HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CONDENSATE DRAIN LINE
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- In this video we discuss how to clean your air conditioning condensate line after flushing with water (not shown) and how to install a access tee for easy servicing in the future (if you don't already have one). We will also show you how to attach a wet/dry vac to your outside end condensate line and use distilled white vinegar to pour through the inside tee to clean the line out. Please wear your PPE and stay safe.
Side Note: We also ended up removing the HVAC Panel (not shown) to the Evaporator Coil and poured 1/4 cup of vinegar in the drain pan, let sit for 20 minutes and then vacuumed with the wet/dry vac. Feel free to leave any questions or comments. We will address each one and be more than happy to answer them. Stay safe!
Scott Maas Media Channel website:
/ @scottmaasmedia
0:00 Intro
1:28 Clean out overview
2:56 Clean out modification with 3/4 Tee install
6:25 Wet vac prep to end of outside drain line to drain all water out of condensate line.
7:30 Wet vac test inside and vinegar clean out pour
8:45 Disconnect Wet Vac
9:05 Inside paper leak test
9:28 Outside drip test of condensate line while running AC Unit
10:04 Extra Stuff with Lessons Learned and closing
Tools and Materials:
Ratcheting cutter: (Recommended) amzn.to/3DzVmSw
Stanley Wet/Dry Vac: amzn.to/3Xxe3zn
Craftsman 2.5 Gallon Portable Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/3XzRgDl
Craftsman 9.0 Gallon Portable Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/3JES6bQ
For install of Tee:
PVC Purple Primer and PVC Cement: amzn.to/46oivol
PVC Pipe Cutter: amzn.to/3XvNBGk
PVC 3/4 Tee: amzn.to/3puUBqt
Positive Attitude: Free
Other SMM links (Portal North Bridge)
• PORTAL NORTH BRIDGE WE...
Thank you for all your likes and subscribes! Much appreciated!
Stay safe!
Scott's DIY Channel - Development Impact and You - Tech and Home Maintenance
#HVAC #maintenance #cleaning
*Expressed written permission from creator of content contained within this video is required for any use. - Навчання та стиль
Is 12:23 am and my ac unit was acting up in a very hot North East summer night and I learned a lot in this video and tomorrow is going to be over 100 degrees and I need to get that unit cleaned up!!! We are sleeping in the 1st floor tonight because the clogged unit (allegedly) is not functioning properly and my friend the HVAC guy is on vacation!!!!! But he said: if is clogged clean it and should work fine if not is something else and he will send a replacement service guy!!! Hopefully 🙏🏻 is just that!!! 👍🏻 Love the video and deserve my subscription!
I’ve watched a bunch of videos on cleaning this line. It’s amazing to me how in almost every video there’s no way to easily access and clean the line. It’s almost as if the AC guys leave this out on purpose for service calls. Lol
Yep, I think that’s exactly the reason there’s no riser. No telling how much they make on those “clean outs”. I’m installing one today.
Very helpful and informative, especially the measurement tip using the aluminum foil! I'm gonna tackle this job today, hopefully. Thanks much
That's great to hear Frank Thank you! Much appreciated!
Great instructions. THANK YOU.
Thanks Nick, much appreciated!
Nice and helpful VID , I would suggest turning off vacuum and then putting vinegar in the drain line. Let it soak in the drain line for 30 min or so, THEN restart vacuum and good to go
Thanks Bill Great tip! Thank you for your comment.
I am impressed with the aluminum foil measuring tip. Up to now I was using a tape measure.
Thanks Takis I appreciate that. That was the first time I ever did that and it worked out pretty good. Thank you for your comment!😃
Good video, Scott. If my condensate line had that much exposed drain line, I would have installed a pvc ball valve before the tee fitting and then put a garden hose connector and a cap for that in the other port of the tee. This would allow you to connect a garden hose to pressure flush the line. Just remember to close the ball valve before flushing and open it when you are done.
Great tip Ed! Thank you so much for sharing your comment! Makes sense!
The best thing I found to use to clean out the drain line pipes is the thick blue liquid we use to clean our toilet bowls. you just put some of it down and that will clear the whole pipe and take everything with it. Then you rinse it out with water and it actually smells good.
Great tip Chris. Thank you for sharing! :)
That bowl cleaner is most likely hydrochloric acid--far more dangerous than bleach.
@@-Erebus in the future take the wet vac at the end of the drain line and suck it out don't try to blow it out because you run the risk of popping the pipe
Someone told me years ago to dump bleach - of course was about 19 at the time and had no idea what an HVAC was so that advice went unheeded but since then I’ve had every HVAC person I’ve talked to tell me never to use bleach always use cleansing vinegar.
Thank you for sharing i learn to do it myself!!😘
That's always great to hear. Thanks for the positive comment Paulette. : )
I have to do this. Thanks a bunch
No prob, let me know if you have any questions Vanna.
