Anyone know about Air conditioning/Air handlers and drainage?

[Nitrogen]

My Air handler in the attic isn't draining properly.  Water is coming out the relief pipe into the drip tray, and the alarm went off.  I'm guessing the drainage is blocked. 

From the part of the "pipe" that vents upward, I coud see cloudy, icky water in the pipe.

Is there anything I can do without calling in for service?  I'm pretty handy, but I'm not sure what to check for.

[Brad Johnson]

If you have a source of air, blow into the discharge end of the pipe (after you drain the main pan of course).  All kinds of crud gets into the drains.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it's good for wasting a couple of minutes thinking it's going to work.

280 should be along any minute to give us the complete skinny on HVAC service.

Brad

[Waitone]

Second the air hose.  Short of that ream it out with a snake.  More than likely you have a mold blockage. 

[Mabs2]

If you have a source of air, blow into the discharge end of the pipe (after you drain the main pan of course).  All kinds of crud gets into the drains.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it's good for wasting a couple of minutes thinking it's going to work.

280 should be along any minute to give us the complete skinny on HVAC service.

Brad

That's really about the only thing it could be.  If you can't see any crud in the pan itself, then it's in the pipe.  CO2 cartridge and a blower is nice if you have one, but your way is your own.

If you DO have to call for service, get the guy to put some bacteria fighting tablets into the tray.  They dissolve and fight off all the stuff that builds up and plugs the stuff up.
If he doesn't have any, he sucks.

[280plus]

Here I am...

Generally the pipe should be removed and cleaned seasonally. Sometimes you can suck it with a wet vac from the outside where it terminates if you can get to it. If you have a vent after the trap (sounds like you do) you'll need to plug that off with some tape or something so you can suck through the trap and not the vent. The algae tabs are not a bad idea but need to be replenished, how often is anybody's guess. I like to use the sucjk method rather than the blow method because you'll just blow the gunk back up into the pan where it will find it's way back to the trap again. The BEST thing to do is remove the trap, clean it and then reinstall it with unions so it can easily be removed and cleaned in the future. Let me know if this helps or you have more questions.

[Nitrogen]

Are you saying the blockage is most likely in the little U-shaped trap?  I can probably get it off and back on again and clean it thorougly.

Also, would it make sense to get one of those co2 kits from home depot and blow through the pipe?  I can't get at the drainage end, as it's on the 2nd story, but I can remove the pipe from the air handler bit, and blow through it there.  Would that be a thing to try?

[K Frame]

My old system used to clog occasionally. Mold and algae growth.

I used a flexible electrical "fish tape" with a piece of scrubby cloth wrapped around it to scour things out.

I also gave the pan a dosing of diluted bleach a couple times a year.

[Nitrogen]

The pipe is actually "permanantly" joined, with a screw at the point where it meets teh air handler.  I'd have to take the whole pipe apart to take it off, so I'm leaving it to the professionals, whenever they can make time to get to me.

Thanks for your help.

[280plus]

Interesting but illogical...

Sorry, watched a bit of the real Star Trek this morning. 

Yea, usually the installer doesn't make any provisions for cleaning. I usually do by installing unions on either side of the trap (u thing) which IS where your clog probably is. My way costs more. Mike's suggestions are sound. If you can fish it out like he says fine, if not call somebody. Good idea with the bleach and algae tabs.

[Brad Johnson]

I'm lucky, the guy who installed my system left the drain tube unglued (on purpose) at the drip pan.  Since it doesn't carry pressure a dab of synthetic grease at the union keeps it from leaking.  A bit of AlumaTape is all that's needed to hold it in place. The rest of the system is all of about two feet long, empying into a floor drain directly adjacent to the unit.  Every year before I fire up the A/C I pull it and swab it out with a couple of strips of old shirt that I tied to a piece of twine.

Brad

[K Frame]

When I got my new unit installed in 1996 they put in a clean out T with a slip fit cap on it.

