a/c drain line over flow.

robl
robl
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Topic 219405

the a/c drain line filled up and shutdown the unit like it was supposed to do.  I had an electricians snake but it does not handle 90 degree turns well so it was difficult to clear the line.  but I prevailed and did.  I came across this plumbers snake later in the day.  not too much $.  might be a good investment:  https://smartsnakes.com/gallery/  Watch some of the videos.

mikey
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robl wrote:the a/c drain line

robl wrote:
the a/c drain line filled up and shutdown the unit like it was supposed to do.  I had an electricians snake but it does not handle 90 degree turns well so it was difficult to clear the line.  but I prevailed and did.  I came across this plumbers snake later in the day.  not too much $.  might be a good investment:  https://smartsnakes.com/gallery/  Watch some of the videos.

Does it drain outside? If so I attached a garden hose Y connector, with one side of the Y point upwards, to mine and then hooked up a garden hose to the other side of the Y and water my bushes with it. The a/c guy blows it out every 6 months and then runs some stuff thru it that doesn't hurt the bushes but keeps the pipes clean. I have 2 condensate lines so have that setup on both lines. The reason for one side of the Y pointing upwards and left open is so that if the garden hose plugs up water will come out the top of the Y instead. It does nothing for any blockage inside the home though which it sounds like your blockage was.

robl
robl
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my line runs under the slab

my line runs under the slab with 90 degree turns so the water flow is slow.  with all the rain and high humidity the a/c is sucking humidity out of the air.  I fill the line with 5% vinegar every week but today there was some alien material that came out.  I need to work on the outside tomorrow.  

mikey
mikey
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robl wrote:my line runs under

robl wrote:
my line runs under the slab with 90 degree turns so the water flow is slow.  with all the rain and high humidity the a/c is sucking humidity out of the air.  I fill the line with 5% vinegar every week but today there was some alien material that came out.  I need to work on the outside tomorrow.  

Do you think the "alien material" came from the outside into the pipe or was just dust etc that went down the pipe? I do have little baby socks I buy very cheaply at Walmart zip tied over the end of my hoses to keep the dirt from clogging them up, but didn't think about things go up into the pipes.

robl
robl
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lizards.  we have tons of

lizards.  we have tons of them but I was told a 90 degree elbow at the end of the run would discourage them.  they much prefer crawling in horizontally.  this stuff was nasty almost like a wet tissue.  

Gary Charpentier
Gary Charpentier
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The lizard or snake, was

The lizard or snake, was shedding and that was the skin it outgrew.  It needed a place to rub it off and the pipe is the right size.  They make lint traps for washing machine drain hoses out of steel wool and like a sock.  Won't stop insects but will keep big critters out.  They also come off easy for cleaning, usually a zip tie to secure them.

 

As to that 90 elbow, it doesn't need to be wrench tight (or glued) just hand tight so it can come off to clean it out.

 

mikey
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Gary Charpentier wrote: As

Gary Charpentier wrote:

As to that 90 elbow, it doesn't need to be wrench tight (or glued) just hand tight so it can come off to clean it out.

 

I was shocked when mine fell off in my hand the first time but apparently alot of them aren't glued once they leave the house. The retired a/c guy that lives next door says that makes it easier to make changes if needed and like you said cleaning too.

robl
robl
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Went to Lowe's and bought a

Went to Lowe's and bought a plumbers snake and went in from both ends.  Its draining now.  I had to rework the outside portion of the line but I consider it done.  

cecht
cecht
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I had a similar problem just

I had a similar problem just last week. A giant (dead) roach was clogging the entry to the condensate drain. Well, that and a bit of slime, because I had forgotten the regular doses of vinegar.   Lesson learned.

Ideas are not fixed, nor should they be; we live in model-dependent reality.

mikey
mikey
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robl wrote:Went to Lowe's and

robl wrote:
Went to Lowe's and bought a plumbers snake and went in from both ends.  Its draining now.  I had to rework the outside portion of the line but I consider it done.  

That works so the a/c is cooling again and the pc's are back to crunching again too?

mikey
mikey
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cecht wrote:I had a similar

cecht wrote:
I had a similar problem just last week. A giant (dead) roach was clogging the entry to the condensate drain. Well, that and a bit of slime, because I had forgotten the regular doses of vinegar.   Lesson learned.

I have a few similar tasks around my house too, ie change the air filters monthly! I buy the cheap $1 ones because the builder put in a cheap air handling unit and the better pleated filters won't flow enough air and the unit will die. I didn't one month and they were waaaaay too dirty to not do that again, I also have an air filtration system in the attic, where the air handler is, due to the wife and I both having allergies and it is kept very clean if I change the filters monthly, meaning less time spent cleaning that thing. I chose the clean periodically kind instead of the change every 6 months $90 hepa filters kind, it's worked out great so far.

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