Hi everyone,

My house has the inside A/C unit in the hallway with the drain pipe
going down into the foundation where it comes out on the side of the
house for drainage. There's an overflow tub which the ho****er heater
sits in (next to inside A/C unit) and the drainage pipe splits off and
goes into this tub in-case the hot water heater leaks... it can also
use the drainage line.

Problem is I think the drainage pipe is clogged somewhere down the
line. This morning I woke-up and stepped into quite a puddle of water
in the hallway. The overflow tub under the waterheater was full of
water and overflowing.

Problem #1 -- if the line is clogged, how would I unstop it? There's
a 90 degree angle from the overflow tub so not sure how to get into
that with a snake or whatever.

Problem #2 -- whoever installed this setup (prior home owner I think)
they didn't put any angle in the pipe that goes from the A/C drainage
line to the overflow tank, so as the water runs down the pipe from A/C
some always flows back into the overflow tank. See below for some
pics. On days when I run the A/C quite a bit, this is causing water
to really backup in the overflow tank and starting to rust the bottom
of hot waterheater. I try to keep the overflow tank drained with
towels or whatever, but does no good.

- Side view of overflow tank with pipe. Pipe from top goes up to A/C
and down into the foundation where it runs out the side of house.
There's no angle in the lateral line to force water from the A/C to go
down the pipe. Instead it often goes back into the overflow tub --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg

-- Entire shot of A/C and water heater with pipe --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

So.. if the pipe needs to be professionally unclogged or reworked
even, who would I call?? An A/C guy or plumber? Right now the A/C is
turned off (luckily we're in a cooler spell here in Central Texas) and
I have a fan on the area under the closet to dry-up the water.

Any ideas? Should I snake-out the line from the outside of the house
inward? Should I have someone rework the inside pipeing so the A/C
drains better without running into the overflow tub? Is this even
piped properly?? I understand the theory behind the overflow tub for
the hot waterheater, but if the A/C pipe is draining back into this
tub, causes more problems then fixes.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Oh, and incase someone is
thinking the water is from the hot water heater... it's not. The A/C
has been off for about 2 hours now and I sucked all water out of the
overflow tub under the hot water heater. It's dry now with no water
recollecting. Only collects when the A/C is running.

Take care,

- Ringo -

Your pic link is bad.

Blow it out with air and pour some bleach in the drain, probably mold
and dirt

"Ringo Langly" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone,

My house has the inside A/C unit in the hallway with the drain pipe
going down into the foundation where it comes out on the side of the
house for drainage. There's an overflow tub which the ho****er heater
sits in (next to inside A/C unit) and the drainage pipe splits off and
goes into this tub in-case the hot water heater leaks... it can also
use the drainage line.

Problem is I think the drainage pipe is clogged somewhere down the
line. This morning I woke-up and stepped into quite a puddle of water
in the hallway. The overflow tub under the waterheater was full of
water and overflowing.

Problem #1 -- if the line is clogged, how would I unstop it? There's
a 90 degree angle from the overflow tub so not sure how to get into
that with a snake or whatever.

Problem #2 -- whoever installed this setup (prior home owner I think)
they didn't put any angle in the pipe that goes from the A/C drainage
line to the overflow tank, so as the water runs down the pipe from A/C
some always flows back into the overflow tank. See below for some
pics. On days when I run the A/C quite a bit, this is causing water
to really backup in the overflow tank and starting to rust the bottom
of hot waterheater. I try to keep the overflow tank drained with
towels or whatever, but does no good.

- Side view of overflow tank with pipe. Pipe from top goes up to A/C
and down into the foundation where it runs out the side of house.
There's no angle in the lateral line to force water from the A/C to go
down the pipe. Instead it often goes back into the overflow tub --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg

-- Entire shot of A/C and water heater with pipe --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

So.. if the pipe needs to be professionally unclogged or reworked
even, who would I call?? An A/C guy or plumber? Right now the A/C is
turned off (luckily we're in a cooler spell here in Central Texas) and
I have a fan on the area under the closet to dry-up the water.

Any ideas? Should I snake-out the line from the outside of the house
inward? Should I have someone rework the inside pipeing so the A/C
drains better without running into the overflow tub? Is this even
piped properly?? I understand the theory behind the overflow tub for
the hot waterheater, but if the A/C pipe is draining back into this
tub, causes more problems then fixes.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Oh, and incase someone is
thinking the water is from the hot water heater... it's not. The A/C
has been off for about 2 hours now and I sucked all water out of the
overflow tub under the hot water heater. It's dry now with no water
recollecting. Only collects when the A/C is running.

Take care,

- Ringo -

I had a similar problem this past spring I tried using a snake but could not
get by a 90 degree fitting, so I connected my wet/dry vacuum and sucked out
the debris. It worked great.
Good luck
Jentra

Ringo Langly wrote:
Hi everyone,

My house has the inside A/C unit in the hallway with the drain pipe
going down into the foundation where it comes out on the side of the
house for drainage. There's an overflow tub which the ho****er heater
sits in (next to inside A/C unit) and the drainage pipe splits off and
goes into this tub in-case the hot water heater leaks... it can also
use the drainage line.

