Thank you so much! This was such a great deal of help. I didn't even have to go out and buy anything because we already had the wet/vac. You saved us a bundle of money!
Thank you for the video. My mother's AC started leaking last night. I knew I could fix it, but she always wants to call "the professionals", because she worries that she or I might make things worse. I knew I needed to find a friendly face that could show her how easy it is. I showed her your video, and we had it fixed 30 minutes later.
It's late at the moment, but when the sun comes up tomorrow, I'll take photos of the outside and the inside pump and upload them to a video and hopefully you can help me? We haven't had this unit long (maybe a yr or a yr and a half) and just had to spend almost 1,000 $ to get the car fixed so saving as much money is a priority here. I'm already in possession of wet-vac so no problem there.
I don't think my AC has a condensate drain. Outside there is a white tube/pipe but it has a power/electrical switch attached to it? We haven't had cool air in over a week, what can we do? Also we have a DiversiTech CP-22 Automatic Condensate Pump inside by the internal ac unit. It's on but not "running" because no water is being pumped into it.
I just want to say THANK YOU for taking the time to make this video! We are new homeowners and were panicking when we seen a bunch of water under our furnace. I was able to unclog the drain myself, and it saved about $200 bucks. The stuff that came out of this drain was disgusting!
O CRAP I LIVE in an apt and my ac unit is on the roof and on the inside unit i dont even have these pcp pipes only 2 metal ones that go into the roof. all i hear is gurgling noises in the walls. . . . .i hav a ton of bills to pay to... Im fucked until my next paycheck. I dnt wana calla tech. :'(
@True2TheBlueYoViGang nvm i foudn it...it was behind my ac hiding behind the filter box... what an awckward place to put the thing...the filter box is in the way its guna be doable but uncomfortable hopefully me buying a wet vac wont be in vain cuz i have ac not blowing out any cool air. hopefully this will fix it. i hope cuz i cant afford a tech right now (in this economy yadda yadda) -_-
Wow, thank you!!! After I watched your video, I immediately canceled my service call. I initially had no idea what the problem was, but now I have cold air flowing again and I saved money too! Thanks again!!
I think I have this problem. I'm going to try to take care of it myself, and will invest in the shop vac. Hope it works, but if I do need to call a pro, now I'll know how to maintain the a/c. I also live in Florida, and I think the recent humidity has done in my drain. Thanks for a very understandable video!
hey i have a question. live in GA with my unit in the basement. so a gravity drane wont work for me. im planning on installing a condensate pump to get the water out. my question is can i send the pvc straight up and attach it to the floor joists (ceiling for basement) then run it out? or do i still need a slope? im trying to avoid seeing the pip running along the ground as im plannign to finish the basement.
Great vid. I did pretty much the same thing with my 6.5 HP shop vac but blew from the inside of the house out. I also flushed with water from hose & blew again. But still having problems. Just got a 25' snake & going to give it a try now....
@halacious01: I would go to a hardware store and get a coupling and enough tubing same size as currently installed to reach out from under the deck. I would go under there only once to attach the extension tube, and bring the end out where I can get at it any time and always make sure it is passing water. So that handles the first question, OK? Then I would simply use my hand to make the adapter between the tubing and the vac hose. Look again at the video, and you will see what I mean. Do
I wanted to say thanks for this video. Before watching this video I've heard of your technique, but no where else have I found a step by step very informative video. However I had 3 PVC discharge lines so I just hooked up to all 3 and cleared all 3. Seems to have worked I don't have water leaking back into the closet below the HVAC unit. Probably going to call a service tech. anyway just to get a good thorough service of the entire system to be on the safe side.
@coast2sea : Hi, and thanks for your kind words. In many cases when the unit is installed in indoor spaces (i.e. attic or closet) where an overflow could do great damage, an additional pan is installed first and then the unit is installed in or above that. The unit will have a drain line as described in the video, but the drain pan will also have a drain line as well. This could explain how you have more than one drain line to clean. Two, I get. Three, not so much. Maybe a pro will know.
I tried your method but my lines are VERY clogged! Im going to order a Mighty Pump today to see if it will bust the sludge loose.Thanks for showing how the condensate line should flow and what will come out. GREAT INFORMATIVE VIDEO!