[roo_ster]

This happened to me a couple months back.

I had to remove all PVC pipe from pan to the downward shot, where it became copper pipe.

My clog was not in the trap, but somewhere down the line toward the exterior of the house.

I got a long-nosed funnel and poured a few gallons of boiling water down the copper pipe.  Cleaned it out clean as a whistle.  So much crud came out at the end of the pipe & nearly lost my lunch.

I rebuilt the piping back to the pan, being sure to leave it open to the boiling water technique for the down & out run.  I also used removable unions at the trap.

If you have facility with PVC or copper pipe, you can do it yourslef.

[Brad Johnson]

One of my best friends is an HVAC tech (he installed the unit I mentioned above).  After hanging around with him for a few days one summer I was amazed at the shoddy workmanship on most HVAC installs.  "Quick and dirty" seems to be the order of the day all too often.  Most of his work is coming in and fixing what wasn't properly done in the first place.  

Unfortunately, his attention to detail can also be his worst enemy.  His installs easily take 30-50% longer than competitors installs because he goes to the trouble to clean and seal the ducting, manifolds, and air boxes.  He also takes the time to adjust motor speeds to match airflow needs/restrictions, actually charges the system properly instead of throwing refridgerant at it and hoping, and takes time to actually balance the system.  As a result his quotes tend to run high and his billable time on repairs is more than some.  This means longer and more expensive installs and repairs, but installs and repairs that work extremely well, have far fewer callbacks on workmanship issues, and usually work more efficiently than the exact same system installed by a less conscientious installer.  It loses him some customers, sure, but the customers who do use him are fanatical about it.  They won't even let a tech from the same company come work on their systems.  It's Brian or no one.

I suppose the problem of shoddy work is born of competition to get in, get it done, and get it billed.  I also presume that the general public, with it's complete lack of knowledge about just how intricate and complex even a small residential HVAC system can be, drives the industry into a corner.  It forces providers to "fix" things in the least time so they can remain cost-competitive, even though the fix may not be as thorough as it possibly could or should be.  In this context, the public's unrealistic expectations really have created the problem - techs who do shoddy-but-fast work in order to meet the public's grossly ignorant expectations of time and money.

Brad

[280plus]

Yup, unfortunately in most cases the bottom line rules and you get what you pay for. I might not be as meticulous as your friend but I do a neat install. I'm amazed at some of the stuff I find that other guys have let go.

[Brad Johnson]

Yup, unfortunately in most cases the bottom line rules and you get what you pay for. I might not be as meticulous as your friend but I do a neat install. I'm amazed at some of the stuff I find that other guys have let go.

"Neat" would be a refreshing change.  "Total crap", unfortunately, now seems the order of the day.  Not long ago I showed a very upscale home where the condensate drain was an old, ratty concrete-covered garden hose siliconed directly to the unit and the other end held into a ragged hole in a vent stack with electrician's tape.  I guess the tech couldn't be bothered to with proper materials or workmanship, so he "borrowed" a hose from the masonery guys and used his sawzall to hack a hole in the vent pipe.

Brad

[Nitrogen]

Mine was actually done pretty well.  the tech just left.  Apparently my install isn't terrible.  The main drainline empties into a sink drain.  The tech brought a bottle of compressed air, and blew the crud out; and it came straight out a bathroom drain.

He was pretty meticulous, even hanging around to make sure it was draining.

My install is all PVC pipe, that goes around at right angles, so it's pretty difficult to mess with on my own.
My home warranty ended up covering it, so it wasn't horribly expensive.

[280plus]

Cool... (A/C pun) 

I saw a pic recently of a boiler job where they had used an old freon tank for expansion and connected it to the system with garden hose. It's only 180* water, no biggie... 

[Mabs2]

Cool... (A/C pun) 

I saw a pic recently of a boiler job where they had used an old freon tank for expansion and connected it to the system with garden hose. It's only 180* water, no biggie... 

...
wow.