Problem is I think the drainage pipe is clogged somewhere down the
line. This morning I woke-up and stepped into quite a puddle of water
in the hallway. The overflow tub under the waterheater was full of
water and overflowing.

Problem #1 -- if the line is clogged, how would I unstop it? There's
a 90 degree angle from the overflow tub so not sure how to get into
that with a snake or whatever.

Problem #2 -- whoever installed this setup (prior home owner I think)
they didn't put any angle in the pipe that goes from the A/C drainage
line to the overflow tank, so as the water runs down the pipe from A/C
some always flows back into the overflow tank. See below for some
pics. On days when I run the A/C quite a bit, this is causing water
to really backup in the overflow tank and starting to rust the bottom
of hot waterheater. I try to keep the overflow tank drained with
towels or whatever, but does no good.

- Side view of overflow tank with pipe. Pipe from top goes up to A/C
and down into the foundation where it runs out the side of house.
There's no angle in the lateral line to force water from the A/C to go
down the pipe. Instead it often goes back into the overflow tub --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg

-- Entire shot of A/C and water heater with pipe --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

So.. if the pipe needs to be professionally unclogged or reworked
even, who would I call?? An A/C guy or plumber? Right now the A/C is
turned off (luckily we're in a cooler spell here in Central Texas) and
I have a fan on the area under the closet to dry-up the water.

Any ideas? Should I snake-out the line from the outside of the house
inward? Should I have someone rework the inside pipeing so the A/C
drains better without running into the overflow tub? Is this even
piped properly?? I understand the theory behind the overflow tub for
the hot waterheater, but if the A/C pipe is draining back into this
tub, causes more problems then fixes.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Oh, and incase someone is
thinking the water is from the hot water heater... it's not. The A/C
has been off for about 2 hours now and I sucked all water out of the
overflow tub under the hot water heater. It's dry now with no water
recollecting. Only collects when the A/C is running.

Usually the AC has two drains. One directly from the evaporator unit to a
house drain (such as the vent pipe for a sink) and the other from a pan
beneath the AC unit.

When the primary drain clogs (algae usually), the condensate overflows to
the fail-safe pan which often drains to the outside of the house. When THAT
one clogs, the water overflows the pan and onto the ceiling.

Point is, you have TWO drains to unclog. They can be unclogged with a blast
of compressed air (it's just slimey, oozey, mung) or a short blast from a
garden hose.

As you putz around with the primary drain, it's a good idea to cut the PVC
pipe and put a universal fitting on it. This makes it easier to repeat the
job next year.

After clearing the clogs (remember, there are two), put a cup of bleach
inside the evaporator unit (there's usually an access panel) to kill the
residual growth. (There are slow-dissolving tablets that accomplish the same
thing.)

Ringo Langly wrote:

Hi everyone,

My house has the inside A/C unit in the hallway with the drain pipe
going down into the foundation where it comes out on the side of the
house for drainage. There's an overflow tub which the ho****er heater
sits in (next to inside A/C unit) and the drainage pipe splits off and
goes into this tub in-case the hot water heater leaks... it can also
use the drainage line.

Problem is I think the drainage pipe is clogged somewhere down the
line. This morning I woke-up and stepped into quite a puddle of water
in the hallway. The overflow tub under the waterheater was full of
water and overflowing.

Problem #1 -- if the line is clogged, how would I unstop it? There's
a 90 degree angle from the overflow tub so not sure how to get into
that with a snake or whatever.

Problem #2 -- whoever installed this setup (prior home owner I think)
they didn't put any angle in the pipe that goes from the A/C drainage
line to the overflow tank, so as the water runs down the pipe from A/C
some always flows back into the overflow tank. See below for some
pics. On days when I run the A/C quite a bit, this is causing water
to really backup in the overflow tank and starting to rust the bottom
of hot waterheater. I try to keep the overflow tank drained with
towels or whatever, but does no good.

- Side view of overflow tank with pipe. Pipe from top goes up to A/C
and down into the foundation where it runs out the side of house.
There's no angle in the lateral line to force water from the A/C to go
down the pipe. Instead it often goes back into the overflow tub --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg

-- Entire shot of A/C and water heater with pipe --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

So.. if the pipe needs to be professionally unclogged or reworked
even, who would I call?? An A/C guy or plumber? Right now the A/C is
turned off (luckily we're in a cooler spell here in Central Texas) and
I have a fan on the area under the closet to dry-up the water.

Any ideas? Should I snake-out the line from the outside of the house
inward? Should I have someone rework the inside pipeing so the A/C
drains better without running into the overflow tub? Is this even
piped properly?? I understand the theory behind the overflow tub for
the hot waterheater, but if the A/C pipe is draining back into this
tub, causes more problems then fixes.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Oh, and incase someone is
thinking the water is from the hot water heater... it's not. The A/C
has been off for about 2 hours now and I sucked all water out of the
overflow tub under the hot water heater. It's dry now with no water
recollecting. Only collects when the A/C is running.