@sunsetglen : One of the replies from a pro cautioned against applying too much pressure to the drain line in case it was is not glued. Maybe you could apply a low pressure to the indoor end and suction at the outdoor end at the same time to dislodge a stubborn blockage in the line. This is also a strong argument for regular attention. A few minutes every few months seems like little enough price to pay.
Bill of Wrongs - This was a very informative video. Up to and including the noise your vacuum makes when it is full. I really appreciate your efforts.
This was informative. Anyone who thinks about wearing gloves performing this process, man-up! I found it interesting to see that this house had a p-trap kind of set-up. My condo was built in 1968 and it had a straight-run. I created my own p-trap. In order to clean it out in a way I feel is better than vacuum.
Using chlorine tablets worry me of being too strong. I use the clean pipe bacterial solution to keep from destroying the plastic. BTW white PVC is not meant for sun exposure.
Good job. I especially liked the part about "go get a little wet-dry vac", as I was going "but I dun have a wet-dry vac :( " . But he's right. I also liked the idea of keeping the drain clean by putting the pool tabs in the drain pan. Thanks a bunch.
Good job. I especially liked the part about "go get a little wet-dry vac", as I was going "bt I dun have a wet-dry vac :( " . But he's right. I also liked the idea of keeping the drain clean by putting the pool tabs in the drain pan. Thanks a bunch.
@ashwed24: If you can get to the drain line I would go to the hardware store and get a coupling in the right size, then just cut the drain line in the most convenient spot, vacuum the line clear, and slip the coupling back on the drain line to reconnect. Pick a spot to cut that is above the level of the sink drain to prevent leaking.
This is great. Your dad sure knows his stuff and is about to save us a fortune with maintenance advice. This is going on my favorites that's for sure.
@trishignao@funkydrew Thank you very much. I'll be sure to share your thanks with him. He'll get a kick out of it for sure. The video was originally made just for my Brother and I, but I thought it was something others could use - 2 years later and it seems like he's probably saved people more than a few hundred thousand in service costs. Sorry to the A/C repair people out there :)
@trishignao This is not as effective as having a trained professional do it properly! You can suck all day long with that vacuum but it'll NEVER remove ALL of the sludge; most of which will be found in the drain pan itself! This procedure would need to be performed every 6 months or more to be effective. Pay a professional to do it right and you'll be fine for 5+ years. Also, there are NO guarantees that this will work, you may end up with a disaster!
THANK YOU! This video saved me tons of money on a weekend emergency ac repair call! I live in FL and had the exact problem you talked about. This is a quick and affordable fix. I can't thank you enough!!!
It's just algae, so don't worry too much, bud. Change a few baby diapers and it'll all be in perspective. We just assumed that if you wanted to wear gloves you would do so without it being in the instructions :)
Thank to all the recent positive responses, gang! I also appreciate you supporting the sponsors off to the upper corner to the left over there. It's not much, but beer money is a beautiful thing and I really am thankful. We'll be working on some more how-to's soon on a varity of subjects! :)
Went through Walmart tonight and noticed they sell small bottles of 1" chlorine tablets for use in small wading pools. These are perfect for killing the algae and you don't have to chop up the larger tablets!
Worked for me but I don't understand why when I opened up the air handler beforehand, the pan didn't seem to have any water in it but the Drain Alert showed water up to the half way mark. Is there a reason why the Drain Alert would have water in it but no water in the drain pan?
Thanks so much for the help. I love keeping money in my pocket.
After finding water in my basement utility room... I used your advice and got a big bucket of disgusting brown water. My condensate line drains into a basement floor pit with a sump pump in it so rather than allow the water to go all over the place i just stuck it on the end of the line and left it there til the water stopped coming. I have a 5 gallon wet/dry vac so it worked just fine and held all the water. We'll see if this fixes my water problem, I hope so!
another floridian with same problem. i have the original hvac, circa 1974, still running fine, but i started to get water coming from the pan line into my garage. there was no catch line installed in the primary drain on this old unit so the wetvac trick came in very handy! kept me from having to disassemble it. u r the man.
another floridian with the same old problem, here. i have the original hvac (circa 1974) still running fine, but i started to get water coming from the pan line into my garage. there was no catch line installed in the primary drain on this old unit so the wetvac trick came in very handy! kept me from having to disassemble it. u r the man.
