Have you checked your heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system’s condensate drain recently? Also known as a condensate drain line, it’s designed to remove condensation produced by the air conditioner. Since it’s typically located in a discreet area, however, many homeowners rarely or never check their HVAC system’s condensate drain.
What Is a Condensate Drain?
A condensate drain is an HVAC drainage system that’s designed to flush condensation from the inside of your home to the outside. All HVAC systems with a central air conditioning unit have a condensate drain. When the air conditioner is running, it will produce condensation. The condensate drain will collect this condensation and transport it to your home’s exterior.
You can typically find the condensate drain below your air conditioner’s evaporator coil. Most evaporator coils have a pan below them that’s connected to a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. As the evaporator coil produces condensation, water droplets will fall into the pan below where they are flushed to your home’s exterior through the PVC pipe.
The Impact of a Clogged Condensate Drain
Condensate drains can become clogged. Either the pan or the PVC pipe can accumulate gunk that creates a blockage. If your HVAC system has a clogged condensate drain, it won’t be able to properly flush condensation to your home’s exterior. The air conditioner will still produce condensation, but the water droplets won’t have anywhere to go.
With a clogged condensate drain, your home will become more humid. The condensate drain allows air conditioners to remove moisture from the air. If it’s clogged, the moisture will stay inside your home where it raises the indoor humidity level.
A clogged condensate drain can also damage your home. When water collects at the evaporator coil, it may seep into the floors or walls where it causes them to rot.
How to Check Your Condensate Drain
You can check your HVAC system’s condensate drain to determine whether it’s clogged. A clogged condensate drain will result in a backup of water at the evaporator coil. If the pan below the evaporator coil is filled or overflowing with water, the condensate drain is probably clogged.
After inspecting the pan and PVC pipe at the evaporator coil, go outside to inspect the opposite end of the PVC pipe. It’s usually found around the condenser coil. If your air conditioner is running, you should see water droplets flowing out of this PVC pipe. A clogged condensate drain will result in little or no water coming out of the PVC pipe.