Is anyone using the iFLO Smart Automated AC Drain Line Cleaning System?
 

Is anyone using the iFLO Smart Automated AC Drain Line Cleaning System? I currently maintain the lines by pouring some warm water with some Dawn in it down them occasionally. I also have a service contract. This does intrigue me though and I'm curious if anyone has tried it and what your experience has been. iFLO(R) Smart Automated AC Drain Line Cleaner

Munn's recommends that you use warm water only. I have not used the iFLO system, but it looks like a complete waste of money.

Have someone stand outside and watch the amount of water being expelled out of the line when you’re flushing it. If you do this once in a while you should be fine. No need for fancy stuff.

Straight hot water, water with 1/4 cup vinegar, water with Dawn.... Just pour a gallon down the AC drain line once a month and you shouldn't have any problems. No need to pay money for a unit and then purchase refills four times per year.

Never had to run water through the drain line in my old house - different configuration.

Went three years here without any cleaning - then it clogged. Pain in the neck to have to clear the drain at 3AM. One gallon at the beginning of the month takes less than five minutes.

water & vinegar ... I was an HVAC guy ..anything else is a sales gimmick .. save your money and take your lady to dinner

The iFlow device id intended to supress the growth of mold in the AC pan.

Sunshine Air adds a few tablets to the pan to control mold during service.

https://a.co/d/h2E2WNF

Here's the theory of operation for the chemicals used in the iFlow product to inhibit slime mold from growing in the system.


What is Zooglea?
– iFLO

What is Zooglea?

White Slime, Snot, Mucus, whatever you call the stuff clogging in your HVAC's condensate drain pan and drain lines... it's probably ZOOGLEA!

Zooglea is a bacteria that causes clogs which can lead to A/C shut downs, overflows, and eventually ceiling and wall damage. While air handlers have had coils made out of copper for decades, the industry recently chose to switch to aluminum coils in order to save on manufacturing cost.

This has led to an influx of zooglea growth since aluminum does not contain the same antimicrobial properties as copper. The importance of zooglea education is critical now more than ever!


...

Note that the iFLO diagram shows the iFLO chemical injected into a horizontal drain pipe run and depends on the water backing up into the drain pan before it can even enter the drain pan which is upstream from the drain line. In The Villages, with slab-on-grade construction, there is no horizontal drain pipe run. The condensate drain pipe is vertical and drains the condensate water vertically downward for a few feet until it gets below the concrete floor slab. I don't understand how the chemical could ever back up into the drain pan.

No experience. Used water and vinegar once a month for 10 years and no problem. However I could tell the drain line seemed a little slow but was working. Next month also slow so I had the line professionally cleaned. Hopefully I can report back in another 10 years.

I clean my drain line in conjunction with my coffee pot. Once a month, I run a pot of water with vinegar through the coffee maker and then pour it down the HVAC drain.

The monthly cleaning of the coffee maker and then the AC drain line with vinegar and water is an excellent idea.

I was thinking the same thing!

Munn's used to recommend water and vinegar in the drain line, but they changed their recommendation to water only. I asked them about this, and they told me that Carrier does not recommend pouring vinegar in the condensate drain. Bleach is also not recommended.

Never had a line clog but we did have the overflow pump fail and the return air box below the condenser unit filled with a lot of water. The only way to fix it was to remove the condenser unit and rebuild and reinsulate the box. We decided to get a new AC system at that time.

I have new carrier unit so far my only complaint is no easy way to get panel off to access A coil and drain pan how mine set up. My old Trane unit had excess panel (wasn’t easy but accessible) that was accessible. The guy came for my free maintenance (for year) gave up. So I didn’t get the tablet installed. I’m eventually going to have to figure it out so I can inspect and clean A coils and pan cause crap will eventually build up.

Has anyone hooked up a line from hot water supply to "blast" clean that AC condensate line?

Yes, would require a backflow shutoff valve and a bit of plumbing. Surprised that AC installers haven't suggested this method ...but, agree that the monthly manual flush works just fine!