Thank You for this video
So glad it helped Mr. Garcia! Thank you for your comment!
Thank you very helpful
Glad this helped Arnold. I appreciate your comment sir.
Great video
Thank you Luis. Much appreciated!
Thank you for this video. Now I can stop paying the home warranty company $100 just for a clean out. Although I still can’t seem to locate the end of the clean out valve on the outside. Thanks again!
Learned today that your drain may come out under a bathroom sink, so check under you lavatories
Your welcome Ebony so happy to help! The drain/clean out is definitely somewhere. Like the comment below (from Smith Sircle) it could be in the house connected to one of your drains. Thank you for your comment. :)
My ac person said the drain from the ac is tied into the plumbing inside. The overflow drain for the pan goes outside.
Did I miss the part where you clean out the line before the t you installed, and the drain pan itself? Why not let the vinegar sit in the line as opposed to immediately sucking it out? Now I see you addressed all this in your comment above. Good job!
Thanks David. I appreciate your question, comment and answer all in one. 👍
What size PVC T did you buy ?
You should pour the vinegar in without the vacuum connected, that lets the vinegar drain through the line and have time to interact with the fungus, bacteria and slime that accumulates in the drain line, using a vacuum just pulls the vinegar through so fast that it does not allow the vinegar to interact as long. Also you should install an Air Trap and ditch the P Trap, you can get Air Traps from Des Champs Technologies, the Air Trap does not need water like a P Trap so it will not promote slime build up like a wet P Trap.
Thank you for sharing your suggestions Mustang. Much appreciated. Let the vinegar sit and do it's magic. Agreed. And an Air trap was installed on the new HVAC system later on. 👍
Thank you so much for this lesson.. How often do you have to clean out the pipe? and put the vinaigrette?
HI Karla, I've seen recommendations from every month to every two months. I do it three times a year in New Jersey. (June , July and August) that works for me. Thanks for your question!
@@scottmaasmedia thank you so much for responding.
Did you clean all the drain pipe from the drip pan in the base of the AC unit to the end? Looked like you had about 1-1/2 ft of pipe you did ñot clean. Just wondering.
Good observation Dale! I'm planning on doing that the next go around. Just sucked out the water as much as possible on this one. This was my first time doing this so I'm still learning. Thanks for your comment.
I noticed that there is no "P" trap in your condensate line. This trap is needed to prevent the pressure or vacuum in your system from allowing the condensate from draining properly. You might want to look into this feature for your system.
HI Carl. Actually I have a new system with the "P" trap you are talking about. You are correct. The system in the video was on an older system. Great observation as we are always learning. Thank you for your comment.
What about cleaning the drain pipe section from the "T" you put in, to the drain pipe attaching to the HVAC? That seems like it wasn't manually cleaned just vacuum cleaned?
Great point Rod. That portion of the pipe should be flushed out with a hose.
I think I heard you say the 2nd fitting coming out of the air handler (Evap coil drain) was used to connect a garden hose to flush out drains??? If it is, it would be first time I've ever heard of that. Most often that second drain line is located slighty higher than the primary drain and it *is not* for using a garden hose. It is the secondary drain line in the event the lower one to the left is clogged. This secondary drain line can be run using PVC to an outdoor drip line or in some cases, it is used to simply drain into the pan under the unit, then run outside. If both drains are clogged, the final defense is the pan under the unit, which will also drain to an outside source.
@avflyguy, thank you for that awesome explanation. The fitting had the threads to fit a garden hose to so I did not know that. Good info though, and thank you for the correction sir. Much appreciated!
Exactly. I was scrolling through the comments to see if anyone noticed that too.
Does attaching the shop vac with that much suction damage the pressure switch on a gas furnace ?
Thank you for your comment Dan. It does not, per my experience and HVAC techs I've asked. It's only goal is to vacuum the additional liquid out of the condensate line.
What if the clog is further up the pipe? How do you clean all the way up to the pan? Mine developed a clog between the pan and the first elbow.
Another great question. Thank you. That hasn't happened to me as of yet. But if it did I would have to see the individual system to assess the issue and at that point make a decision on calling in a pro.
If you're getting blockages in your condensate drain that are that close to the primary pan you need to check the fall of the first section of PVC that exits the unit. These drains typically rely on gravity to pull the water outward...so each section of pipe needs to be positioned with enough slope on it to allow gravity to do its job. I generally shoot for about 1/4 of an inch of fall per foot of horizontal pipe run. I suspect you'll find this section of pipe on your drain will be very close to perfectly level. Simply reconfigure or reroute your drain so that you can achieve that critical 1/4 of an inch of fall per foot measurement.
The techs that installed our current unit told us to use vinegar and hot water. They also installed two cleanouts on the line for me!
