Putting Bleach in AC Pipes to Prevent Clog (AC, replace, condensation)

[BigJon3475]

Yeah, remember T comes after P as in after the P-Trap. It leaves you a easy place to use a shop vacuum and it doesn't really need to be air tight since the water in the trap acts as a "cap".

[3rdword]

Thanks for the tip.

[christy stricklan]

i poured draino in my airconditioner drain tray. my air conditioner came on before we got it out and it started popping and smoking . is there anything i can do to fix this.. have i ruined my central air unit?please help me asap!

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by christy stricklan

i poured draino in my airconditioner drain tray. my air conditioner came on before we got it out and it started popping and smoking . is there anything i can do to fix this.. have i ruined my central air unit?please help me asap!

It sounds like that wasn't your drain pan...

[BigJon3475]

Drain-o is acidic. Not exactly something you're looking for if you want to maintain your HVAC system.

A shop vac will clear the drain lines and the worst thing you could do would be to put chlorine down your drain pipes. Chlorine gas -- a byproduct of how chlorine works -- is about as acidic as it comes to metal.

[jib88fer]

I have a 10 year warranty on my split HVAC unit. We have it regularly serviced. My installer recommended that we put a cup of bleach into a gallon of water and put one cup of it into the lines once a month when we change the filters. Can't see the harm and what we paid for the thing I'm gonna do whatever it takes to keep it in tip-top shape.

[BigJon3475]

Chemical Information

Chlorine is an oxidizer and the last thing you want to do is prematurely oxidize your evaporator coil.

Of course if I made money on servicing your system I'd want you to put all the acid you can find on your fundamental systems in your hvac system.

[Helena Clark]

My Ac repair man come and change the drain, but he diid not instal ike I have before that was a pipe that we can pour beach to keep it cean he stated that is nto need it, now my ac got clog again and water got in the pan and fooded and drip in the bedroom downstairs. What shold I did since I have to turn off my ac, please advice, thank you

[Helena Clark]

My Ac repair man come and change the drain, but he diid not instal like I have before that was a pipe that we can pour beach to keep it clean he stated that is not need it, now my ac got clog again and water got into the pan and flooded and dripping in the bedroom downstairs. What shold I do since I have to turn off my ac, please advice, thank you

[faithfulFrank]

BigJon is the expert here, but there may be some confusion here based on what type of air handler systems you may have.

If you have an attic air handler, it is my understanding that you have two drain lines......one regular one that drains wherever, perhaps even hooked to a condesate pump, etc, and one emergency drain line that is higher up on the pan, that acts as an overflow in case the primary drain line gets plugged. That secondary line should end where you can see it, usually by the front door. If you see water coming out from it, then you know you have a plug in the main drain line.

My A/C guy told me that I should just pour a bit of vinegar down the line every few months....my unit also has a float switch, so if I do ever get a clog the unit will not turn on. I'm interested in what Bigjon thinks of this.

My primary drain line drains close to my condensing unit, so it is always easy to see if it is draining.

Frank