If you have a very stubborn clog that doesn’t come out with a shop vac and water, then you can try using a drain snake. Push the drain snake down into the drain line access near the air handler. Make sure the that the drain snake does not go towards your air handler or you could potentially damage the evaporator coil.
What happens if your AC drain line is clogged?
When your drain line clogs, the water that your air conditioner produces has nowhere to go. Instead, it simply sits in the line or in your drain pan and slowly evaporates back into the atmosphere, increasing your indoor humidity levels.
How do I know if my AC drain is clogged?
A clogged AC drain line symptoms include:
Musty, moldy smell near your indoor unit or in air from the registers/vents.Standing water near the indoor unit.Water damage in areas near the indoor unit.AC system is not cooling your home.AC system shuts down or doesn’t turn on.
Is bleach or vinegar better for AC drain line?
We recommend using vinegar instead of a bleach solution because bleach can be harmful to your AC system if your drain line has copper tubing. Using vinegar will not damage your system. Spilling bleach can also ruin carpet or clothing, whereas vinegar will just leave a strong odor.
Where do you pour vinegar in your air conditioner?
All it takes is 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a couple minutes of your time:
Find your drain line. It should be near your drain pan, located near the air handler. Remove the cap.Pour in 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar. Place the cap back on the drain line.
How often should you clean AC drain line?
Do this every month to keep your AC units at peak performance. The steps are easy enough to follow. You only need about ¼ cup of vinegar poured into your drain line to dissolve all the clogs inside. Turn off your air conditioner.
Will a clogged AC drain line cause AC to not cool?
A clogged condensate drain line will trap water in your air conditioner. As a result, the evaporator coil will eventually turn to ice. The moisture in the drain line can also freeze, which will cause your air conditioner to turn off.
How do you pour vinegar in an AC drain line?
Pouring a cup of vinegar down your drain line each month is a great way to prevent clogs and blockages from occurring in the first place. Just remove the PVC cap on the top of the pipe and slowly pour the vinegar down. You can even pour another cup into your drain pan as an added preventive measure.
Does vinegar damage drain pipes?
The answer is that vinegar will not harm your pipes if used in small doses as recommended in many of the recipes that you find online. No matter what your pipes are made of, pex, pvc, copper, etc. Vinegar will not harm your water pipes.
How much Clorox do I put in AC drain?
Mix 1/4 cup bleach with 1 cup hot water and pour it into the pipe that leads into the condensate drain pan. PVC pipe and pans are not affected by the corrosive nature of chlorine bleach, but be careful to not splash the bleach onto the evaporator coils or other metal parts of the air conditioner.