That's awesome! Thanks Adam
The second of what you're calling cleanouts is probably the drain's vent riser if your drain line consists of a trap configuration. Cleanouts should always be capped or plugged (unglued) when system is running...and vents should always remain open.
Thanks for the video if yr unit carries a filter it also should be cleaned for the unit to function better bye
You are 100% correct! Thank you so much for your comment and significant reminder.
My ac unit is in the middle of the house. I cannot found/locate a pipe outside the house. How do I unclog/clean the safe t switch ? Can it be done from the pipe inside next to the safe t switch cap?
Mine has piping that goes into the sewer drain in the closet behind the toilet. A/C was put in the house after it was built. When I bought it, I had them move the A/C to the hall closet, so the pipe can be identified through the back of the closet padded with black insulation to keep it from sweating.
Hi Mariela, thank you for your question. It's tough to answer that without seeing your setup of what you have. Did you try cleaning it from the cap yet?
Thank you Scott for the reply. Yes I did tried to clean it from the cap and it worked but just for a few days so I ended up having someone to check and fix. They used a shop vacuum. Thanks again😊.
Does a cap goes on the top of the drain pipe?
Hi Elveda, the one cap I had on top of the "T" that was installed was a screw on cap. If that's what you were writing about the answer is yes.
Mine is leaking right where it comes out of the unit. Everything is glued together how can I get this off.
Hi Vicky, it may have to be cut and re-installed with new. It's hard to tell without seeing it. You can always get a free estimate from your local HVAC tech and see what he says?
You are missing a P trap and shutoff switch to prevent water overflow in case of pan clogging.
You're right Brian since then I had a new system installed and a new p-trap was installed as well. Thank you for your constructive comment. 👍
MY AIR CONDITIONER IS LEAKING EVERYWHERE EXEPT FROM THE WHOLE where its supposed to be going out of , i took of the pvc pipes but it did nothing coz no water is coming out of the whole anyways. do you know whats up with it ? it works and cools but water comes out from all over the place..
Hi Alex thank you for your comment. I can't answer that question without seeing your unit as there are so many different systems out there, I'm not a certified HVAC tech so I would definitely recommend asking a friend who is or a local HVAC company to come check it out and at least give you an estimate. Estimates are usually free and at least you'll have a better idea of a fix. Hope this helps.
@@scottmaasmedia i cleaned up the pipe but it kept leaking and after a day it stoped so it’s working perfectly now ! Ty
@@Alex-mt8qe That's really great to hear. Awesome!
LOL P trap😮
I don't know what they were thinking with my drain tube. The ac unit is on top of the furnace about 3ft high and the tube goes down then over 2ft to a drain but it has half a dozen couplings glued in
Yikes, a half a dozen? That doesn't sound too good. Thanks for sharing.
It's got all them couplings because they have to cut to clean it out. It's been cleaned out alot
Same here. Idk why it was made like that🤔🙄
I use vinegar and water.
Does a clogged condensate line cause the air to not be as cold?
Matthew that's a great question. A clogged condensate drain line can and will trap water in your system. When that happens the evaporator coil will eventually turn to ice. The moisture in the drain line can also freeze which will cause your AC to turn off. Hope that helps answer your question Matt.
@@scottmaasmedia It ended up affecting the temp and the strength of the air output. In the house. Thanks for the reply
Why doesn't it have a condensation P trap?
Hey Peanutbutter..... My new HVAC System does. (Not shown on video) Good catch!
Your'e supposed to disconnect the pressure switch tubing to the heat exchanger before applying suction to prevent damaging the pressure switch.
Brian thank you for sharing that tip. Although I didn't do that there was no damage to the pressure switch, but i certainly will next time I clean the line. Thanks!
You look like mark ruffalo
Thanks Louvenia! Love your music!
Sorry, but “fig 1” is not a clean out for a garden hose. It is for an overflow float kill switch that turns off the system if the float rises to a certain point in its module. This prevents water from backing up into the system.
Thank you for your comment nightshift. You are correct sir! That's my lesson learned as this was my first time cleaning out my condensate line. Thanks for that info!
Hydrogen peroxide works too !!!
That's a great tip Kevin Thank you! Much appreciated!
Both will work & kill bacteria, bleach too but why mess with something that corrosive only if you have nothing else😮
Is 12:23 am and my ac unit was acting up in a very hot North East summer night and I learned a lot in this video and tomorrow is going to be over 100 degrees and I need to get that unit cleaned up!!! We are sleeping in the 1st floor tonight because the clogged unit (allegedly) is not functioning properly and my friend the HVAC guy is on vacation!!!!! But he said: if is clogged clean it and should work fine if not is something else and he will send a replacement service guy!!! Hopefully 🙏🏻 is just that!!! 👍🏻 Love the video and deserve my subscription!
Thank you so much for your kind words. Hopefully you're back up and running!