For the first time in 15 years my A/C drain stopped up. Since the
drain is from the attic area then connects to another A/C in the
basement I had to undo the basement line, stop it up, then blew
compressed air into the line using a blow gun hooked up to my
compressor. I have no idea why it was clogged or what was in there
(anyone know?). After using the compressed air the water began to
flow out. I was wondering the typical procedure for cleaning a (long)
A/C drain line. This line is PVC pipe. A neighbor suggested using
household bleach to clean it out.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
For the first time in 15 years my A/C drain stopped up. Since the
drain is from the attic area then connects to another A/C in the
basement I had to undo the basement line, stop it up, then blew
compressed air into the line using a blow gun hooked up to my
compressor. I have no idea why it was clogged or what was in there
(anyone know?). After using the compressed air the water began to
flow out. I was wondering the typical procedure for cleaning a (long)
A/C drain line. This line is PVC pipe. A neighbor suggested using
household bleach to clean it out.

Did you do this at the place where it came out of the coil near the furnace?
If so, you did it right.

I usually find where the line dumps outside and use a wet vac.

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:42:10 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

compressor. I have no idea why it was clogged or what was in there
(anyone know?). After using the compressed air the water began to
flow out. I was wondering the typical procedure for cleaning a (long)

Frogs, spiders, roaches, leaves, oh my.

A/C drain line. This line is PVC pipe. A neighbor suggested using
household bleach to clean it out.

Yes a bleach solution works to clear your PVC drain of cooties...

Oren

"Phisherman" wrote in message

I have no idea why it was clogged or what was in there
(anyone know?).

Lint, dust, bugs, hair, and everything else that is in the air.

After using the compressed air the water began to
flow out. I was wondering the typical procedure for cleaning a (long)
A/C drain line. This line is PVC pipe. A neighbor suggested using
household bleach to clean it out.

Yes. Pour some water to be sure it is free flowing, put a bleach solution
through it on a regular basis. Someone posted before that Home Depot has a
chlorine tablet made just for that and you just leave it in the pan.

Phisherman writes:

I was wondering the typical procedure for cleaning a (long)
A/C drain line.

Compressed air on the uphill end is better at clearing than suction on the
downhill end.

The recommended additives are superstitious boob-bait.

Bleach is a waste of time. The chlorine will only last a few days
(assuming you even got a sterilizing dose to start with), but the high
alkalinity (bleach contains a lot of lye) will stay around, and high pH
fosters microbial growth.

The tablets or packets are polyquat, not bleach. The effective dose only
lasts a few days, so these are also not effective.

Best technique is to flush the line clear and have an effective monitoring
method. Best monitor is an overflow drain that you can easily inspect, to
know when you need a clean-out.

On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:42:10 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

For the first time in 15 years my A/C drain stopped up. Since the
drain is from the attic area then connects to another A/C in the
basement I had to undo the basement line, stop it up, then blew
compressed air into the line using a blow gun hooked up to my
compressor. I have no idea why it was clogged or what was in there
(anyone know?). After using the compressed air the water began to
flow out. I was wondering the typical procedure for cleaning a (long)
A/C drain line. This line is PVC pipe. A neighbor suggested using
household bleach to clean it out.


Just a follow up to tell what worked. The A/C drain line clogged up
again. I took the line off near the condenser and flushed it using a
garden hose.