The main task of a central HVAC system is to create hot or cold air, depending on the seasons, but your HVAC also works to condition the air by removing moisture from the air. This conditioning of the air makes it more comfortable, cleaner, and improves air quality inside your home. The process of heating and cooling air and then having it circulated into your home can create moisture inside your HVAC system. This is why some of the main electricity-consuming appliances associated with your HVAC system are not only meant to cool and heat air, but they're also meant to filter and remove moisture.
If it feels like the air coming out of your registers is a little damp, clammy, or muggy, it could be that your system is not properly removing the moisture. There are some steps you can take to improve the functionality of your evaporator, particularly when it comes to removing moisture from the air.
Find the Condensate Drain Pipe
If you look next to your furnace cabinet, you should notice a plastic pipe going down and draining into a small tray. This pipe goes into a box on top of the furnace cabinet; this box is called the plenum, and inside it is the evaporator unit. As you might have guessed, the evaporator is meant to evaporate moisture from the air before it is circulated into your duct system. If your air seems moist, the evaporator is probably not working properly.
Cleaning the Condensate Pipe
In order for the evaporator to work properly, the previously mentioned condensate pipe has to be unclogged. This pipe can commonly get clogged by algae, dust, or sediment that builds up on the inside. Usually, this buildup happens at the very bottom of the pipe where the water is supposed to drip out onto the tray. Cleaning the very end of the condensate pipe could enable the water to flow more freely into the tray, where it should dry up properly. If it seems like your entire pipe is dirty, and cleaning the tip is not doing it, you might need to replace the entire thing. This is just a small PVC pipe, and you can connect it very easily.
For less than $10, you can replace a condensate pipe and improve the overall functionality of the evaporator, thereby removing moisture and making your air conditioning appliances more productive. For more information on care and maintenance of your HVAC systems, contact your local air conditioning and heating repair services today.
