Water stays in AC condensate pan (mildew odor)

I live in an apartment and the AC they have installed has a condensate pan below the coils that drip from condensation. The drain for the pan is located on the side of the pan towards the bottom but there is a slight lip allowing about 1/6" of water to remain in the pan without draining. I have been told by the maintenance people that this is normal and to be expected, however I am beginning to smell mildew and the insulation on the inside of the unit is filthy.

Can someone please let me know how I should proceed with this situation?

Thanks

Reply to
wilcoj
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Lowes sells a package of blue chlorine tablets that you drop in the standing water and it keeps the smell down and also stops your AC drain from clogging up with algae growth.

Reply to
JimL

I don't know how "normal" it is, but you can improve the situation. Pour in a bucket of water, slowly, to flush out the pan and be sure the drain is clear. Then pour in a quart of water with a capful of bleach to keep it from stinking.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Is this a window unit , new units I thought were designed to hold water, it makes them more efficient splashing the water up onto the coil. If it has a drain clean it so it drains, spraying laundry bleach will kill mold if that is what it is.

Reply to
m Ransley

This is an indoor unit, the compressor parts are located outdoors, and the coils are inside where air is sucked up from the bottom, through the coils, and then to the vents. The pan is sort of like a square shape with the center allowing airflow.

The problem is the maintenance guy flushed the drain and cleared the enterance to it, but because of how the hole and pvc attach to the side of the pan, there is a certain amount that will never drain. The pan is designed to be mounted horizontally. I already had him try shiming it slightly in the rear but it hasnt been enough to get rid of the 1/6" deep pool.

Reply to
wilcoj

Aside from the water standing in the pan, the "filthy" insulation may pose a larger threat to you. The dirty insulation makes a great breeding ground for mold growth (as you can tell). When the blower starts up, it flings all the mold spores out into the living space.

These folks are selling services, but they have some good info and pics to go with:

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Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

I called the maintenance supervisor today and told him it was still smelling. He is supposed to get back to me today on having a contractor come out to do duct cleaning. My primary concern is getting the insulation cleaned (or replaced) that surrounds the coils. It's really nasty looking and smells bad.

I'm also > snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:

Reply to
wilcoj

When my daughter had an AC installed, the guy gave her some slow dissolving bleach tablets to put in the condensate pan a couple times a season. They fit through the drain fitting. Toilet bleach tablets like Clorox would also work if you have access to the pan.

Reply to
Frank K.

AND .. .. those very same tablets have been known to eat right thru a galvanized drain pan .. .. shim it some more 'till it drains to your satisfaction .. .. it will do absolutely no harm .. .. the pan's only purpose is to collect the condensate and route it to the drain.

Frank K. wrote:

Reply to
Anonymous

Speedy Jim wrote in news:TIwrg.127473$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com:

Wasn't it a hotel AC unit/tower/air handler that was discovered to be the source of Legionnaires' disease back 30 yrs ago or so?

Reply to
Al Bundy

Yes almost exactly 30 years. In 1976 the American Legion held their convention in Philadelphia. A few of the convention attendees dies from the before unknown disease. It was in a rooftop cooling tower.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

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