You can use a pouch of the powder they use in pools to control alge. I'm sure it amounts to bleach, but I also thing there may be some other ingredients that inhibit additional growth. Once a season usually worked for me. Glad the video has helped you folks!
Hello... I live in Florida too and the weather here is horrible today and my ac decided to start leaking lots of water and I found this video. AWSOME!!! DO you recomend to put a little bit of clorox to unclog the pipes? That's what I heard. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much for doing this video. I'm experiencing this problem with my FL home and going nuts trying to figure out how to solve this. Had the A/C guy out and $158 dollars later, I still have this problem. He did a sorry job of vacuuming the pipe and then used compressed air. Tomorrow I will buy my one gal shop vac. Thanks again.
Nice video! It's amazing how much money I have saved over the yers by learning necessary info on YouTube and not having to call a professional technician in an emergency! This video will just add to that whopping figure! Thanks!
I am a single mom, whose air went out at 11pm! I was thankful to find this video empty the drain worked immediately! and tomorrow I will go out with my wet dry vac and take care of the rest. thanks so much for sharing!
On the inside drain pipe I pour a cup or two of Clorox bleach in, let it sit about 30 min. (kills algae) then run a pot of hot water through the Mr. Coffee, get a funnel and pour it down the opening. KA-BLAM and it costs like 25 cents to do.
wow thats a lot of funky stuff. i wetvac mine every 15 days and have never seen any kind of gunk ever. takes only a few minutes every 15 days, no gunk, and dehumidification inside the house is always at peak performance.
Just had my pan overflow.. I vacuumed the pipes as described. Question: I dont have an overflow switch, its basically a sealed set of pipes to the exit of the home. Should I cut into the PVC so the pipe 'vents' as I suck it out next time.. maybe with some sort of screw top thing?
You will want to clear the drain regularly to prevent another overflow, however. Just be mindful of conditions that would promote algae growth (warm humid weather) and clear out the drain say every 90 days or more often if needed.
Thank you for such a wonderful tutorial. I live in a town house and the condensation drain has clogged and we have water spilling everywhere in my basement. My husband is out of town and I see the drain that comes out of the unit but I do not see the second drain outside. Can I clean the top end of the system to clear blockage? In the morning my son and I will look for the outside drain.
You say the water spillage is in the basement. I take it you can't follow the path of the condensate tubing, but maybe that will give you a general idea where to look.
It is also common for the installer to run the drain tubing at the same time as the copper tubing, so the drain usually is found somewhere near the compressor (unless your compressor is on your roof). If your air handler is in your basement, you may also have a small pump for the condensate. Water has trouble draining uphill.
Thanks Bill. For a single mom who just recently got laid off, this is a fantastic way to learn how to deal with house maintenance on a budget. I started to feel drops on my bed at 3:00 a.m., realized it was coming down from my vent, and could not fall back to sleep figuring how I could take care of this without having to call for service so I got on my computer and came across your video. Please put out more helpful "fix it yourself" videos for people who are on a budget! Thanks again Bill.
My crews have been using this method for years. Using pressure to blow out a drain can sometimes blow apart fittings especially if poly pipe with barbed fittings were used.
A helpful video, although I think it would have been much easier to connect a water hose to the other end and flush out the pipe that way. You would not get all that nasty mold on your hands, which is quite dangerous to your health by the way. You could have left the downspout tube on and caught all the gunk in a bucket.
Thank you for commenting. It is pretty chancy trying to apply water pressure to the house end of the drain. It is almost sure to overflow and make a mess.
Also, the stuff in the pipe is algae, rather than mold, and not so dangerous to your health.
The drain is very low to the ground in this case, and not subject to capture in a bucket conveniently. However, is that is a concern, one could use a larger shopvac and only stop the suction when the shopvac is full.
