What To Do When Your Air Conditioner Drain Line Is Clogged

Proper air conditioner installation is necessary to make your home comfortable by controlling air temperature and humidity. With time, the moisture collected from the air condenses and drips as water and collects on a condensate pan before it travels out of the house through a drain line.

As time goes on, mould or algae may grow on the drain line or dirt may accumulate and block the drain line. In such cases, your air conditioner may automatically switch off, or the drain pan may overflow and cause your A/C to leak.

Either way, you do not need to worry. Before calling an air conditioner repair, you can try cleaning the clog on your own. The following steps will help you through.

1. Turn off your HVAC system

Before you carry out any air conditioner repair on a clogged drain line, you should first switch off the air conditioner. This will prevent the system from draining more water and flooding the drain pan which can make cleaning the clog even more difficult.

Latest HVAC system models automatically shut off when the drain pan gets flooded. Most air conditioner service providers recommend these A/C models.

2. Find the condensate drain line

Once you turn off the system, you have to locate the drain pipe. Find both the access point and the exit to begin unclogging the drain line. In most air conditioner installation, the access point of the drain pipe is located inside the house where there is PVC pipe with a cap. The exit, on the other hand, is situated near the outdoor unit which is a vent that is covered by a PVC pipe.

Open the cap at the access point and if there is any blockage, try to lift it out of the drain pipe. You should then pour a solution of vinegar or warm water and leave it to settle for about 30 minutes to help clear the clog.

3. Attach a wet/dry vacuum

Meanwhile, go and join the vac hose with the exit of your drain line. You will need to seal the point where you connect the head of the vac with the drain pipe using duct tape for the connection to stay airtight. An airtight connection will assist to remove most of the clog if not all of it at one go.

4. Run the vac hose for about a minute

Once you are done connecting, run it for about a minute and then put it off. The suction pressure should be able to clean the blockage in the air conditioner drain line.

5. Check for clogs

After pulling the clog with a vacuum, open the connection and check the vacuum canister. If there is a little clog, you may need to repeat steps 3 and 4. If there is a lot of clogs, there is a high chance the clog has been cleared, and you may proceed to the next step.

6. Check the access point of your drain line

After checking the vacuum canister you will have to check the access point of your drain line for the clog. This is the Tee vent that has a PVC cover in the indoor unit. Again, pour a solution of-of distilled vinegar to flush out the remaining debris in the drain line.

You will also have to flush water through the drain line and see if it gets through the drain line to the exit. Place a bucket at the exit of your drain line. Observe the water collected; if it is clear, then you are done cleaning your air conditioner drain line.

If the steps above cannot help in clearing the clog in your air conditioner drain line, then its time to call a qualified air conditioner service provider, we at QuickAir can help you to carry out necessary air conditioner repair. It might be a bigger problem than you might think. Just give us a call at 1300 730 896