Yes, it’s only March, but it’s not too early to perform preventative maintenance on your air conditioner’s condensate drain. This preemptive step ensures that your A/C unit will work properly once that warm Texas spring and hot Texas summer air push into town.
The condensate drain on an A/C unit removes the water accumulated during operation, preventing your having a large puddle of water on your floor.
Like any other component of an appliance, a condensate drain can become clogged or unable to function. The result is either an A/C unit that won’t work (because, since it’s not able to drain away water, the unit may automatically shut off) or a leak inside your home. Since a condensate drain can produce up to 20 gallons of water a day during continuous usage, that’s quite some leak.
To ensure that your drain is functioning properly and to remove blockages, follow these tips:
Make sure the drain or exit location is free of debris that could potentially cause a clog. This may mean cleaning out the drain or clearing the exit point of debris, such as mulch, leaves, or small rocks that could enter or block the pipe and hinder water from exiting.
Manually suck out blockage. If you feel that your drain isn’t working properly or at all, there may be a blockage located in the drain. To fix this issue, turn off the A/C unit by its breaker, remove the overflow sensor (if any), and use a wet/dry vacuum to suck out the debris.
Ensure that the pipe angles upwards. An upward angled pipe allows water to collect in the trap before being released when the trap becomes full. This makes it less likely that debris will enter the pipe and remain there, causing a blockage.
Contact Us Today
If you suspect that your condensate drain isn’t working correctly or would like your drain checked before the Texas heat rolls in, contact CCAC today. The experienced professionals at CCAC can inspect and perform maintenance on your drain so that you won’t be caught sweltering in the Texas summer.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about condensate drain and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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