This is very helpful thanks for sharing.
frea1able 1 month ago
Have you seen or used the Mighty Pump from Rectorseal for clearing a drain?
It is a great product for a homeowner or contractor.
Dr z has a video of it on youtube.
acdrainpump 3 months ago
Thank you so much! This was such a great deal of help. I didn't even have to go out and buy anything because we already had the wet/vac. You saved us a bundle of money!
SuperMeghan91 4 months ago
Thank you for the video. My mother's AC started leaking last night. I knew I could fix it, but she always wants to call "the professionals", because she worries that she or I might make things worse. I knew I needed to find a friendly face that could show her how easy it is. I showed her your video, and we had it fixed 30 minutes later.
billpuppies 5 months ago
Thank u, my hubby dnt kno much when it cmes to do it urself but I do alot...easier way then wht we did, water hose pressure through pipes...
tahoechic02 5 months ago
It's late at the moment, but when the sun comes up tomorrow, I'll take photos of the outside and the inside pump and upload them to a video and hopefully you can help me? We haven't had this unit long (maybe a yr or a yr and a half) and just had to spend almost 1,000 $ to get the car fixed so saving as much money is a priority here. I'm already in possession of wet-vac so no problem there.
KiaraRawks 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I don't think my AC has a condensate drain. Outside there is a white tube/pipe but it has a power/electrical switch attached to it? We haven't had cool air in over a week, what can we do? Also we have a DiversiTech CP-22 Automatic Condensate Pump inside by the internal ac unit. It's on but not "running" because no water is being pumped into it.
KiaraRawks 5 months ago
Very good information. Thanks for making it available
lwagg 6 months ago
I just want to say THANK YOU for taking the time to make this video! We are new homeowners and were panicking when we seen a bunch of water under our furnace. I was able to unclog the drain myself, and it saved about $200 bucks. The stuff that came out of this drain was disgusting!
adavidson514 6 months ago
It worked! Thanks for the info!
sealofservants 6 months ago
@sealofservants You are very welcome! I feel back for the reapir guys, but we gotta hold on to our money as much as possible right now :)
BillofWrongs 6 months ago
O CRAP I LIVE in an apt and my ac unit is on the roof and on the inside unit i dont even have these pcp pipes only 2 metal ones that go into the roof. all i hear is gurgling noises in the walls. . . . .i hav a ton of bills to pay to... Im fucked until my next paycheck. I dnt wana calla tech. :'(
True2TheBlueYoViGang 6 months ago
@True2TheBlueYoViGang nvm i foudn it...it was behind my ac hiding behind the filter box... what an awckward place to put the thing...the filter box is in the way its guna be doable but uncomfortable hopefully me buying a wet vac wont be in vain cuz i have ac not blowing out any cool air. hopefully this will fix it. i hope cuz i cant afford a tech right now (in this economy yadda yadda) -_-
True2TheBlueYoViGang 6 months ago
Wow, thank you!!! After I watched your video, I immediately canceled my service call. I initially had no idea what the problem was, but now I have cold air flowing again and I saved money too! Thanks again!!
FBIDirectorWomack 6 months ago
Bill,
Thank you so much! From your video to Lowe's to now.....2 hours 12 minutes and it is fixed!!
Jim
jimcoxstreet 6 months ago
thanks for posting this, it was very helpful!
gamedaycaps 6 months ago
THANK YOU!!!!
xxhairstylistx 7 months ago
@xxhairstylistx You are very welcome! Sounds like it helped out! ;)
BillofWrongs 6 months ago
@xxhairstylistx You are very welcome! Sounds like it helped out! ;)
BillofWrongs 6 months ago
I think I have this problem. I'm going to try to take care of it myself, and will invest in the shop vac. Hope it works, but if I do need to call a pro, now I'll know how to maintain the a/c. I also live in Florida, and I think the recent humidity has done in my drain. Thanks for a very understandable video!
