{"id":1510,"date":"2019-04-22T11:00:55","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.touchstoneheatingonline.com\/blog\/?p=1510"},"modified":"2019-04-22T11:00:55","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T15:00:55","slug":"ac-tip-clean-condensate-drain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.touchstoneheatingonline.com\/?p=1510","title":{"rendered":"A Helpful AC Tip to Clean the Condensate Drain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"water-droplets\"It\u2019s time to get down to the nitty gritty of your air conditioning system. It\u2019s about to shoulder an immense amount of work as the hot and humid season in Florida settles in, and you don\u2019t want it to go up against the heat without the proper preparations.<\/p>\n

One of the essential\u00a0 air conditioning services in Lake City, FL<\/a> to schedule is professional preventive maintenance. Nothing is better at fixing up an AC for another summer. Our Energy Savings Agreement is the fast, easy, and affordable way to set this up.<\/p>\n

But once the professional maintenance inspection and tune-up is done, there are a few maintenance jobs you can do over the season, such as changing the air filter and cleaning the condensate drain\u2014which we\u2019re going to examine below.<\/p>\n

The Importance of the Condensate Drain<\/h2>\n

As your AC runs, it draws heat and moisture from the air. The moisture collects on the evaporator coil, then drips down into a pan. The condensate drain removes this water from the AC and sends it either into the drainage system or outside. Because of the humid Florida summer conditions, a condensate drain has plenty of water to remove. Unfortunately, the drain can clog up because of algae and mold growth. When this happens, the condensate pan will soon overflow (it\u2019s only about an inch deep) and trigger a switch to shut down the air conditioner.<\/p>\n

Sometimes you will need to call a technician to repair the problem. But you can do a bit of cleaning yourself for easy clogs.<\/p>\n

Condensate Drain Cleaning<\/h2>\n

A \u00bc cup of vinegar poured down the drain can kill off mold, algae, mildew, and other organic obstructions. In fact, you may wish to do this once a month during the summer, even if the AC isn\u2019t backing up, since it will help prevent the growths from coming back. Make it part of the monthly routine of changing the air filter.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to \u201cvinegarize\u201d the AC\u2019s condensate drain:<\/p>\n