My AC condensate drain line is clogged. My system has that second opening where I can flush the drain line with vinegar or bleach periodically... This still works just fine (the vinegar water makes it easily all the way outside), so the plug is before that T junction in the PVC tubing. I opened up the panels of the air handler, and it's obvious that some rust probably got into the drain line and clogged it. My problem is, there's 50 inches of pvc between the air handler and the t junction flush hole, with five 90 degree turns! I was able to stick a wire brush through the first turn, which is horizontal, and that didn't unplug anything. I assume that the clog is most likely at the bottom of the vertical drop in the tubing... I'm assuming that's a designed trap. Anyways, my question was, should it be easy for me to buy a snake or auger to unplug it myself, all the way down at the trap, which is about 35 inches from the opening with three 90 degree turns to get there? I was thinking it would also be very easy for me to just cut and discard the entire u-shaped trap portion of the PVC, and replace it with rubber tubing. I would get 1" inner diameter tubing and stretch it to seal over the PVC. Rescue tape to finally seal it should be very water proof. Is there any problem in using a rubber tubing replacement? It would be clear too so I could easily see when I need to replace it next time! Thanks!

We had some construction done and the workers put plywood over the top of the outside AC system to do work. I forgot about it and let the AC run. So of course, it no longer works, but the failure is not what I expected. When I use the thermostat to cause the AC to turn on, the inside blower works, but the air is not cold. When I look at the outside unit, it is not on. I opened up the unit and pressed down on the contact, and the fan and compressor started right up, so obviously they're both working, the capacitor is working, and power is getting to the unit. I expected a fuse to be blown or the compressor to have gone bad. So is it simply the contact or the thermostat? I'm not sure what else could have gone wrong, but I don't see how covering the unit could have caused either of those to have problems. How would you debug the issue without just replacing them both and hoping?