FLUFF02 7 months ago
Thanks for making a clear sound and picturewise video. So many you wonder what they were thinking. You should consider being a film producer.
gord28 7 months ago
hey i have a question. live in GA with my unit in the basement. so a gravity drane wont work for me. im planning on installing a condensate pump to get the water out. my question is can i send the pvc straight up and attach it to the floor joists (ceiling for basement) then run it out? or do i still need a slope? im trying to avoid seeing the pip running along the ground as im plannign to finish the basement.
bjornjoseph 7 months ago
Awesome video...made my life easier!
kbear4143 7 months ago
Sir, I didn't even need this information. But due to your detailed info I watched and added to my favorites. Thank you!
scottsterdotcom 7 months ago
worked like a charm. thank you for the upload, and thanks dad!
iamnutter 7 months ago
Great vid. I did pretty much the same thing with my 6.5 HP shop vac but blew from the inside of the house out. I also flushed with water from hose & blew again. But still having problems. Just got a 25' snake & going to give it a try now....
YManCyberDude 8 months ago
Thanks! Much appreciated! :)
vcsraaa 8 months ago
Hopefully I can apply this somehow to our system. I know where to start now. Thank you sir
ruredy33 9 months ago
@halacious01: I would go to a hardware store and get a coupling and enough tubing same size as currently installed to reach out from under the deck. I would go under there only once to attach the extension tube, and bring the end out where I can get at it any time and always make sure it is passing water. So that handles the first question, OK? Then I would simply use my hand to make the adapter between the tubing and the vac hose. Look again at the video, and you will see what I mean. Do
BillofWrongs 9 months ago
I wanted to say thanks for this video. Before watching this video I've heard of your technique, but no where else have I found a step by step very informative video. However I had 3 PVC discharge lines so I just hooked up to all 3 and cleared all 3. Seems to have worked I don't have water leaking back into the closet below the HVAC unit. Probably going to call a service tech. anyway just to get a good thorough service of the entire system to be on the safe side.
coast2sea 10 months ago
@coast2sea : Hi, and thanks for your kind words. In many cases when the unit is installed in indoor spaces (i.e. attic or closet) where an overflow could do great damage, an additional pan is installed first and then the unit is installed in or above that. The unit will have a drain line as described in the video, but the drain pan will also have a drain line as well. This could explain how you have more than one drain line to clean. Two, I get. Three, not so much. Maybe a pro will know.
BBJfla1 10 months ago
was just about to ask if you can use pool clorine tabs - but your vid answered it! thanks
multiz007 11 months ago
Comment removed
multiz007 11 months ago
Thanks
blindblessing1 1 year ago
I tried your method but my lines are VERY clogged! Im going to order a Mighty Pump today to see if it will bust the sludge loose.Thanks for showing how the condensate line should flow and what will come out. GREAT INFORMATIVE VIDEO!
sunsetglen 1 year ago
@sunsetglen : One of the replies from a pro cautioned against applying too much pressure to the drain line in case it was is not glued. Maybe you could apply a low pressure to the indoor end and suction at the outdoor end at the same time to dislodge a stubborn blockage in the line. This is also a strong argument for regular attention. A few minutes every few months seems like little enough price to pay.
BBJfla1 10 months ago
Nice video.........I would use rubber glove verses using my hand.......That can be some nasty stuff in there.
MrTERRYD55 1 year ago
Thanks guys, much appreciated!
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
@BillofWrongs awesome job buddy!
bjornjoseph 7 months ago
That was a very good video.
Nutintoitbut2doit 1 year ago
Bill of Wrongs - This was a very informative video. Up to and including the noise your vacuum makes when it is full. I really appreciate your efforts.
honkeypinkson 1 year ago
This was informative. Anyone who thinks about wearing gloves performing this process, man-up! I found it interesting to see that this house had a p-trap kind of set-up. My condo was built in 1968 and it had a straight-run. I created my own p-trap. In order to clean it out in a way I feel is better than vacuum.
Using chlorine tablets worry me of being too strong. I use the clean pipe bacterial solution to keep from destroying the plastic. BTW white PVC is not meant for sun exposure.
