Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Zooglea Blocking Drain Line on AC
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Old 09-18-2025, 02:12 PM
Altavia Altavia is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 View Post
I have just never heard of an HVAC technician ever diagnose "zoogloea" as a specific cause for a drain being clogged. The OP said it is very common in The Villages, but I am skeptical that this is true. It seems as though you would need to do a lab test to confirm that it was bacteria. There are many ways a drain line can be clogged. My biggest concern is a dead lizard or snake. That is why I occasionally flush out the drain by connecting a garden hose to it. The last two times I did this, I got a lot of chalky white solid particles, which I really don't what they were.
The white, slimy, snot like stuff that forms if you don't regularly flush the system is Zoogloea bacteria.

https://youtu.be/5VOffWjmWkk

It became a problem when HVAC systems switched from copper to aluminum. Very low concentrations of copper ions deactivate the bacteria preventing the build up.

Some of the tablets (if blue) used to prevent HVAC Zoogloea build up contain copper sulfate.