The Secret to Avoiding the Summertime A/C Flood

Check Your drain line Most people never remember till it’s too late, to go out & check the A/C drainpipe. If you are wondering why that floor is all wet ~ go see if the line is flowing outside. All the water that comes off your A/C coil during the cooling season drains out thru that pipe. The line is running along with your refrigerant lines (1 large line insulated, 1 small line not insulated) Check and see if the water coming out is Clear or “Slimy and Milky” If its not clear water, you’re about to have a flood when the drain backs up thru the A/C unit and overflows in the house. At GCAC, we always use a shop vac to suck the water, slime, and the blockage out of the line. Don’t use a garden hose because you’ll just blow all that slime & junk all over the inside of your Evaporator coil in the house.

There may also be water pooling up around the side of the house or under the outside A/C unit. If you really want to do a bang up job, dig out all the mud, slime, weeds & junk that builds-up around the unit & put down some pea-sized gravel for the water to drain away.


In dry areas of the country where water is a premium, there are systems to capture this waste water and use it for irrigation; however, we are not in the desert or lacking in rainfall here in Florida.

Keep your eye on that potential problem, it can happen every year.

Get a drain line “tee” installed or use the biocide tabs to keep the stuff from growing in the drain line. If you have a “tee” or clean-out port you can dump some (1 cup) Clorox bleach in there or you can use vinegar & flush the line to keep it clear from growth; the best biocide tabs to use are the blue ones that look like a little piece of soap. They dissolve over the rest of the summer season & release a biocide to keep anything from growing or clogging up your A/C drain line.

DO NOT RUN YOUR A/C FAN IN THE “ON” position. This can cause a vapor lock in the drain line. The water can’t get out because of all the air pressure sucking in through the drain line. This is caused because your A/C fan never shuts off if you run it in the “on” position. This vapor lock can really give you problems if you run the fan constantly; let the fan cycle off & on in “auto” when the thermostat cycles.

Change your A/C Filter ! Any particles that get thru the filter can get on the coil & end up clogging the drain line when they wash off. Keep a clean filter & your problems are solved. For more money saving tips, look at the consumer education videos link on our website at www.gulfcoastaircare.com