Domestic Disasters: If Your Pipes Start Leaking Pink Slime, Here’s What It Means

Welcome to Domestic Disasters, where we take a look at some of your worst mess-ups and grossest finds. We take them to the experts to find out how big of a problem they are and how expensive they are to fix.

Nicole and Michael live in Tampa, Florida, a famously hot and humid city. The home is their first experience as homeowners, and they had no idea just how much there was to learn about all the nuances of homeownership until they were thrown into the middle of a mysterious issue with their AC.

One summer day, Nicole and Michael’s AC went on the fritz. One minute, it was working fine; the next moment, that humid Florida heat was making itself known. There wasn’t any air coming out of the system at all, just frustrating silence. After checking all the central points of their system, they went outside to inspect the AC drainpipe and were shocked by what they found. Bubbling up out of the pipe was what Nicole described as a “disgusting pink goo that looked like snot.” A quick Reddit search reveals the situation is not uncommon.

What is this pink goo leaking out of my upstairs neighbor’s AC drain? It is also leaking into my roommate’s carpet on the other side of the wall.
by u/Slunchi in whatisthisthing

What They Tried

Nicole had never seen anything like this “pink slimy-sludge” before.  She and Michael first suspected it might be a bacterial growth caused by mold buildup, and neither had any clue that it was directly connected to why the AC shut off.

Nicole discovered, through a quick Google search, that her central HVAC unit apparently had an emergency shutoff valve switch. If the AC drain pan fills, the switch trips and shuts off the whole system to prevent overflow and flooding. The pink sludge had clogged the drain, triggering the AC shutoff. Nicole reckons that without that valve, she never would have noticed the problem, and it would have gotten far worse, probably including water damage to her ceilings.

This problem is pretty gross, and it’s not the kind of thing any homeowner wants to deal with. But “Michael and I are a team,” Nicole says, so they set to work to fix it together. They started by unclogging the outdoor AC drain by flushing it out with their garden hose. Once the buildup was cleared, Michael flushed the other end of the drain with vinegar. And that was that; the AC started working again. Because this fixed the problem, the couple was able to fix the whole issue on their own, quickly, for practically no money at all. But did they fix it the right way?

A Pro Weighs In

We spoke to Josh Mitchell, an HVAC technician with Air Conditioner Lab, to weigh in on Nicole and Michael’s pink sludge. What is it? What caused it? And did they get rid of it in the best way possible?

Mitchell explains that the pink “sludgy slime” Nicole and Michael experienced was “almost certainly bacterial biofilm buildup in the condensate drain line.”

In hot, humid climates, AC systems both cool spaces and remove much of the moisture from the air. “That moisture mixes with dust and organic debris inside the drain line. Over time, bacteria grow and form a pink or orange slime,” says Mitchell.

For anyone who might experience this calamity, be reassured: “This buildup doesn’t usually pose a direct health risk,” Mitchell says. But he cautions that “it is very effective at clogging drain lines and triggering system shutdowns.” That’s what happened to Nicole and Michael.

The slime is frustrating and gross, but on its own, not a major problem. “The real danger comes from what happens next,” Mitchell warns. “When the drain line blocks, water backs up into the overflow pan. Most modern systems have a float switch that shuts the unit off to prevent flooding, which explains why the AC stopped suddenly.” What you really need to worry about is the integrity of those safety measures. “If that safety fails or is bypassed,” he says, “water can spill into ceilings, walls, insulation, or flooring. That is where repair costs rise fast.”

 The Panic Meter

We rank Domestic Disasters on a four-point scale.

• Do It Yourself: The easiest issues to fix. You can handle it all on your own.
• Phone a Friend: This issue might require a little outside assistance,
• Call a Pro: This situation warrants professional assistance.
• SOS: Problems that are so dangerous, you’re directly at risk of injury or worse.

This kind of problem lands differently on the panic scale depending on how early it’s caught. According to Mitchell, it generally lands between “Do It Yourself” and “Call a Pro.”

“If caught early, a homeowner who knows where the drain line access point is can handle it,” he begins. However, Mitchell warns that “once water has backed up or damage has started, it becomes a professional job.” Fortunately, this is rarely the kind of problem that maxes out our scale at an “SOS” level. It will only get there “when overflow causes electrical damage or widespread water intrusion.”

The Cost Differential

The cost to address this issue varies quite a bit depending on when it’s addressed as well. According to Mitchell, “fixing it early costs almost nothing. Vinegar, hot water, or a wet-dry vacuum usually solves it.”

If you have these around your home, you can fix the problem without spending a dime. If you let it linger, or opt to call in a professional right away, you should be aware that that drain-cleaning visit will probably run you between $150 and $300. (You can find quotes from local services easily online from sites such as Angi.)

This is the kind of problem you want to fix as soon as possible, both for home safety and for financial reasons. Mitchell warns that “ignoring it can lead to a need for a new pan, drywall repair, insulation replacement, or mold remediation. That can push costs into the $800 to $1,500 range, sometimes higher.”

How to Fix It (the Right Way)

If you catch this issue quickly, you can absolutely repair it yourself. Mitchell says that “if it happened to me, I would start by vacuuming the outdoor drain line to pull the blockage out instead of pushing it deeper.” From there, “flush from the indoor access point with warm water and follow with distilled vinegar.” After the drain is clear, “inspect and clean the trap, reset the float switch and replace the air filter.” And finally, “if the system didn’t already have a drain pan treatment option, I would add one.”

Nicole and Michael’s instincts in addressing the issue were overall sound. “Flushing with a garden hose cleared the immediate blockage and vinegar helped break down the remaining growth,” Mitchell confirms. If you run into this problem, however, there is one thing he recommends you do differently. “Pull debris out with a vacuum first, when possible, rather than relying solely on pushing water through.”

 How to Prevent Pink Mold

Just because you can usually fix this yourself doesn’t mean you want to end up in that situation. Fortunately, preventing the blockage is simple,” says Mitchell. “But it requires consistency.”

If you live in a humid area, he recommends “pouring 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar into the condensate line every 30 to 60 days during the cooling season.” Additionally, you should “make sure the drain line slopes properly and doesn’t sag. If water sits in the pipe, bacteria multiply faster.” For roughly $20 per year or less, you can get condensate treatment tablets for your drain pan to help as well.

Airflow is something else you need to think about. Mitchell says that since dust can feed bacterial growth, you need to keep your filters clean. “When filters are clogged or return vents are blocked, airflow slows down.”

This is an annoyance, but it’s also leaving you vulnerable to issues. Mitchell explains that slower airflow “leaves the evaporator coil damp for longer than it should be, which encourages biological growth.”

Make sure you’re cleaning your filters regularly and changing them according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Mitchell closes by saying, “Keeping airflow steady helps the system dry out properly between cycles, making it harder for that slime to build up again.”

What Nicole and Michael Learned

Nicole learned several things through this Domestic Disaster. Now she knows “this is a very common issue [in Florida] because it’s so humid … I’ve added AC line maintenance into my regular routine.” The biggest lesson of all this, however, is just how important it is to know where things like your AC drain, breaker panel, shutoff valves and the like are. “This is how I figured out where all of those things are.”

Her advice to others is to prioritize familiarizing themselves with all of the essential parts of their home. It makes troubleshooting much easier and can save you money in the long run. If you can find the source of the issue fast, you can avert further damage and may not need to call in a professional.

About the Expert

Josh Mitchell is an HVAC technician and the founder of Air Conditioner Lab.

The post Domestic Disasters: If Your Pipes Start Leaking Pink Slime, Here’s What It Means appeared first on Family Handyman.

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