Indoor Air Conditioning
Drain Protection Device
Or “Float Switch”
Your Home Air Conditioning Float Switch’s Purpose
When you get a new air conditioning system in your home, remember that not all estimates to install a new air conditioning unit are equal. Some estimates are full of extra stuff to rack up the bill. Some air conditioning companies just put install the minimum and do not feel responsible for the rest of your system, like your ductwork or other items that are not part of your equipment. You need to find the right company that will not upsell you on unnecessary items that you might not need but also make sure to install the items that will make the difference.
Notice the wire coming from the body of the white PVC pipe. This is the float switch.
The indoor air conditioning system drain overflow protection device is one of those must have add-on’s. This device has one purpose and it is very important in almost all residential and light commercial applications. That is to make sure no water flows out of the unit due to a clogged drain line. This seems simple but drain lines clog up on a regular basis on your homes air conditioning system.
Imagine that you have just left your home for a three day weekend at the beach. You and your whole family left the house but you are only 4 hours away from home. You return on Monday to find your air conditioning system has a clogged drain and it is leaking from the attic. It must have started on the day you left because it seems that there is a ton of water. The ceiling has collapsed on top of the piano on the wood floors and it was on the second floor. So that means the ceiling, downstairs underneath the piano, has also fallen and damaged your brand new hand carved wooden kitchen table. Also, yes you did have wood floors in the kitchen that were damaged. Does this sound like a situation that you would like to avoid? Well tons of homes in the Dallas area are damaged in just this way every summer. The average residential air conditioning system in the summertime can make anywhere between 10-15 gallons of water every day. That is a lot of potential damage!!
Inside the white PVC that the condensation your new home air conditioning system is traveling down, we install this oversized T. The top of this T is where the float switch sits. This is an electronic switch that has a piece of foam attached that will float when the water inside the pipe rises. This is easier shown than described so i have a picture of the actual situation in the attic below. Look how the water comes out of the air conditioning system and then flows under the foam and cuts off the unit if it backs up higher. All that is needed after that is simple maintenance.
