I moved into my current place of residence a year ago. I was assured all maintenance was done. A cursory check proved correct, but... I was remiss in checking the HVAC air filter. Sure wish I did that.




Look at that... how many years accumulation of dust, maybe 5 to 10? There's probably some renovation dust caked in there as well. It's an old Snyder HVAC unit (Snyder was acquired by another company some years ago).

The person who maintained this couldn't find the right filter to fit (it seems to be non-standard) so they jammed a 16x20 one in place. Then nobody remembered to deal with it again. Nice. So over time, dust would build up, get wet, then slip down the drain tube. Then biology magic started working to create a goo. Eventually, the whole thing backed up.

The clowns who ran the PVC pipe back when the HVAC was installed put 90 degree joints everywhere. Although there is a gradual slope to the drain pipe as it moves laterally, they goofed, because at one point the pipe ASCENDS slightly. That's a big NO-NO in the world of drainage.

I was able to excavate a lot of crud from the tail end. Tapping the down tube released gobs and gobs of fleshy looking gunk. On the HVAC side, the tube is clear to where it enters the wall. But there's a bend somewhere inside where it's clogged. I cut the PVC in the basement and tried to snake a line upward... but those pesky 90 degree bends! I can't get anything past them except for small vinyl tubes... which do not fare well on the 2nd bend. Plus, there's no force to poke into thick gunk.

The property management people for my building absolutely suck. Then sent an idiot over who was clueless. And I've been waiting over a week now for a competent plumber. I'm catching all the run off through the auxiliary drainage port into a large plastic storage container. I have to drain the thing daily and can't leave for more than 2 days.

How does one snake PVC pipe like this? I bought a very small snake, which has a flat flexible band of metal and a spring on the front end... but it gets caught on those 90 degree bends. I have cut a section and installed a compressor coupling, so at least that can be detached for cleaning when needed. But damned it all... just can't snake it.

Any recommendations?

 

I've never had to clean my drain, and this may not work on yours if it's really gunked up (which it sounds like it is). However, what I've read that some people do is to hook a shop vac up to the drain and suck the crap out of the pipe. If you have a shop vac, it might be worth a try.

 

I'm not the HVAC pro by far. But if the drain is the problem I would consider changing it out. It's relatively inexpensive and the pipe is not hard to work with.

 

I agree with Handyone, and don't forget to build an open 'T' near the air handler so that you can easily clean the drain pipe. (By the way, the coil needs a clean job too.)

 

Are you renting or are you the owner of the unit?

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm renting this apartment. Property maintenance has been very much under par. Other tenants I've talked to have complained about the service. I've also chatted with the "super" a few times, an underpaid local guy who is pretty decent... complains he's not given the funds to do his job right. I've put in several calls and sent emails to the reps about the problem, but they're ignoring me. They only respond when there are serious issues.

Anyway... I did end up cutting another section of pipe, pulled more gunk out. Now I know where the blockage is. It's somewhere in between the two floors (floor of my unit, ceiling of the floor below). Replacing the piping isn't a solution, because it runs into the wall and through the floor... and I have no idea how it travels. I really need to force pressure down from the top to get the gunk moving down. I'm wondering if there's a kind of "pipe plunger" for 3/4 in. I read somewhere that Clorox is good for loosening clogs, but I don't want to damage the PVC.

Any advice on what I might be able to do?

 

Sorry but I think you need to stop - unresponsive as building management has been, you don't want to create a liability situation for yourself by working on someone else's property.

 

Does your part of New Jersey have an active Tenants Union or Tenant's Rights Advocacy organization ?

Those groups love to get involved in situations like this, and can explain what your best course of action would/should be.

 

Thank you. I agree. I also discussed this with a family member who brought up a similar concern -- if I botched something up, I could then be liable for damage. So best not to do anything further.

Frankly, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll look into that right away. Thanks!

 

I am not telling you to continue working on it , but if you do , try compressed air .

God bless
Wyr

 

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. The only air compressor I have is for my car... which I could probably use in the house if I got one of those socket converters. But it may not be powerful enough.

 

If you are going to continue to work on this , you may have to buy some tooling .

Sounds like , no more than what you would be using it , you could get buy with one of the cheap ones below ;

Search results for: 'air compresser'

God bless
Wyr

 

A can of blow off air for electronic devices (available at staples) might do the trick. They pack a pretty good punch of air!

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0020...I1TE93P2GKOZ58

Diversitech makes a drain cleaner that uses the CO2 cartridges used by BB guns.

I keep one in my toolbag for a backup.