Best Ac drain line treatment

[Highbeam]

My guess is that units in our area are not running nearly as much in AC mode as back east. We've only had the AC on for a few days this summer. Normally the house cools down enough overnight with the windows open, to stay cool during the day. Even when we are running the AC it's with 50% or less humidity, not the sponge-wringing 80% back east.

I don’t know, mine has been cooling most of the summer. It modulates and cycles so it is definitely not “cooling” all the time but ever since we improved insulation in this old house it doesn’t shed heat easily or gain heat either. The insulation works both ways.

I just visited Virginia earlier this month and it was raining and 90. A little different than here but our humidity is still much higher than the Arizona or Colorado people.

RH in the house is 60% right now. Outside is 52% and 79 degrees.

I’ve become spoiled since I discovered much better sleep at cooler temperatures and have the ability to cheaply cool my home.

 

[stoveliker]

Same here,. spoiled. We started out at the AC at 78, and were happy with it.
It's now at 76. Maybe still high for US standards, but I never understood why cinemas and stores were colder in summer than in winter.... If I wear shorts etc. I'm too cold at 72...
Maybe my genes became TN rather than Dutch 😂

And it's cheap as in I make enough kWhs with my solar to cool and heat and not have a bill.

 

[begreen]

RH in the house is 60% right now. Outside is 52% and 79 degrees.

Yes, humidity went up today with the big front coming thru tonight.

 

[stoveliker]

Yes, humidity went up today with the big front coming thru tonight.

Lol, 52% is after it went up...?!
Drink enough water!

It's 71 F and 90% outside now

 

[EbS-P]

Outdoor RH is 80% with dew point of 77. Temp is 85 at 9:45 am. AC is cycling. Setting the on off delta at one degree, if you have the option really extends cycle time. I think most standard settings are like 0.5 degrees and prioritize temperature comfort over humidity control.

Gunk doesn’t grow well in fresh moving condensate. Some algaecide or diluted bleach might help but once a colony gets established you really need cleaners and mechanical scrubbing to remove it. They sell flexible brushes to clean condensate lines. But you risk separating weak connections.

I would advocate for getting a portable dehumidifier with pump. And leaving the mini split in cool mode. The reheat from the dehumidifier will cause the AC to cycle longer air will be dryer. And the durring cool wet seasons you have humidity control.

Last point. This came from a Santa Fe engineer. Average Florida home whole house dehumidifier. He would leave for 4-8 during the summer. He turned his AC off and dehumidifier at 55. Thinking goes the warmer the house the lower the RH. He never had any issues. Leave your well insulated and sealed house with AC set to 80 you could easily get high humidity as the runtime is now shortened no occupancy load.

 

[stoveliker]

Outdoor RH is 80% with dew point of 77. Temp is 85 at 9:45 am. AC is cycling. Setting the on off delta at one degree, if you have the option really extends cycle time. I think most standard settings are like 0.5 degrees and prioritize temperature comfort over humidity control.

Gunk doesn’t grow well in fresh moving condensate. Some algaecide or diluted bleach might help but once a colony gets established you really need cleaners and mechanical scrubbing to remove it. They sell flexible brushes to clean condensate lines. But you risk separating weak connections.

I would advocate for getting a portable dehumidifier with pump. And leaving the mini split in cool mode. The reheat from the dehumidifier will cause the AC to cycle longer air will be dryer. And the durring cool wet seasons you have humidity control.

Last point. This came from a Santa Fe engineer. Average Florida home whole house dehumidifier. He would leave for 4-8 during the summer. He turned his AC off and dehumidifier at 55. Thinking goes the warmer the house the lower the RH. He never had any issues. Leave your well insulated and sealed house with AC set to 80 you could easily get high humidity as the runtime is now shortened no occupancy load.

Mine indeed has a swing of 1 F.
I had one weak connection separate simply by vacuuming it (hose deformed, and disconnected), and the run is 25 ft with 3 90 deg elbows. Unlikely to work out with a brush...

I have a portable dehumidifier. I don't like it. Noise. I do run it in the basement complementing the mini split head there that runs in dehum mode.

My AC was at 80-82 while I was.gone indeed. Indeed I collected a large amount of water in the air. It went wrong when I started pumping that water out.

It hasn't leaked since the first time 6 days after coming back and the second time a week or so later.

My conundrum is that it leaked despite the vacuum clearly sucking air thru the line (heard inside) from the start. Even pouring water in the pan it just came out outside. Though slowly (but long line and corrugated..)

So It's not blocked (tho may be partially). No gunk vacuumed out.

It had had a cleaning agent before the trip (and upon seeing it leaked) and a tablet that were supposed to keep the pan and line clear.

So I think I do have a constriction (but no gunk, so kinked hose?) that decreases flow to the point that normal AC is okay but pumping out a lot of water surpasses the flow capacity.

 

[begreen]

Lol, 52% is after it went up...?!
Drink enough water!

It's 71 F and 90% outside now

It's 84% right now after last night's rain. First in quite awhile.

 

[begreen]

That was 84% at 8:30am, 4 hrs later with a nice breeze it's dropped down to a more pleasant 54%.

 

[stoveliker]

It's 77 F now, dewpoint 71, RH 81% outside. It got a bit better

 

[brenndatomu]

There has to be something wrong with the configuration of the pipe/hose.
It's been off for two days (65-70 f) but at 8.30 it was 80 F outside and humid (and windy; southern wind so from the ocean). I had the thing on dehumidification mode because it was humid there

At 4 pm I checked and found the pan almost overflowed again. And that after having vacuumed it while my wife poured a can of water in it. And then another can while I watched the outlet outside without the vacuum. Water came out normally.

I vacuumed it again with the shopvac.
Two hours later it again had water in the pan.

There can't have been a blocking as air clearly flowed thru after vacuuming, and the water too while vacuuming.

This suggests that somehow the draining quantity the hose can handle is lower than the head produces when it's humid and it's on dehumidification mode.

I may have to go up to the full extent of my 24' ladder to get the line set covers off and have a look .. maybe there's a kink someplace.

Sounds like the drain line is getting air locked somehow...it doesn't take much either, the slightest change in slope (to uphill, or sometimes even just level) can do it...it's an issue with flexible drain line...not so much with hard line (hard line easier to make it stay exactly where you put it)

 

[stoveliker]

Hm, could be. There's a 7 ft near horizontal section that could have sagged. It's after 3 ft vertical section tho, so I thought the static pressure of any water in the vertical section would be enough.

I'm hesitant to get up there but I'll have to take the line set covers off.

 

[brenndatomu]

There's a 7 ft near horizontal section that could have sagged. It's after 3 ft vertical section tho, so I thought the static pressure of any water in the vertical section would be enough.

It doesn't matter...pressurized (pumped) water mains can air lock in the same situation (running through a valley between hills)
I know it seems counterintuitive, but its a fact.