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text by Vicki Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! As usual, our A/C units have been working overtime during our hot Florida summers. After experiencing an A/C leak at Steph's house, we learned a few things from the A/C technician about A/C maintenance. In this video, we share what we learned about how to prevent clogs in the condensation line to which will prevent water leaks.  Steph's HVAC system is located in her garage. A year or so ago, she went out to the garage and found water on the wall and floor.  You can see where the water leaked onto this rolling storage unit and on the floor as well. A look up and she discovered the problem.  This pan underneath the HVAC unit was full of water and was spilling over the edge. The safety float switch that should have stopped the unit failed which meant the water kept overflowing.  We used a wet/dry vac to suck out the water. If you use a wet/dry vac be sure to clean out the dust and debris in it before you use it to suck out water. Otherwise, you'll have a really big mess on your hands!  We used puppy pads to soak up the remaining water from the pan.  This the condensation drain that leads from the main unit to outside the house. Notice the direction of the elbow. It's pointing down and it should be pointing up.  The elbow should point up. This acts just like the p-trap you have at your sink. It needs to stay full of water to keep out air and debris to help keep it clear and free of clogs.  The HVAC unit at Steph's house is about 19 years old and did not have this T-fitting used to keep the condensation line clear. When the A/C technician was called to clear the clog, he installed this pipe. He was able to clear the clog using high pressure nitrogen.  Now, every month in the summer when the unit is in heavy use, we use bleach and water to keep the condensation line clear. The technician told us it was not necessary to do this when only the heat is used.  We used about a cup of bleach followed by a warm water rinse. We run water through until the water coming out of the condensation pipe runs clear. Ask your A/C technician what is right for your unit.  This is some of what was flushed from the pipe!  Every two or three months you can also use your wet/dry vac to help keep the pipe clear as well. Again, make sure the inside of the wet/dry vac is clean.  Once the clean out is complete, replace the PVC cap. Use your phone to set up reminders to do the maintenance once a month in the summer and set a reminder to have a professional cleaning every two years.  This is the safety float switch that should have shut the A/C unit off when the auxiliary drain pan was full. Since it was faulty the technician replaced the switch.  For added safety, we added a Flo by Moen Leak detector. We have these near water sources throughout our homes. We've been alerted to under sink leaks as well as a leaking hot water heater. It is worth the price to have these in our homes!  HVAC units average about a 20 year life span so Steph will be looking at probably having to get a new unit very soon. It's good to know the age of your home's unit so you can plan ahead. She was given a ballpark figure of about $8,000 to replace the unit at her house. Another thing we learned from the HVAC technician's visit is that these units need a maintenance check every two years. At that visit the Freon will be checked, and the outside unit will cleaned as well. The technician will take the lid off the unit, clean inside, clean coils and clean the drain. A little maintenance will help your unit be more efficient and doing regular maintenance on the condensation pipe will help prevent leaks which can cause so much damage! Please note: This is not a sponsored post. FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first! FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP. Related Projects
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