An air conditioning maintenance task you don’t want to ignore is regularly checking and cleaning the A/C condensate drain. This task is within the competence of most homeowners, though it also should be a routine part of annual professional A/C maintenance. If the drain is allowed to become clogged with algae or other materials, or the condensate collection pan is leaking or overflowing, the repercussions can be messy and expensive. Your home can sustain significant water damage, and indoor air quality may suffer as well.
First, let’s briefly review the A/C condensate drain’s function in your home’s cooling system. Refrigerant running through the air conditioner’s evaporator coil cools the home by removing heat energy from indoor air. It does this as it’s allowed to expand and turn from a liquid into a gas. During this process, moisture also is removed from the indoor air. In a properly functioning system, that moisture drips from the evaporator coil into a collection pan under the coil, and is expelled via a condensate drain connected to your home’s sewer drain. During a season of home cooling, the pan and drain can attract and accumulate algae, dust and sometimes even mold – any of which can clog the drainage system.
Steps for Keeping the Drain Clean
Once or twice a year, the condensate drain and collection pan should be cleaned, either by you or a trusted professional. Turn off the air conditioner, then remove the panel from the inside air handler. Under the evaporator coil should be the condensate collection pan. The drain is probably clogged if you see water standing in the pan. Use a wet-dry vac to clean the pan, then find where the drain leaves the home. You’ll likely see it near the outside compressor-condenser unit. Use the wet-dry vac to suck any material from the drain line, or simply remove the 90-degree fitting at the end of the drain line. That may be enough to clear the blockage.
For more tips on cleaning the A/C condensate drain in your Dayton-Springfield area home, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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