RunRoyRun4SOS 1 year ago
Good job. I especially liked the part about "go get a little wet-dry vac", as I was going "but I dun have a wet-dry vac :( " . But he's right. I also liked the idea of keeping the drain clean by putting the pool tabs in the drain pan. Thanks a bunch.
moganfey 1 year ago
Good job. I especially liked the part about "go get a little wet-dry vac", as I was going "bt I dun have a wet-dry vac :( " . But he's right. I also liked the idea of keeping the drain clean by putting the pool tabs in the drain pan. Thanks a bunch.
moganfey 1 year ago
how do you clear the line if the primary drain is located and attached to bathroom sink? thank you
ashwed24 1 year ago
@ashwed24: If you can get to the drain line I would go to the hardware store and get a coupling in the right size, then just cut the drain line in the most convenient spot, vacuum the line clear, and slip the coupling back on the drain line to reconnect. Pick a spot to cut that is above the level of the sink drain to prevent leaking.
BBJfla1 1 year ago
how do you clear1 the line if the primary drain is located and attached to bathroom sink? thank you
ashwed24 1 year ago
This is great. Your dad sure knows his stuff and is about to save us a fortune with maintenance advice. This is going on my favorites that's for sure.
trishignao 1 year ago
@trishignao @funkydrew Thank you very much. I'll be sure to share your thanks with him. He'll get a kick out of it for sure. The video was originally made just for my Brother and I, but I thought it was something others could use - 2 years later and it seems like he's probably saved people more than a few hundred thousand in service costs. Sorry to the A/C repair people out there :)
BillofWrongs 1 year ago 2
@trishignao This is not as effective as having a trained professional do it properly! You can suck all day long with that vacuum but it'll NEVER remove ALL of the sludge; most of which will be found in the drain pan itself! This procedure would need to be performed every 6 months or more to be effective. Pay a professional to do it right and you'll be fine for 5+ years. Also, there are NO guarantees that this will work, you may end up with a disaster!
nchilltopper 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this video! It is really helpful!
funkydrew81 1 year ago
THANKS A LOT!!!!!
alpe1945 1 year ago
Very nice and very helpful. People like you do a lot of good to strangers, which is really commendable. Thanks a bunch!
cw4g 1 year ago
hell yes, Bill. I just did this and some scary stuff came out. thanks for the video.
kobaprod 1 year ago
THANK YOU! This video saved me tons of money on a weekend emergency ac repair call! I live in FL and had the exact problem you talked about. This is a quick and affordable fix. I can't thank you enough!!!
MsHH80 1 year ago
LMAO at 3:06 Looks like diarrea
Traconiz 1 year ago
It's just algae, so don't worry too much, bud. Change a few baby diapers and it'll all be in perspective. We just assumed that if you wanted to wear gloves you would do so without it being in the instructions :)
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
luckily my shop vac line fits right over my pipe leaving the mess in the shop vac and off of me! good video!
TophatOSx86 1 year ago
this is a very good information....this might be why my condenser pump makes grinding noises.
TheCollegeguyman 1 year ago
@TheCollegeguyman um no
fetisov02 1 year ago
@fetisov02 I actually took the condenser pump out and did exactly what he did " cleaned it"..it seem to be working fine.
TheCollegeguyman 1 year ago
Wow what a great video! I wish it was a daily task that had to be done, because sucking that algae out with the shop-vac looks like so much fun!
phillies0477 1 year ago
you saved me a bunch of $ and hassle, thank you!
gaining21 1 year ago
Thank to all the recent positive responses, gang! I also appreciate you supporting the sponsors off to the upper corner to the left over there. It's not much, but beer money is a beautiful thing and I really am thankful. We'll be working on some more how-to's soon on a varity of subjects! :)
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
Went through Walmart tonight and noticed they sell small bottles of 1" chlorine tablets for use in small wading pools. These are perfect for killing the algae and you don't have to chop up the larger tablets!
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
Worked for me but I don't understand why when I opened up the air handler beforehand, the pan didn't seem to have any water in it but the Drain Alert showed water up to the half way mark. Is there a reason why the Drain Alert would have water in it but no water in the drain pan?
Thanks so much for the help. I love keeping money in my pocket.
stacyman1 1 year ago
This worked for me as well, thanks!!
