Where is my drain line?


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Old 07-07-19, 03:20 PM
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Where is my drain line?

Trying to find the condensate drain line for residential central air condioning. None of the lines I can find look like the videos and photos I've found under "How to unclog AC drain line." Attached three photos - are any of these lines my drain line? How do I find it?

Attached (I hope) are:

1. Outside part of AC unit, with lines attached to it from house. This is physically near the inside part of the AC unit. None of these lines are open like I thought a drain line would be.
2. Closer photo of the same lines.
3. Drain line on front porch, physically far from inside part of AC. I always thought this was the overflow from my hot water heater, which is physically close to the front porch, but it's the only thing that looks like a drain line.

If I can clear the drain line, maybe the AC will go back to working. Currentlly 95F outside, 82 inside.

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Last edited by PJmax; 07-07-19 at 03:50 PM. Reason: reoriented/resized pictures
  #2  
Old 07-07-19, 03:38 PM
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The pvc line may be it. You may have to trace the drain out from the air handler.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 03:50 PM
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I attached my wet/dry vac to the pvc line and ran it a little while, but it didn't pull much gunk. AC still won't run.

Not sure how to trace, but will look again from the air handler side. Thanks for answering, @roughneck77.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 03:52 PM
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The air handler is inside the house. That's where the line needs to be checked. If the air handler is installed where if it leaked there could be water damage..... then you most likely have a float switch there.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 05:27 PM
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Air Handler Photos

Attaching (hopefully) photos of air handler. I see the switch in the first photo, but what should I do with it?

Are the two open pipes in the second photo the overflow drains?

And...what should I do to unplug the drain (assuming that's the problem)?

(Thanks for answering!)

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Last edited by PJmax; 07-07-19 at 07:13 PM. Reason: reoriented/resized/enhanced pictures
  #6  
Old 07-07-19, 05:35 PM
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Yes that’s an overflow switch.
Is that the reason you have no air conditioning?
Looks like the air handler power is turned off in the photo.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 06:05 PM
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I turned the power off because it was running 30 seconds at a time; I thought it was better off not sputtering.

It behaved this way before and had accumulated gunk (algae?) in the drain line. To my shame, I have not regularly been bleaching the drain, so I'm guessing the same reason is why the air conditioning won't run.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 06:20 PM
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You could test it easily with a meter. Could be cycling on a pressure control as well.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 07:17 PM
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The left hand float is on the secondary drain stub and the right hand float is on the main drain. It's easiest to suck the line out from below with a vacuum. Sometimes pressure can be used from the top but you have two breather lines and then the line back into the air handler. You'd need to block off two of them.

This will not be an easy unclog from the topside. You may end having to cut the pipe apart to blow down from topside. Cleaning the line is yearly maintenance that cannot be ignored.
 
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Old 07-07-19, 07:23 PM
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Thanks, Pete. That helps.
 
 

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