you think that “other drain connection” will be okay to put another clean out at the coil?

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:58:24 +0000

Dear Danny Lipford, you should change the heading of this site to clarify that this page is not a Q&A page. This is hardly an “expert advice on home improvement” site. You forgot to mention that most modern AC systems have a primary and a secondary(backup) drain system. By telling everybody that saw condensation(water) from the drain should be alarmed, should also be told that there is most likely a primary drain that became plugged before they noticed their problem to begin with.(because they might not know the difference). I’ve read the questions here(which were not responded by Danny or his people) and these people have serious questions and needs that deserve a response fron an Expert.

By: Kathy Flippo

Kathy Flippo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:42:01 +0000

Thanks for the great information…..my husband is gone all the time and I’ve become the the fix it all girl! Had the AC man down the street help and he did not fix my problem…just goes to show a little research, and even a woman can do it! Bless you!

By: Ernie Dawley

Ernie Dawley — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:02:50 +0000

Note: I was wrong about the main drain line being loose and open. That Line is from the humidifier. I don’t know if that needs to be sealed or not. Again,,,, thanks.

ernie

By: Ernie Dawley

Ernie Dawley — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:20:00 +0000

I also have the reoccurring problem of the trap getting plugged. At least once a year, I have had to crawl up into the attic and unplug the drain. I have added a pipe (with cap) to add bleach but still get the plugged trap. I just had both knees replaced and it is difficult to get up on the six ft ladder to do this maintenance. Can I eliminate the trap and use a straight pipe instead? I noticed the pipe is very loose where it fits to the AC unit. It acts more like a funnel to catch the condensation. Any negative air or vacuum would be lost anyway. Thanks for any help here and all thoughts appreciated.

ernie

By: Henry

Henry — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:54:45 +0000

I am not what is going on with my pipes but there are two ‘drain pipes’ outside of my house not the one near the ac unit and it is draining alot of water out and I dont know why and where it is coming out at. Can some one help me with this? One pipe has alot of warm water coming out of it the other one dont have any water coming out.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:04:38 +0000

I had a clog in drain line from the air handler and my primary drain pan under the coils filler up and overflowed into the air handler unit and got the insulation all wet. I can’t seem to dry it out. How do I prevent mold from building up??? I can’t remove the insulation under the pan unless I remove the coil which is very expensive. Is there anything I can do about this??

By: Shelly

Shelly — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:37:18 +0000

This morning I noticed condensation on all my AC vents both wall and ceiling. This has never happened before. I wipe the vents but continue to get condensation and dripping.
I have a Trane unit and the drip pan and coils are in a sheet metal inclosure inside the unit. Should I remove the sheetmetal cover and check the pan drain? I have already cleaned the drain going outside.

By: Drew

Drew — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:59:36 +0000

I live in a 6 unit condo building, 3 on one side, 3 on the other. I’m the middle unit. My AC unit itself (the fan part) is located outside. My furnace is located in the center of my unit next to my washer dryer. Coming out of the bottom of the furnace is PVC pipe that runs into a small “hole” in the floor, that is another PVC pipe. I can only see the top of the PVC pipe and have no clue where it runs, but it does run into the ceiling of the unit below me and outside, I assume. I looked and can’t find it. I had a guy come out 2 years ago when this happened and he said the pan needed cleaning. The guy below me complained of water on his ceiling. I looked down that pipe and saw standing water. Should I use draino or snake it or use a vacuum? Thnaks for any help.

By: Ken

Ken — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:42:16 +0000

I have a similar problem but my main drain lines drains into the wall and i assume into a vent pipe which goes to the sewer. The secondary line is dripping and there is a small amount of water in the pan. There is an access pipe into the main drain line. Will the vacuum work to suck out the clog since it is located in the attic or should I try something else?