Condensate is not making it to the drip pan... it's dripping and hitting the filter and causing the filter to get water logged/ruined.

I've cleaned the coils with the spray on foam cleaner (twice) but so far that has not helped. Any ideas?

[This message has been edited by ryan.hess (edited 05-24-2013).]

Low on refrigerant?
You can try some foam insulation on the pipe leading up to the drip pan. That might help.

Looks like multiple problems.... A leak at the drip pan/PVC fitting and probably still clogged coils (from buckled air filter)

What kind of car/truck is it?
IIRC this is a common problem with Buick Roadmasters, etc.

[This message has been edited by NEPTUNE (edited 05-25-2013).]

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: Condensate is not making it to the drip pan... it's dripping and hitting the filter and causing the filter to get water logged/ruined. I've cleaned the coils with the spray on foam cleaner (twice) but so far that has not helped. Any ideas?

At my house in Florida, I have to deal with this on a regular basis. The PVC drain pipe continues to get clogged. My air handler is in the center of my house, but the drip tube is embedded in the concrete slap and makes it's way all the way to the side of the house where it drips into my Barbados Cherry tree outside.

What happens is that algae will grow inside the tube and eventually completely clog it. This causes the tube to fill up, which in turn fills up the pan, and then leads to it dripping on the air filter.

What I've done is attach a shut-off valve from the drip pan, to the rest of the PVC tube. Immediately after the shut-off valve (on the PVC drain pipe side) I installed a "T" fitting, with a screw cap on the "T."

Once every 6 months, I drag the garden hose into the house and hook it up there, and turn it on full blast... this COMPLETELY cleans out the drain tube, and everything is back to normal.

I've been able to prolong this by occasionally dropping a little bit of bleach (couple of drops) into the drain pan, which then kills any algae in the tube.

They also sell tablets that you can drop into the drain pan, which when wet, will take with it the anti-algae formula into the drain tube and prevent this from happening.


EDIT: If you don't want to mess with anything (IE: garden hose, etc)... you can just buy a thin pipe snake, and snake it through the PVC tube to clear out the algae. Then pour some bleach in there and you should be fine.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 05-25-2013).]

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: At my house in Florida, I have to deal with this on a regular basis. The PVC drain pipe continues to get clogged. My air handler is in the center of my house, but the drip tube is embedded in the concrete slap and makes it's way all the way to the side of the house where it drips into my Barbados Cherry tree outside. What happens is that algae will grow inside the tube and eventually completely clog it. This causes the tube to fill up, which in turn fills up the pan, and then leads to it dripping on the air filter. What I've done is attach a shut-off valve from the drip pan, to the rest of the PVC tube. Immediately after the shut-off valve (on the PVC drain pipe side) I installed a "T" fitting, with a screw cap on the "T." Once every 6 months, I drag the garden hose into the house and hook it up there, and turn it on full blast... this COMPLETELY cleans out the drain tube, and everything is back to normal. I've been able to prolong this by occasionally dropping a little bit of bleach (couple of drops) into the drain pan, which then kills any algae in the tube. They also sell tablets that you can drop into the drain pan, which when wet, will take with it the anti-algae formula into the drain tube and prevent this from happening. EDIT: If you don't want to mess with anything (IE: garden hose, etc)... you can just buy a thin pipe snake, and snake it through the PVC tube to clear out the algae. Then pour some bleach in there and you should be fine.

The PVC drain line is clear - I blasted it with some compressed air to make sure......... The algae that was in there shot out and the water flows pretty well. Good idea on the valve though. I wish they installed something like that because I do have to clean it pretty regularly.

What I discovered is the insulation on the side isn't up to par anymore... It was condensing water, and dripping down the side on the inside... I ripped the fiberglass insulation off, used some expanding foam, and no more leaks!

Just need to clean the coils one more time and hopefully that's the end!!!

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: The PVC drain line is clear - I blasted it with some compressed air to make sure......... The algae that was in there shot out and the water flows pretty well. Good idea on the valve though. I wish they installed something like that because I do have to clean it pretty regularly. What I discovered is the insulation on the side isn't up to par anymore... It was condensing water, and dripping down the side on the inside... I ripped the fiberglass insulation off, used some expanding foam, and no more leaks! Just need to clean the coils one more time and hopefully that's the end!!!

Oh yeah, you definitely don't want real insulation in there... that will just collect moisture and mold. I used expanding foam as well.

By the way, if you haven't in a while... you should clean the coils with an acid wash... you can buy the stuff in a spray can and then just wash it with water.

it is a slime mold not algae

as algae is a plant and requires sunlite
molds grow fine in the dark inside pipes

and a little bleach every few months is a cure to kill it
snake will not kill it and it will regrow and reblock quicker if not killed

If you use foam insulation, make sure it's closed-cell foam so it won't hold moisture.

I'm going to make one of these...


I've also seen some ads for UV lights for your air handler. The idea being it kills all the bacteria where the condensation forms, so algae doesn't grow to begin with.