When an air conditioner’s drain pan is full of water, the most common culprit is a clogged drainpipe. Inside the refrigerant coils and pipes is a breeding ground for algae, mold, and the like. Overtime, algae and mold can clog the drainpipe and cause water to build up and leak into the drain pan.

It’s usually caused by an HVAC system component in the dashboard leaking into onto the floor on the passenger’s side. As it works to keep your car cool, the A/C system creates a lot of condensation. This condensation normally drips down the evaporator drain hose and onto the ground harmlessly as you drive.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Turn off the power to your HVAC unit.
2. Find your AC drain line.
3. Push the stiff, thin brush into the end of the drain line.
4. Attach the end of your wet/dry vacuum to the end of the AC drain line.
5. After you’ve run the vacuum for about a minute, remove the wet/dry vac and head indoors.
6. Locate the vent tee.

A clogged AC drain line symptoms include:

1. Musty, moldy smell near your indoor unit or in air from the registers/vents.
2. Standing water near the indoor unit.
3. Water damage in areas near the indoor unit.
4. AC system is not cooling your home.
5. AC system shuts down or doesn’t turn on.

To squeeze 90% or more of the heat energy out of a gas flame, you have to condense the water vapor out of the exhaust into liquid form and recover the heat of evaporation from it. It turns out, however, that when you condense out the water vapor, the nitrogen products — the NOX — come along with it.

All condensate drains go into a trap. The condensate trap is absolutely mandatory for a high-efficiency gas furnace. Since the drain taps into the exhaust system, leaving it open to the air would allow for a potential exhaust/flue gas leak in the living space, which is a big no-no.

The best way to stop condensate drain line freeze is to use weather-proof sleeves placed around the drain. Shortening the drain pipe to give water less space in which to freeze can also be effective.

Condensing furnaces are high-efficiency furnaces with a secondary heat exchanger that condenses hot exhaust gases in order to extract the “waste” heat before it wafts up the chimney.

Although some furnaces can last more than 40 years (extremely rare), the average life of a furnace is around 15 to 30 years. As long as you have scheduled annual furnace maintenance, it should easily last over 15 years. Just like your car, your older furnace may need some basic repairs.

What is a condensate neutralizer? As its name implies, condensate neutralizers filter and neutralize water by-products, making them safe to dispose of down the drain. With professional help, a condensate neutralizer can be attached to the drainage pipe coming out of your furnace in order to neutralize waste water.

Types of Gas Furnaces Condensing Gas Furnace: A high-efficiency furnace (90% AFUE or higher) utilizes a second heat exchanger to heat the air from condensed exhaust gases in order to reach higher efficiencies. A high-efficiency condensing furnace requires specialized venting.

A 90% furnace has an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of 90% or higher. The most efficient gas furnace on the market is one that has an A.F.U.E. (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) of 90% or higher.

A standard efficiency furnace provides 80% annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). In this type of furnace, 20% of the energy produced by natural gas is expelled as exhaust. High efficiency furnaces offer 90% or more AFUE. So a 95% furnace is more efficient than an 80% furnace.

Energy Efficient Furnace Costs by Rating

• 1) Your furnace is more than 15 years old.
• 2) Your heating bill has increased.
• 3) Your furnace has been repaired frequently the past two years.
• 4) Your furnace makes strange noises.
• 5) Thermostat setting never keeps you comfortable.
• 6) Your burner flame is yellow instead of blue.
• Add up the furnace replacement signs.

While it is always necessary to replace both air conditioning components at the same time (in a split system), it’s not always necessary to replace both AC components and the furnace. Adding a furnace during your air conditioner replacement will cost a lot less, around $1,000 to $3,000.