Bad odors can make a home uninhabitable. This makes the immediate tracing of the source of the odor important. However, a problem usually arises when the odors are not concentrated in a given room or area. In such cases, estimating the general direction of the smell is usually hard, something that it almost impossible to narrow down the likely problem areas. The fact that there are times when a home's main drain piping isn't always to blame only complicates things.
Mistakes in the installation of an air conditioning system are one of the most common causes of bad smells in a home that have nothing to do with a defective home main drain. Here is what you should know about how an air conditioner installation mistake can cause bad smells to invade your house and what you can do about it.
The direct connections mistake
There are times when homeowners use a home's main drain piping system to dispose the condensate that forms as a result of the air conditioning process. When doing so, they usually connect the air conditioner's condensate drain line directly to the main drain piping system. This is a mistake since the addition of the condensate drain line only creates an additional opening through which the contents of the piping can escape. As a result, any sewer gases in the main drain piping can travel up the condensate drain line and into the air conditioner. This is so especially if there is a blockage-caused increase in pressure within the system.
When these gases reach the central air conditioning system, they usually gain access to the air conditioner's air ducts. The extensive reach that these duct systems have added to the push that the air conditioner's fans provide usually guarantees the effective distribution of these gases throughout the home. This is one of the main reasons why you should suspect your air conditioning system if bad smells seem to be in every corner of your home.
Avoiding direct connections
Given the bad odor risks that direct connections between condensate drain lines and main drain piping systems come with, it is prudent to avoid using the main drain. The better option is to simply re-route the condensate drain line in such a way that it guides the water outside. Letting it flow to the ground will work just fine. However, to guarantee a less-messy condensate drainage process, it is advisable that you direct the drain line in such a way that it empties the water into the gutter system.
For more information, contact a business such as Allzone Air Conditioning & Heating Corp.
