I would think it would be called a drain rooter. But 1/2" is a bit small to be rooted.
You may overestimate these clogs. They are not like your kitchen sink clog. They are typically like goo or jelly and only in one spot where the condensate traps, a kind of biofilm in 3D. Blowing it out gets rid of nearly all of it.
No there is no such tool. Blow the lines out. If the problem recurs during a single season then replace the traps (if present) or the lines if necessary. Bleach will cut the sludge, but I don't typically recommend it in an overhead situation.
hvacrmedic
This is Turtle.
Blow the plug out with compressed air or rod it out with a fish tape then. If you want to get rid of this problem for ever ? Put a cup of Clorox in the drain every 3 months and you will never have this problem again. if it has a plastic drain pan under the coil. Pour the Clorox in the pan and then close coil box. The Plug is just swimming pool alge that forms in the line like in swimming pools.
TURTLE
This afternoon, I came home to find a water leak coming from the the drip pan of our whole house AC unit in the attic. The drip pan is over flowing. It appears that the two drain lines are clogged.
I have been a long time reader of this news group, and I know that some people will say to blow them out with compressed air, but that will not "clean" them out, it will only blow a hole in the clog. I wantto clean them out completely. The drain pipes look to be 1/2 inch pvc. One looks like it would be about 20 feet long, and the other about 30 feet long.
Is there some kind of brush that is on the end of a flexable shaft that long that I can use? Where would you get such a tool, and what would it be called?
Thanks.
Dave
Also be sure you have good filters and they are changed regularly. You may need the coils cleaned as well.
Shop Vac
Here in Florida it is common to plumb a T in the drain line that is designed to allow you to put bleach in. This keeps it out of the pan. This problem is worse if there is not enough pitch in the drain line.
Preventative bleach solution a couple times a year should prevent recurrance once the stoppage is cleared. Blow it out or fish it with a line. Pure bleach is not needed and may affect joints in the line.
Assuming both ends are "open". or can be opened easily.
Grab a spool of fishing line or string and tie a piece of styrofoam just smaller than the pipe ID to it place it in one end, and hook up a vacuum cleaner at the other end.
SUCK the styrofoam through dragging the string behind it. When it comes out the other end it will likely push out any blockage with it. And you will have the string sticking out both ends
To be more certain, tie on a larger chunk of Styrofoam, and another string, and PULL it back and forth until it scrapes the inside gunk loose and pushes everything out.
Electricians have used this trick for years to get wiring through conduits that just wrap a fish tape in knots.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.