Baxterfla 1 year ago
After finding water in my basement utility room... I used your advice and got a big bucket of disgusting brown water. My condensate line drains into a basement floor pit with a sump pump in it so rather than allow the water to go all over the place i just stuck it on the end of the line and left it there til the water stopped coming. I have a 5 gallon wet/dry vac so it worked just fine and held all the water. We'll see if this fixes my water problem, I hope so!
Thanks!!
mmadden123 1 year ago
Comment removed
dulcechristo 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
another floridian with same problem. i have the original hvac, circa 1974, still running fine, but i started to get water coming from the pan line into my garage. there was no catch line installed in the primary drain on this old unit so the wetvac trick came in very handy! kept me from having to disassemble it. u r the man.
dulcechristo 1 year ago
another floridian with the same old problem, here. i have the original hvac (circa 1974) still running fine, but i started to get water coming from the pan line into my garage. there was no catch line installed in the primary drain on this old unit so the wetvac trick came in very handy! kept me from having to disassemble it. u r the man.
dulcechristo 1 year ago
You can use a pouch of the powder they use in pools to control alge. I'm sure it amounts to bleach, but I also thing there may be some other ingredients that inhibit additional growth. Once a season usually worked for me. Glad the video has helped you folks!
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
Hello... I live in Florida too and the weather here is horrible today and my ac decided to start leaking lots of water and I found this video. AWSOME!!! DO you recomend to put a little bit of clorox to unclog the pipes? That's what I heard. Thank you!!!
manolofranco 1 year ago
Thanks so much for doing this video. I'm experiencing this problem with my FL home and going nuts trying to figure out how to solve this. Had the A/C guy out and $158 dollars later, I still have this problem. He did a sorry job of vacuuming the pipe and then used compressed air. Tomorrow I will buy my one gal shop vac. Thanks again.
Cazski1 1 year ago
Nice video! It's amazing how much money I have saved over the yers by learning necessary info on YouTube and not having to call a professional technician in an emergency! This video will just add to that whopping figure! Thanks!
pincheguey06 1 year ago
worked perfect,thank you.
odinluicien 1 year ago
Worked great for me,thank you.
odinluicien 1 year ago
Thank you very much. Right on the money!!!!!!
jprelling 1 year ago
I am a single mom, whose air went out at 11pm! I was thankful to find this video empty the drain worked immediately! and tomorrow I will go out with my wet dry vac and take care of the rest. thanks so much for sharing!
ladyj522000 1 year ago
@ladyj522000 You're welcome! Isn't YouTube a great wealth of knowledge? :)
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
You are the best. This is the best video I have seen on this subject.
captainjohnshepard 1 year ago
You are the best
captainjohnshepard 1 year ago
nice how to videos... thanks!
capecodcuda 1 year ago
This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much! This is just the sort of help I was looking for :)
CutieGutie 1 year ago
i would like to put this on our website at acdrainpump which features the MIGHTY PUMP
acdrainpump 1 year ago
@acdrainpump That would be great, thanks for asking!
BillofWrongs 1 year ago
You just saved me my yearly service call for a sludge sucker. Thank you SO SO much.
Starlord1999 1 year ago
On the inside drain pipe I pour a cup or two of Clorox bleach in, let it sit about 30 min. (kills algae) then run a pot of hot water through the Mr. Coffee, get a funnel and pour it down the opening. KA-BLAM and it costs like 25 cents to do.
SpaceAceTX 1 year ago
wow thats a lot of funky stuff. i wetvac mine every 15 days and have never seen any kind of gunk ever. takes only a few minutes every 15 days, no gunk, and dehumidification inside the house is always at peak performance.
plam0ne 1 year ago
Awesome video. Thanks!!!
masetime 1 year ago
Check out the Mighty Pump.
TheMightyPump 1 year ago
Very useful to know. I'll do it today! Much better than paying $100 every time it needs to be cleaned out.
rcmannix 2 years ago
Just had my pan overflow.. I vacuumed the pipes as described. Question: I dont have an overflow switch, its basically a sealed set of pipes to the exit of the home. Should I cut into the PVC so the pipe 'vents' as I suck it out next time.. maybe with some sort of screw top thing?
TAKAFOOMI 2 years ago
No need to do that. If you look inside the air handler, you will see that the condensate tray is just a shallow trough open to the air, not sealed.
