"Mucus" or "scum" plugging bathroom drain every 2 months, no odor.

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Ron Oh!

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I'm 70 and have never seen anything like this. It appears something biological grows in a bathroom sink drain, p-trap and waste line and plugs it about every 2 months. Small auger removes it. It does not have an odor. it feels slippery and dries to a thin paper like consistency, not TP through. It has a little surface tension when I pinch it, it gives way to break apart easily. It stays together pretty well until physically disturbed. It is in both sides of the P-Trap. The sink has the condensation drain line from the Air Conditioner running into it, but the AC and the drain line are clear. It has been present all the way up to the sink pop up pivot rod but only once. Usually starts a little lower and goes all the way out the waste line. What in the world! See photos. Thanks, Ron
 

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John Gayewski

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Sounds like "snot" from the condensation lines. For whatever reason (I've been told it's the aluminum coils that cause this) condensate from ac will have a slimy consistency which is why, the pre fab traps that are becoming very popular around my area, come with a brush meant to clean the trap.

You probably have enough velocity to keep the condensate pipes clean just from self scouring but the trap is a slower go and the snot needs cleaned.
 

WorthFlorida

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John is right. You'll need to get the AC coils throughly cleaned. Most of this stuff does grows in the condensate drain pan (right under the coils). This summer being hotter than normal and higher humidity levels, the AC is working overtime.

It is difficult to clean and takes a lot of patience. If you don't have the budget to get it professionally cleaned, you can start with chlorine. Dilute laundry bleach about 1 part bleach to four parts water. You'll need to remove the access panel from the air handler, pour it into the drain pan slowly and allow it to drain. Do not attempt to spray bleach on the coils since they are usually aluminum. I'll block the drain to allow the solution to fill up the drain pan since they are tilted toward the drain lines. After ten minutes or so unblock the drain. Depending on how bad the scum is, you may need to fill the drain pan a few times. After wards just pour plain water into the drain pan as a rinse.

Occasionally fill the bathroom sink with hot water with a little bleach, then let it drain to flush any build up in the trap.

AC unit takes maintenance and most never bother to look it over, not even changing filters often enough.
 

Ron Oh!

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Sounds like "snot" from the condensation lines. For whatever reason (I've been told it's the aluminum coils that cause this) condensate from ac will have a slimy consistency which is why, the pre fab traps that are becoming very popular around my area, come with a brush meant to clean the trap.

You probably have enough velocity to keep the condensate pipes clean just from self scouring but the trap is a slower go and the snot needs cleaned.
Thanks John. Snot is a very good description of the goop I'm cleaning out of the drain.
 

Ron Oh!

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John is right. You'll need to get the AC coils throughly cleaned. Most of this stuff does grows in the condensate drain pan (right under the coils). This summer being hotter than normal and higher humidity levels, the AC is working overtime.

It is difficult to clean and takes a lot of patience. If you don't have the budget to get it professionally cleaned, you can start with chlorine. Dilute laundry bleach about 1 part bleach to four parts water. You'll need to remove the access panel from the air handler, pour it into the drain pan slowly and allow it to drain. Do not attempt to spray bleach on the coils since they are usually aluminum. I'll block the drain to allow the solution to fill up the drain pan since they are tilted toward the drain lines. After ten minutes or so unblock the drain. Depending on how bad the scum is, you may need to fill the drain pan a few times. After wards just pour plain water into the drain pan as a rinse.

Occasionally fill the bathroom sink with hot water with a little bleach, then let it drain to flush any build up in the trap.

AC unit takes maintenance and most never bother to look it over, not even changing filters often enough.
Thanks much WorthFlorida. I had put a weak solution of bleach down the sink drain and plugged it for several days. Understood on cleaning the coils. It looks like a pain to get to them on this unit, but that's the next step I'll take when it gets a bit cooler in the attic! Appreciate your thoughts on this.
 
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