Take care,

- Ringo -


First, your links are broken because you put a space between the URL's
double slashes and the numbers.
It should be http://24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg and
http://24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

You say the drain pipe runs out to the side of the house. Is the end of
the AC drain pipe exposed, or does it run into some other drain or sewer
pipe?
It may be obstructed near the end by dirt, debris, or an insect nest,
like a wasp's. If you can find the end, you may be able to run a stiff
wire up into the pipe to break up, or dislodge whatever is in there (I
keep an old CB car antenna handy for jobs like this). A sudden flood of
water will indicate success.

The good news is that all this piping is PVC and the other good news is you
have plenty of access to it.

For clean out, consider cutting the PVC a few inches above the "tee" (that's
the fitting that is touching the floor). You can use a hack saw or buy a
pliers-like tool designed for this purpose. Once cut, you should be able to
snake a coat hanger downward into the pipe and clear the stoppage. Buy a
PVC coupling to mend the cut ends once you are successful. Normally, pieces
of PVC are joined together with a solvent applied to both pieces but in this
case, since the pipes are not under any pressure, I'd consider not using any
solvent. That way, if the clog returns, you can just separate the PVC pipe
at the coupling and have at it again.

Correcting the drainage problem will be a bit more work. Option #1 is to
fly me out there from Atlanta and we'll fix it together.

Seriously, Option #2 is to raise the water heater (and pan) just a bit.
Typically you would drain the heater (perhaps) and assuming the connections,
gas, water and vent allow, slide a piece of 3/4" plywood under the pan.

Option #3 is to modify that "tee" ( another use for that hacksaw) so it is
lower than the water heater pan. It's unclear if you have access underneath
the tee fitting.


"Bill Schnakenberg" wrote in message
...
Ringo Langly wrote:

Hi everyone,

My house has the inside A/C unit in the hallway with the drain pipe
going down into the foundation where it comes out on the side of the


clip

Take care,

- Ringo -


First, your links are broken because you put a space between the URL's
double slashes and the numbers.
It should be http://24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg and
http://24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

You say the drain pipe runs out to the side of the house. Is the end of
the AC drain pipe exposed, or does it run into some other drain or sewer
pipe?
It may be obstructed near the end by dirt, debris, or an insect nest,
like a wasp's. If you can find the end, you may be able to run a stiff
wire up into the pipe to break up, or dislodge whatever is in there (I
keep an old CB car antenna handy for jobs like this). A sudden flood of
water will indicate success.

"Ringo Langly" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone,

My house has the inside A/C unit in the hallway with the drain pipe
going down into the foundation where it comes out on the side of the
house for drainage. There's an overflow tub which the ho****er heater
sits in (next to inside A/C unit) and the drainage pipe splits off and
goes into this tub in-case the hot water heater leaks... it can also
use the drainage line.

Problem is I think the drainage pipe is clogged somewhere down the
line. This morning I woke-up and stepped into quite a puddle of water
in the hallway. The overflow tub under the waterheater was full of
water and overflowing.

Problem #1 -- if the line is clogged, how would I unstop it? There's
a 90 degree angle from the overflow tub so not sure how to get into
that with a snake or whatever.

Problem #2 -- whoever installed this setup (prior home owner I think)
they didn't put any angle in the pipe that goes from the A/C drainage
line to the overflow tank, so as the water runs down the pipe from A/C
some always flows back into the overflow tank. See below for some
pics. On days when I run the A/C quite a bit, this is causing water
to really backup in the overflow tank and starting to rust the bottom
of hot waterheater. I try to keep the overflow tank drained with
towels or whatever, but does no good.

- Side view of overflow tank with pipe. Pipe from top goes up to A/C
and down into the foundation where it runs out the side of house.
There's no angle in the lateral line to force water from the A/C to go
down the pipe. Instead it often goes back into the overflow tub --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe1.jpg

-- Entire shot of A/C and water heater with pipe --
http:// 24.162.137.108/~rlangly/pics/pipe2.jpg

So.. if the pipe needs to be professionally unclogged or reworked
even, who would I call?? An A/C guy or plumber? Right now the A/C is
turned off (luckily we're in a cooler spell here in Central Texas) and
I have a fan on the area under the closet to dry-up the water.

Any ideas? Should I snake-out the line from the outside of the house
inward? Should I have someone rework the inside pipeing so the A/C
drains better without running into the overflow tub? Is this even
piped properly?? I understand the theory behind the overflow tub for
the hot waterheater, but if the A/C pipe is draining back into this
tub, causes more problems then fixes.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Oh, and incase someone is
thinking the water is from the hot water heater... it's not. The A/C
has been off for about 2 hours now and I sucked all water out of the
overflow tub under the hot water heater. It's dry now with no water
recollecting. Only collects when the A/C is running.

Take care,

- Ringo -

As per some of the other posts--I have cleared the clog two ways. 1. Back
flushed with a hose. Creates a mess and water every where but it worked.
2. Put a mixture of bleach and water in the drain pan. Let it sit, even
overnight, if nothing comes out of the drain. To prevent the problem from
occurring I now put about 2 qt. of the bleach/water mixture in the pan
before every cooling season.
MLD