Both my Irish great-grandfather and grandfather (we called them both “Bampaw”) were heavy pipe-smokers. I grew up smelling the aroma of different pipe tobaccos and inhaling a lot of second-hand pipe smoke. There’s a home movie of me at the age of 3 or 4 hunting for Easter eggs in my Bampaw’s backyard. I had my Easter basket in one hand and a pipe in the other hand. Every time I bent down to pick up an egg, I put the pipe in my mouth, just like my Bampaw. From an early age, I cleaned out my Bampaw’s pipes with his pipe cleaners.
There may be an important pipe in your home that is out of sight and out of mind. Sometimes it’s the little things that have an important function and can also cause a lot of damage. One of them is a very common pipe (or hose) that you may not know exists in your home. And if you have seen it, you may not have known what it was or even given it a second thought. Where is it? What is it for?
This pipe/hose needs to be kept clean to operate correctly. In my home inspections, I like to make sure that my clients know what it’s used for and the impact of keeping it clean.
Sinks can get clogged for many reasons … normal slime buildup, hair, make-up, etc. Many homes have a bathroom sink (or two … if you have more than one A/C) that has a pipe/hose connected to the trap in the cabinet that comes from the primary evaporator drain line from the A/C. If you have one of these, you must be sure that the sink is always draining properly so the pipe/hose from the evaporator drain line will also drain the way it was designed.
Here’s a simple way to test it! Pull the stopper on the sink and fill up the sink with water. Then unstop the sink and see how quickly it drains. If it drains very slowly or hardly at all, you need to clean out the sink trap or maybe something needs to be unclogged further downline in the pipe. You can google the subject and watch a video online … it’s pretty simple to fix. If that fixes it, great! If not, you may need to call a plumber.
It’s that time of year now when the A/C is being cranked up continuously to keep you nice and cool. When your A/C is working, did you know that it can create a gallon of water an hour?! That water has to go somewhere. Make sure that the water is draining properly or you could have disastrous consequences.
I was inspecting the house of a friend recently who just wanted a “Peace of Mind” inspection. He bought the house new, and had lived in it for ten years. He wanted me to go through everything to give him a good list of what needed to be done. When I pointed out the PVC pipe under his daughter’s bathroom sink and explained its function, I also showed him how extremely slow that sink was draining. He then said, “Could that be a reason there is water dripping from the hose over the bedroom window?” Bingo! (That’s the secondary overflow line.)
You should know where the primary drain is located for your evaporator core. Go to the evaporator core and follow the drain pipe coming out of the evaporator core. It could be connected to a pipe in the attic. Look under all the bathroom sinks in your house. If you would like some assistance, contact an HVAC technician, plumber, or inspector who can help you discover where it is located. That’s the easy part. Now you need to do some simple maintenance to keep it clear and flowing properly.
The spring time is a great time to do this … before the hot season is upon us. If the drain is already clogged, you’ll need to clean it out. When you’re sure it’s clean, take a cup of bleach and pour it carefully into the upright pipe extension coming out of the evaporator core. If you’ll do this once or twice a year, your primary drain line should stay free and clear of slime, mold, and mildew. It’s just one more of those little things that needs to be done in your home.
Stay unclogged and cool my friends!
