I Made My AC Condensate Drain Much More Functional

In this video I upgraded my air conditioning condensate drain so I could easily unclog any future restriction due to algae growth, plus I added a trap since mine has never had a trap which caused valuable air to be pumped outdoors. This would be a great upgrade for any homeowner that constantly has to deal with their condensate drain stopping up.
Christy's Wet Dry PVC Glue: amzn.to/3PiF9HU
PVC Cutters: amzn.to/43bIDBD
Nylog White Sealant: amzn.to/3PjVADx
Zoom Spout Oil: amzn.to/4c6Evad
Condensate U Trap: amzn.to/3Vbde0d
**DISCLAIMER: Some links in this description may be affiliate links. If you buy any of these products using these links I'll receive a small commission at no added cost to you. All links are to products that I actually use or recommend. Thank you in advance for your support!

[@luis1250]

I've done hvac for 4 years and this is the most professional condensate drain I've seen

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thank you! Most HVAC companies would not go to this extreme but since it is my own equipment, I wanted to make it user friendly. Thanks for watching, I appreciate it!

[@jerrylockhart3069]

All brand new tools❤

[@darwinawardcommittee]

You, Sir, are a genius.

[@gharv1313]

Another interesting DIY Rus, Awesome stuff , hope to see another installment real soon. Cheers brother 🍻

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks Bat, I appreciate you checking the video out!

[@DeadBrokeBBQ]

Heck ya!!! 100% bring your tools up here in July!! Wait till you see mine we did in the studio!!!! hahahaha Great video Rus!

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks Jeff! I should have done this a long time ago. I could actually tell the difference when I walked inside!

[@garytingler3222]

Good information Rus. My unit is over 20 years old and the installer did not put a trap in the system. He did a crappie job on the plumbing anyway. I do need to rework it. Thanks for the instructions !!!

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

I could tell I had better air flow the second I turned my AC back on. Losing air out the drain pipe or worst yet sucking air in if it's a negative pressure system is not a good thing. Thanks for watching Gary! Just keep in mind that if you do add a trap, it will be more likely to clog up in time. That's why I did what I did with adding a water hose connection, cause I know I will need it, but my plans are to flush it out once a year while doing preventive maintenance on my AC unit.

[@Mankitchenrecipes]

Looks like you put a lot of thought into that modification, Rus. And I'm certain it will/is working better than before!👍

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks for watching Keven!

[@frankmarullo228]

Another good video Rus. THANK you Frank from Montana.....

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks for watching Frank, I appreciate it!

[@prahe86]

Thank you very much for this detailed video. We followed your instructions and it works like a charm 😊

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Glad it helped! Thanks for the feedback!

[@teryniafielder7230]

Well, I am glad you know about this stuff. It is a unique design, but it works!

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

The biggest advantage to me, is I can feel the difference in the house by recovering the air I was losing to the outside, plus much easier and faster to clean out in the future.

[@jamilajefferson1100]

Love this!!!!! Having some drainage issues in my hvac no one can figure out. This is really helpful

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Glad it helped!

[@davidhernandez9252]

Great info Rus!👍

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks 👍

[@cindel8486]

Prior to doing all this work, especially installing the safety shut off switch; are you shutting off just the AC unit from the thermostat itself OR are you shutting it off from the circuit breaker box? BTW: I am SO impressed by your trap set up!!!! And impressed with how much detail of work you are putting in to make sure the different degrees and slants are close to perfect and correctly set to make this system operational!!!! WOW!!! I am totally going to copy what you are doing here!!! Thank you SO much for creating this for DIY home owners such as myself to be able to learn. I used to be a surgical dental assistant for 12 years and now am a certified bike mechanic as well as full time ebike and gas bike commuter. I work on all my own bikes including my gasbike as well as for others and am a big time bike enthusiast so doing things like this is totally up my alley! I’m even encouraging and am getting everything together so that my husband and I can do the oil change on his truck. Thanks again SO much!

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

My furnace is actually plugged into a receptacle on the wall beside the unit. I unplugged it to kill all the power to the furnace including the low voltage that goes through the thermostat. You're welcome and glad you found the video to be beneficial.

[@Trumpetmaster77]

Rus! great work again! You need to be an A/C instructor! That drawing in the beginning looked like a smoker! LOL JK, Now I know what I'm looking at when I see my unit! Thanks for sharing!

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

You’re welcome Luis and lol at the smoker drawing haha! I can tell you run a BBQ channel

[@michaelbaumgardner2530]

The manifold makes perfect sense,you don't see that often.

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Yeah works great, thanks checking the video out!

[@ScottysBackYardBBQ]

great video. i didn't get the notification on this. mine is in my basement.

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks Scotty! So yours drains into a floor drain I suppose?

[@ScottysBackYardBBQ]

@@SkillSavvyDIY yes it does

[@SleeperBBQ]

get r done

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

Thanks for watching Lance!

[@apeel2008]

I am going to build one of these myself. Thanks for the video! I do have a question regarding positive vs negative pressure systems. Mine is a combined HVAC/Furnace in the attic and I have been told that it is a positive pressure system. There is a small trap (not as deep as the one you show) at the exit of the Coil Exchanger and there is an uncapped vent / clean out pipe rising up next to exchanger and before the trap (ie. drain water passes out of the exchanger, past the uncapped vent into the trap out of the trap to the drain line which ends just like yours does, without a 4-6" rise on the outside). However, the vent next to the exchanger is left UNCAPPED and I can feel air passing out of it when the compressor is on. Should this be capped or left uncapped? When I install the type of p-trap you show here, there are caps on both pipes leading up from the trap. Should both be capped? or both be uncapped during normal operation. Or should the one closest to the exchanger be uncapped and the other one capped, or vis-versa? Hope my equation is clear! Clearly I am a NOOB but I believe I can do what you are showing in your video. Just not sure if your system was a Positive or Negative pressure system and which caps to use when it is a Positive pressure system like mine? Update to my question: At the very end of the video you mentioned your setup was also a furnace, so I am thinking it is also a POSITIVE pressure system like mine. In which case I should cap or turn-off the valve going into the 1st vent of the trap and uncap (ie. open the valve) after the trap. Is that correct?

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

The vent for the drain line should be just past the trap heading downstream and the clean out should be just ahead of the trap or I should say between the unit and the trap. If the shallow trap you have is holding water then you should not be feeling air coming out of the vent, but you would feel air coming out of the clean out if the cap is off. You need to only remove the cap from the clean out while actually using it to clear a clog in the line then put the cap back on. The vent line always stays open since the water in the trap will prevent air from blowing through plus it can’t drain properly if it’s not open. Similar to drains in your home. They have to have vents. I personally don’t care for those type of traps but if it’s holding water then it’s doing its job. Hope this helps

[@apeel2008]

@@SkillSavvyDIY VERY HELPFUL. Now I understand. Thank you!

[@kirkmeeks8397]

I had to rework my drain line as well. Are you supposed to insulate the tubing on the Rectorseal "P" trap? I have not and I am getting a lot of condensate at the bottom of the "P" trap.

[@SkillSavvyDIY]

If your condensate drain is in the attic then you will definitely want to insulate the drain line up to and a little past the p trap. I didn't insulate mine because it's in my garage, but insulating tightly will prevent the condensation.

[@kirkmeeks8397]

@@SkillSavvyDIY Yes, mine is in the attic. I was not sure because if there was a plug in the "P" trap tubing I would not be able to see it. Thank you.