To clean, or not to clean: that should never be the question! I cannot stress the importance of maintaining your air conditioning and heating system enough. One of the many parts of maintaining your a/c system is your drain lines. I’m going to explain to you the difference of a correctly ran drain line and signs of a drain line, that is ran incorrectly, the difference between a primary and secondary drain line and how to maintain them, the benefits and consequences of maintaining or not maintaining them, and why insulating drain lines are important.There are some simple ways you can tell if the drain line in your house is being run and draining correctly. First, the coil that your primary drain line is running off of needs to be at a downward angle to allow the water from the coil to drip into the drain line. Every drain line also needs to have what is called a “P-Trap”. If you look at the picture above, it will show you what the p-trap looks like. The p-trap creates an air lock which then forces the water down the pipes and drain properly.

This is an incorrectly installed p-trap. As you can see, the vent is before the P-trap. This creates a vacuum effect instead of pushing the air down, which hinders the draining ability of the unit. As stated earlier, your coil needs to be angled downward so that the water can flow into the drain line. Your a/c system needs to have two drain lines. The first one, your “primary”, which comes directly off the coil, and needs to be run into your home plumbing lines. Your second drain line, the “secondary or emergency”, comes off the drain pan and needs to be ran through your attic and proceed to the outside of your house.The picture above depicts what a proper primary and secondary (emergency) drain lines should look like and the difference between the both of them. As you can see on the main drain line, there is a P-trap and the vent pipe is after the P-trap allowing for proper air and water flow. The secondary drain line needs to be pointing downward toward the drain pan, but other than that, it is properly installed.

If the emergency drain pan takes on water, the emergency drain line is connected to the drain pan to allow it to drain to the outside of the house.You may do is go to your local Lowe’s or Home Depot and pick up a container of algae tabs. Instead of pouring bleach down the vent tube, you can put two or three algae tabs down there instead. They will both do the same thing, but some people prefer to use the algae tabs since they are specifically designed for this purpose. It’s six one way, half a dozen the other.Furthermore, another practice for keeping your drain lines properly maintained is by making sure your drain lines are properly insulated. You can buy insulation tubes called “Rubatex”, and slip this insulation tubing onto your drain lines. What this will do is prevent your cold PVC pipes from “sweating” and causing further water damage to your ceiling. It is quite easy to apply the rubatex to your PVC pipes. Determine what size PVC piping you have (it will usually say on the pipe, most common size is ¾-1 inch), measure how much rubatex you need and cut a line going down the rubatex.

Once you have done this, slip the rubatex on your PVC pipes and then once it’s on, simply use duct tape to keep the rubatex from coming off of the pipes. central ac freon typeSee the picture below for an example of what rubatex looks like.tabletop air conditioning unitsNow that we have discussed how to properly run and maintain your drain lines, let’s discuss the benefits of doing so. central air conditioner prices mississaugaOne of the benefits of maintaining your drain lines is that you will never have water damage on your ceiling because of your a/c and heating system. When your lines begin to clog up, the water will begin to drain into that emergency drain pan. Sometimes, the pan could have a crack in it from just years and years of wear and tear.

This will cause water damage to your ceiling and could force you to spend additional money on repairs that could have been avoided to begin with. Maintaining your drain lines can also save you money down the road. It will help keep your unit running at peak performance, thus not requiring as much energy to run since it will be running for shorter periods of time.Additionally, there are a few issues that you may run into if you decide to neglect your drain lines. Earlier, I had discussed how there is something called an emergency drain pan under most coils. If your drain lines begin to clog up and that water begins to fill the drain pan, there is a device called a “float switch,” and the function of this device is to turn off your a/c and heating system when that drain pan reaches a certain water level. Leaving water in that drain pan for a long period of time will cause your drain pan to rust, therefore creating those holes in the drain pan that I had discussed earlier. These holes will lead to water damage.

Below is a picture of a float switch clipped onto the side of your drain pan.Let’s review:All drain lines must have a “P-Trap”All drain lines must be at a downward slope to help with the water flowAll drain pans must have a float switch device attachedPouring bleach or algae tabs down the vent pipe on your drain lines will help prevent build up within the tubingNeglecting your draining system will cause water damage to your ceiling when your float switch failsInsulating your PVC drain pipes is a good practice and an extra safety Cooling Your Home: Don't Sweat It Buying a bigger room air conditioner won't necessarily make you feel more comfortable during the hot summer months. In fact, a room air conditioner that's too big for the area it is supposed to cool will perform less efficiently and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit. The reason: an oversized unit will cool the room(s) to the thermostat set-point before proper dehumidification occurs, making the area feel “clammy” and uncomfortable.

Central air-conditioning systems need to be sized by professionals. Explore our Energy Saver 101 infographic on home cooling to learn how an air conditioner works. If you have a central air system in your home, set the fan to shut off at the same time as the compressor, which is usually done by setting the "auto" mode on the fan setting. In other words, don't use the system's central fan to provide air circulation -- use circulating fans in individual rooms. Instead of air-conditioning, consider installing a whole-house fan. Whole-house fans work in many climates and help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. Use the fan most effectively to cool down your house during cooler times of the day: your home will stay cooler through the hotter times of the day without using the fan. Set your thermostat at as high a temperature as comfortably possible in the summer, and ensure humidity control if needed. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.