About 2-3 years ago the line clogged and I didn’t catch it for a while and we had some serious water damage. It just clogged again and I caught it pretty quick but it could have been bad.
Shop vac solves the immediate problem but I’d like a more permanent solution. Any ideas?
I live in Florida, I keep two things on hand for my HVAC drain line. First is condensate cleaner (less harmful to the plastic than bleach) which I use monthly and my backup is a Gallo Drain Gun. Even on my worst blockages, 2 shots of the drain gun cleared it out.
Do maintenance on the air filters. The water is being condensed straight from the air so it’s not hard water or anything. The only explanation is that enough dust is settling in the water that it clogs the drain. There must be some kind of air filter upstream of where dust can collect in the water line, and that air filter probably needs replacing.
The cheaper/lower quality the air filter, the less particulates it filters from the air. What dust the filter doesn’t catch cycles through the system and can get caught by the AC coil. Filter effectiveness is measured by its MERV rating. The higher the rating, the more particulates it will catch. I use a MERV 13 filter but that’s because I’m alergic to the entire planet and it helps reduce airborne allergens. If you go much higher than that your furnace/air handler may struggle to blow air.
What’s causing the clog?
I’m assuming this is a split unit? I don’t have one, but I thought there was a float protection to prevent the AC from running if there was too mich water in it. Of course, this would probably only work if the clog was near the unit itself.