BBJfla1 2 years ago
You will want to clear the drain regularly to prevent another overflow, however. Just be mindful of conditions that would promote algae growth (warm humid weather) and clear out the drain say every 90 days or more often if needed.
BBJfla1 2 years ago
Thank you for such a wonderful tutorial. I live in a town house and the condensation drain has clogged and we have water spilling everywhere in my basement. My husband is out of town and I see the drain that comes out of the unit but I do not see the second drain outside. Can I clean the top end of the system to clear blockage? In the morning my son and I will look for the outside drain.
dinak27 2 years ago
You say the water spillage is in the basement. I take it you can't follow the path of the condensate tubing, but maybe that will give you a general idea where to look.
It is also common for the installer to run the drain tubing at the same time as the copper tubing, so the drain usually is found somewhere near the compressor (unless your compressor is on your roof). If your air handler is in your basement, you may also have a small pump for the condensate. Water has trouble draining uphill.
BBJfla1 2 years ago
Thanks Bill. For a single mom who just recently got laid off, this is a fantastic way to learn how to deal with house maintenance on a budget. I started to feel drops on my bed at 3:00 a.m., realized it was coming down from my vent, and could not fall back to sleep figuring how I could take care of this without having to call for service so I got on my computer and came across your video. Please put out more helpful "fix it yourself" videos for people who are on a budget! Thanks again Bill.
Esmo53 2 years ago
Thanks, Bill, you rock!
You are helping a lot of folks with your vid.
Like your video style, too.
Keep it coming, man.... as you mentioned how about another about working on the top end adding bleach/spa tabs.
Thanks again Bill!
drumwithmatt 2 years ago
heck yea. Im sure you get this alot but its nice u took the time to help other people. thanks man.
javiergoemail 2 years ago
Thank you. That was great
croniky 2 years ago
AWESOME!!!!
Thanks for the tip. On my way to Walmart to buy me a wet-vac.
MrSanc8 2 years ago
I wanted to thank you all for the nice messages. I'm his son and will be trying to get him to do some more of these type videos! :)
BillofWrongs 2 years ago
great video thanks
superman200834 2 years ago
You could use liquid dish-washer fluid to keep the pipes clean. And it kills the bacteria.
Rhin0Neil 2 years ago
Thanks
Great Video
Dougyelnats 2 years ago
Nicely done. I'm having to mess with drain right now.
I'm down in Louisiana ... and it is fairly warm here too.
One thing, though .... please say that you washed your hands really well after that project!
:-)
Thanks a lot for the video.
Take care.
Farout5150 2 years ago
I washed my hands REALLY WELL after making the video, and resolve to wear rubber gloves next time I clean my drain. Thanks for your concern!
BBJfla1 2 years ago
:-)
Used this technique - and all seems to be well.
Thanks again for the video.
Take care!
Farout5150 2 years ago
Thanks! This video was VERY helpful to us!
dkasparaitis 2 years ago
awesome video and info thanks brother
leeroy956 2 years ago
My crews have been using this method for years. Using pressure to blow out a drain can sometimes blow apart fittings especially if poly pipe with barbed fittings were used.
thetinmanalex 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you all are freaking nerds, how the heck can u watch this, this is so retarded. not cool
omarag1 2 years ago
good vid. you should wear gloves in-case of bad bacteria.
V8Jagnut 3 years ago
Good info............thanks!
cobitech 3 years ago
A helpful video, although I think it would have been much easier to connect a water hose to the other end and flush out the pipe that way. You would not get all that nasty mold on your hands, which is quite dangerous to your health by the way. You could have left the downspout tube on and caught all the gunk in a bucket.
alfa14328mandan 3 years ago
Thank you for commenting. It is pretty chancy trying to apply water pressure to the house end of the drain. It is almost sure to overflow and make a mess.
Also, the stuff in the pipe is algae, rather than mold, and not so dangerous to your health.
The drain is very low to the ground in this case, and not subject to capture in a bucket conveniently. However, is that is a concern, one could use a larger shopvac and only stop the suction when the shopvac is full.
BBJfla1 3 years ago