Does the thermostat ever reach 75?

 

no

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There is a red light on a small black box beside the ac handler. It turns off while running and turns on when the handler stops running.

Can you take a picture of what this small black box is? If not, is there anything on it that says what it is? I'm thinking that's a moisture switch tripping.


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The light is off in this picture because I turned the system off.

 

Looks like your condensate drain is signaling a problem.

 

Is the first step to unclog the drain line?

 

I just used a wet/dry shop vac to unclog the ac drain. After one minute of suction, I checked the vac tank. It was empty. But I noticed a healthy stream of drips coming from the pipe. So I turned the system back on. It cooled for 15 minutes until I shut it off. I suctioned the drain pipe for another two minutes. After that there was about 1/2 a cup of water in the vac tank. I turned the system on and it has been cooling for the past 20 minutes. Temperature has dropped 2 degrees and still dropping.

 

Yeah, those moisture switches can be a nuisance sometimes even if the drain line isn't clogged. At least you know what to look for now!

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This same issue came back about one week after I thought I solved it. I sucked the drain line again and it bought me a few days, but it is back to triggering the aqua guard again.

 

Also, when I try to drain the condensation pipe from the outside, nothing comes out, actually nothing

 

Should I back flush the drain line with a garden hose? I'd only spurt water into the drain line for ~1 second. Is this safe? This is because the suction from the shop vac isn't pulling anything up and the aquaguard is still triggering.

 

I'm thinking of pouring 1 cup of white vinegar down the condensate drain line from inside the house. Good idea?

 

Maybe time to call a professional?

 

I haven't tried the back flush or the vinegar yet, maybe just hot water and a dash of dish soap? All I've done is the shop vac. There is nothing else I can try except the shop vac? I'm not sure which solution to use, vinegar or hot water and a dash of dish soap.

Another thing is, my drain line does have a steady drip outside.

 

Can you take a picture of the actual sensor that the little black box ties to? Like I said, some times those secondary drain switches will nuisance trip. Usually what I do is pitch the secondary drain up enough so it doesn't go over the lip of the primary pan, but is enough to keep water from trickling into the secondary. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't try it or you may come home to your ceiling damaged.

Also, can you take a picture of the entire air handler?

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Are there any other methods of cleaning out my condensate drain before calling a technician?

It's here on the right where I'm thinking of pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar, letting it sit for an hour, then pouring a few cups of warm water to rinse it out.

 

Anyway that can go wrong?

 

It looks like you don't have a trap on that PVC line. The drain line is under negative pressure because it's on the return side of the blower, so when the blower runs, it's not only sucking air from the bottom where your filter is, it's also sucking air from the outlet of that PVC pipe (wherever it ends). That means water doesn't want to flow easily out the PVC pipe because air is rushing in from the opposite direction, so water builds up in the drain pan (inside the air handler), and trickles into the secondary outlet (where the moisture sensor is).

The purpose of a trap is to keep air from being sucked in from the outside so water can flow easily into that drain line. I'm pretty sure that's your problem.

EDIT: And to answer your question, no, vinegar won't hurt anything. As long as you don't use bleach, Drano, or boiling hot water, that's fine.

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Is this the way it is supposed to work? Is there a solution? What causes this issue?

The drain does have a steady drip outside and I have never noticed this problem for 3 years.

 

Not sure without seeing the rest of the air handler, but it looks like an ADP. In which case, it needs a 3" trap on the primary drain within 12" of the outlet, as most air handlers typically do.
(Edit: it's a Lennox)

Just because it's worked fine for a few years doesn't excuse the problem. Minor changes in air flow, static pressure, and other factors play a role in proper drainage. Have a trap installed and go from there.

 

I'm surprised there aren't worse consequences. Pulling the unfiltered, humid air from outside into the handler and duct work sounds like it will lead to some big issues.

 

Short cycling your equipment would be considered worse in my book.

 

Is this an issue biannual maintenance can solve? Is there anyway to get this to work for a couple weeks so I can visit my family for xmas or do I need to schedule like a 24 hour maintenance call to have this installed? Is this a common problem?

 

If you won't be there, why run the a/c or worry about it?

Yes, a maintenance could solve this issue. Obviously, since it says in the manual you need a trap and one was not installed, the installing company would not be my first choice to call.

Has there been any maintenance done since it's been installed?

 

If I haven't had air quality issues for three years I'd assume the likely hood of it happening now is low, considering it has always been installed this way.

I suppose I'll run a gallon of water down the drain pipe and check for a clog just to make sure. If there is a clog, is turning off the system and flushing some white distilled vinegar down the line a good idea? I would let it sit and then rinse it with a few cups of water before turning the system on.

Do I have to use vinegar, could I use hot water and a dash of dish soap?

 

You can flush it with vinegar if you'd like. Hot water is fine too, as long as it's not too hot to stick your hand in. I wouldn't necessarily recommend dish soap since that could leave residue behind.

 

Thanks for all the help so far. I suppose it's time to make a call.

 

So will a trap increase my air quality?

 

Not really.

 

The pictures do not show a trap anywhere.

You have a system that does not appear to have any return ducting, just a platform with a filter in the airhandler. Thus, It might have worked for the last 3 years, however, you have a very limited amount of duct static pressure. If that is the configuration, the drain will drain less when the filter builds up and gets dirty. When the filter gets dirty the static pressure builds and the drain is not as effective.

Like I said in a previous post on another thread...if you would have just called out a good contractor a week ago this would have been a done deal......In this industry....I am not real fond of callers who had an issue weeks before, but wait until it becomes critical about people coming over or you going out of town. IMO, go out of town and have a good Christmas and deal with it when you come back.

 

Is there anything I can do or no? I was gonna test for a clog but noticed the water is high at the pop cap so I haven't yet because I thought it would instantly overflow. Here is the best image I could get:

It's hard to see but the water is right around the intersection.

 

Please
Call your contractor back and ask why a P-Trap has never been installed

 

Taking the cap off changed the pressure differential.......go spend time with your family and call a good contractor when you get back.

 

I assume there is nothing I can do to help the situation myself. How does one fix this issue? Is it not worth explaining because there is no way I can do anything about it? Has any of my attempts to remedy the situation made this worse?

I'll leave on the 22nd and return home around the 28th. I'm not sure yet if i'll extend my stay further but I'd like to.

I plan on leaving the unit on and at 78 degrees instead of 75, or something like that

 

Okay, so it looks like you have a clog. Did you try pouring hot water down the drain? Sometimes that will loosen the clog. If that doesn't work, the only other solution is to cut into the pipe and try and pressurize it with nitrogen. You can do this yourself if you can get your hands on a Gallo Gun and cartridges, but then you'll have to couple the pipe back together. All in all, you might as well call someone because it'll probably cost about the same and take a whole lot less time.

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I haven't poured anything down there because I was afraid of overflow due to the water already being so high towards the top of the pop cap.

 

I am worried about the heat/ humidity levels getting too high when I'm gone.