[fyrffytr1]

My A/C company came out today to do the six month service on my central unit. When he went up in the attic to check the unit he found the drain pan was almost full of water. He tried blowing the line out with nitrogen but that failed. He ran a camera probe into the line and found a dead snake had not only clogged the line but broke it.
Luckily, the secondary drain line worked and kept the water level low enough that the safety switch did not energize and shut the A/C down.

[David Jones]

Sounds like something that'd happen to me!

[Keith Seymore]

You could have worse luck - you could be the snake.

K

[Dennis H.]

Your AC unit is in the attic? Mine is in the basement.

[vertigto]

Some of us in the South don't have a basement/crawlspace.

[1965gp]

I had that happen once- A lizard got electrocuted in the wiring in my outdoor unit. Guy cost me a few hundred bucks.

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by vertigto

Some of us in the South don't have a basement/crawlspace.

Yep. We go outside to watch our tornadoes!

[carcrazy]

Clogged condensate drain is a pretty common issue. When the unit is in the attic and a secondary drain or float switch fails to shut the unit off, a lot of damage can occur. Generally the drain is clogged with debris because people don't have the units serviced on a regular basis. I will say, I've never seen a snake in one!!

[fyrffytr1]

Originally Posted by carcrazy

Clogged condensate drain is a pretty common issue. When the unit is in the attic and a secondary drain or float switch fails to shut the unit off, a lot of damage can occur. Generally the drain is clogged with debris because people don't have the units serviced on a regular basis. I will say, I've never seen a snake in one!!

I have my unit serviced every six months. Several years ago the wife and I came back from a trip to find water dripping out of the light fixture in the dining room which is right under the attic unit. At that time we did not have a safety cut off on the unit. The drain line clogged in the attic. Luckily the ceiling held and all I had to do was wait for it to dry, apply a stain blocker then paint.

[fyrffytr1]

To add insult to injury after the serviceman left I went out to start picking up yard debris caused by high winds last night during a thunderstorm. I had a small free standing swing structure that the original swing had finally decayed to the point that we couldn't sit in it anymore. Last Saturday we bought a new cedar swing and hung it until I can build a new enclosure. Well, the whole enclosure had blown over, crushed several new plants and uprooted two old clematis vines that were growing on it. Luckily (?) the new swing wasn't damaged. I tried to lift the enclosure but couldn't so I took it apart and threw it on my burn pile. I was hoping the price of lumber would go down before I had to replace it!

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

I guess the drain goes to ground level outdoors , and thats how the snake got into it ?
Have you taken measures to keep the next one from getting inside of it ?
Maybe a pet mongoose

[Andre]

The composition of the new a/c units combined with the condensate produces a live slime that grows in my drain pipe. Fortunately we keep the ac running year long so it doesn't get a chance to cause a problem. I didn't know this until my a/c guy who is also a Pontiac friend said he is seeing more and more of that.

[Half-Inch Stud]

I'm so done with Central AC in the Attic.

[jamesq]

Originally Posted by Andre

The composition of the new a/c units combined with the condensate produces a live slime that grows in my drain pipe. Fortunately we keep the ac running year long so it doesn't get a chance to cause a problem. I didn't know this until my a/c guy who is also a Pontiac friend said he is seeing more and more of that.

The slime is an issue! As part of my routine monthly house maintenance, I pour about 12 oz of white vinegar through the drain pipe. I access the drain at the overflow sensor by the unit. I have had no issues since I started doing this!
James Q

[SRR]

My central air stopped working one day and before calling a tech. I took a look at it, fuses were good...power to unit...earwig in contacts...wait what? The little sucker just happened to be crawling between the contacts just as they closed. I removed the bug and it worked fine after. I probably saved some money on a service call.

[fyrffytr1]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

I guess the drain goes to ground level outdoors , and thats how the snake got into it ?
Have you taken measures to keep the next one from getting inside of it ?
Maybe a pet mongoose

Yes, the primary drain exits the house just above ground level. And I have posted no trespassing signs in the flower bed that the pipe drains into! But just to be sure I wrapped the end of the pipe with screen cloth.

[grandam1979]

Does anyone in the south have a room dedicated to the a/c and heat and water tank so it’s not overhead? I live in Ohio so all are in the basement.

[poncho-mike]

I had a large spider short out the control board on my outside unit. I guess he was just conductive enough. It cost me a couple hundred dollars, and him his life.

Originally Posted by SRR

My central air stopped working one day and before calling a tech. I took a look at it, fuses were good...power to unit...earwig in contacts...wait what? The little sucker just happened to be crawling between the contacts just as they closed. I removed the bug and it worked fine after. I probably saved some money on a service call.

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by grandam1979

Does anyone in the south have a room dedicated to the a/c and heat and water tank so it’s not overhead? I live in Ohio so all are in the basement.

Most homes built on a slab in the Southern Plains, TX, & the SE have a "heater closet" in the front of the garage. Central heat & AC unit, occasionally with natural gas water heater next to it, or in separate water heater closet. Some newer homes down this way are now being built running the water supply through the attics along with supply & return AC ductwork. When the attic temps were near zero recently in Feb, many newer homes in TX ended up experiencing busted water pipes in the attic

Occasionally, one will run across a builder down here installing central heat & AC unit in the attic. The last few years have ran across a few retrofits of central heat & AC units into the attics of near 50 year old homes, mainly in starter sized homes. In every case, the millennial first time home owners thought it was a good idea to move the unit up into the attic. I'll never get that.

[vertigto]

In NC, new homes on a slab usually have the water heater in the garage and air handler in the attic. They've (mostly) stopped putting the water heater in the attic and air handler in a closet.