The a/c drain from the central air & heat unit goes to a drain hub that sticks out the foundation. The hub is 1 1/2" pipe and sticks up probly 2' max. This drain is clogged. I live in a rent house, and I have no idea (neither does my elderly landlord) how this drain is routed, or where it goes.

My L.L. has put chlorox, and Lye down the drain pipe in hopes of unclogging it. These chemicals have been sitting in the pipe for 2 days now. I didnt realize he put lye in the pipe till I got home yesterday. I dont think you are supposed to mix lye & chlorox...lol. I have ran a fish tape down the hole, but it only goes about 3' and stops. I cant get it passed a fitting (i think).

I need to know how to get this thing unclogged. I am thinking of getting a rubber stopple fitting that you hook to a garden hose, and try it out. I have one for 3" pipe, and it works good fwiw.


any ideas?
Thanks,
Phillip

 

hey PK,
Try taking a compressed air tank with a blow nozzle on it. Wrap end of blow nozzle with electrical tape till it fits tightly in the end of the hub drain pipe. Give the thing a long hard blast with about 100 PSI air and see if it clears. Lots of times the drain lines for a/c units are put in with very little slope and they tend to get slimed up to the point no water can get thru them.

Good luck...

Gary

 

You could always flush an M-80....

 

So Phillip, is it open now or not?
A water hose will work provided there's not another drain inlet between the clog and the A/C drain. Don't want to push that lye into the kitchen sink or into the face of someone you love because they're looking down the sink drain.
Nat

 

NAT.....I havent even been home since I first posted.....lol.

I went to Lowes today and got a stopple type fitting that you hook up to your garden hose. Gonna try it out when I get home.

 

Be careful, lye mixed with chlorine bleach can be toxic alright, don't breathe the vapors.
Nat

 

Thanks for the heads up! What about adding pressure to the line eventhough that mixture is in there?

 

Water pressure? It's the only safe thing to do. Hope you don't have any loose joints though!

 

HEY SLOW DOWN an old, (well not so old) texan taught me your best friend is a shop vac. for this type of problem, it works most of the time, and NO MESS!!!! works on drains also, just make sure to have the paper filter out of it first.

 

I think the LYE worked. I could look at the top of the pipe and see the water level, but last night I noticed the level had dropped. I could not see the water level at all! So I ran the water hose in through the window, and filled the line up. At first it appeared to not drain, and all of the sudden it started dropping and drained on out!

I guess its fixed.