HVAC condensate drain clogs in ceiling units

“Hello, we replaced our hvac in spring of 2020 and have issues with it leaking out onto our ceiling ever since the following year. So since July of 2021, it leaks every year around that month. We have had several technicians come, but no one can seem to figure out what the problem is. For a few years I would have to drain the secondary pan with a shop vac on and off from July until November, until it was time to switch to heat. In 2023 I put in a ez trap, and started suctioning from the outside w”

“System: 5 year old high-rise condo in Honolulu, 820 sq ft. MXZ-3C30NA2 outdoor unit, 2× MSZ-GL06NA (bedrooms), 1× MSZ-GL18NA (living room). Original install, not a retrofit. All six refrigerant lines enter through one bedroom wall. Condensate from the heads drains into a sewer line inside the wall that I can't see. Problem 1: the primary bedroom head cools but barely dehumidifies. I’ve logged weeks of Aranet4 data (CO₂, temperature, RH, 10-minute intervals). Bedroom head alone, door closed,”

“Hello! Newbie here, so please bear with me. I have been having issues with water dripping from my ceiling due to a clog in the ac drain line. I cleared the initial clog in the main drain line, or so I thought, because 2 more times about 24 hours apart, it happened again. That was when I figured out that the clog wasn't specific to the main drain line leading to the outside of the house, as the pipe perpendicular to the air handler was filled with sludge as well as seen in the first picture.”

“Heard the condensate drain line draining loudly for about 20 minutes, took a video with the draining slowed a little bit such that it’s not audible, but you can still see a good amount of water coming out. More background: in the Midwest, temps have been 60s-70s, about 70% humidity after some rain last night. Google mentioned high humidity might be an issue but I don’t remember it draining like this during the hotter, more humid days this summer. There is a dehumidifier (can see it in the video)”

“My AC unit which is on my roof is leaking condensation - see video - instead of draining through the condensation pipe. Is there a clog somewhere preventing the water from draining properly? Whats the recommended fix? Thanks! submitted by /u/DesertDrone12 [link] [comments]”

“Both, but the AC side is what ruins ceilings. Draining to the sink tailpiece is common and fine if it's trapped at the air handler and gets flushed. The clog is slime, so a capped cleanout tee by the air handler and a cup of vinegar every month or two keeps it clear. A wet vac on that cleanout pulls the plug out when it does clog. My line in the desert slimes up every summer too. Since a tenant won't flush that line for you, add a float switch that kills the unit before the pan overflows”

“TL;DR Condensate line drains down with the sink, it clogs routinely. If we dont clear the clog quick enough water makes it way out side of plenum unit, drips down onto side of unit and just ouside the drainpan and goes onto ceiling. Ok now the story: *** on my rental property that I lived in prior in Houston, TX*** Second time I am having this issue on my rental property and thought it was fixed the first time. AC condensate line drains down and meets up with my sink. The sink will clog up every”

“TL;DR Condensate line drains down with the sink, it clogs routinely. If we dont clear the clog quick enough water makes it way out side of plenum unit, drips down onto side of unit and just ouside the drainpan and goes onto ceiling. Ok now the story: *** on my rental property that I lived in prior in Houston, TX*** Second time I am having this issue on my rental property and thought it was fixed the first time. AC condensate line drains down and meets up with my sink. The sink will clog up every”

“My parents have an AC unit that constantly has drainage issues causing failure. Probably equal parts it being an old system (20+ years) and it being poorly designed (the Evaporator Unit is on the 2nd level, AC drain line seems to go upwards before dropping down to ground level, and then coming out of the ground before disposing of water 3 inches up, causing it to work against gravity twice). To keep the drain line as clear as possible, it gets a once monthly flush with a vinegar-based solution t”

“Hi all, noticed a leak on my ceiling to realize my AC drain is overflowing. I cut the PVC to drain the water and inspect the lines and it looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years. Ive read a shop vac is recommended to use on the drain end to suck out any debris but its no where to be found. I’ve check all over outside and all sinks in the bathroom. Not sure what to do at this point. Any help will be greatly appreciated! less *This is on the second floor of the house submitted by /u”

“Slime found in the condensate drain line of the AC in an apartment unit….. what does this mean? For context: the drain line hovers over the tube that connects the drain line from other AC units as shown in the second picture. It needs to be snaked periodically as it gets full and leaks (and floods) our apartment. Due to that issue, we placed a moisture absorbent pack in the AC cabinet after the last leak, to absorb any moisture left and hopefully prevent mold. I was pumping water out of these tu”

“Alright... So this summer my HVAC was working fine up until about three weeks ago. Then the AC shut off. I checked to see if the condensate line was backed up (because that has been an issue in past years - but never this bad), and sure enough it was. The overflow shutoff valve had been triggered. So, I got my small shop vac and siphoned out the drain line. There was a bunch of nasty nasty gunk in the line and the line drained. I thought that was the end of the issue, but about 5 days later... T”

“Hi Everyone, looking for some advice. TLDNR: HVAC drains into hole in basement floor, appears to be clogged, sucked the water out with my shop vac and can’t seem to unclog or figure out what is causing the clog. Woke up to water on the floor in the mostly finished basement. At first I thought it was my newly replaced hot water heater but after opening the covers on the HVAC it was clear where the water was coming from. I assumed it was a clogged drain line which drains into a hole in the floor o”

“I’m assuming this pipe is used to get rid of the water condensation from the HVAC unit and overtime the ground shifted so it disconnected? Any recs on connecting it back if it’s supposed to be? Thanks much! submitted by /u/andysto2 [link] [comments]”

“I had an AC installed 2 years ago. The condensation lines got disconnected. Is this as simple as gluing them and reconnecting the lines or should I be concerned that they don’t line up perfectly? I am worried that I could be causing tension on the lines and will cause a leak somewhere else. Am I over thinking it? submitted by /u/Probably_alice [link] [comments]”

“It just seems odd coming out of the ground like that compared to any other I’ve seen coming out of the wall. Thanks, just a renter here and I think it’s clogged, I’ve never had air conditioning before so I’m totally unfamiliar with this. submitted by /u/PeteyWalnuts [link] [comments]”

“AC is not cooling. I was told the drain pipe could be clogged. I see two possible options for the drain. The one without a top and the one on the right with a top. Don't mind the filter. It's like that as I was trying to remove it. Its quite difficult with where its placed. Trying to check what I can before calling a tech. Its going to be triple digits in Texas for the next week. submitted by /u/Trice316 [link] [comments]”

“tl;dr - alert 2502 for Mitsubishi PEAD split ceiling unit I think my condensate drain line is clogged and I’m not sure how to clear it when it’s a ceiling unit It’s a Mitsubishi split model PEAD A24AA7. The thermostats shows an alert for “INDOOR DRAIN” code 2502. From my understanding that means a clog in the line, the drain pan, or a stuck valve I’ve searched everywhere online, and unfortunately everything I’ve found about clearing condensate lines is for wall or floor units with a nice P trap”