Best reason to put drain holes in window AC

I put 1/4 drain holes in corners of AC next to condenser so condensate can drain and not cause rust. This is the first time I found slime in AC. The slime stopped condensate form draining out the small holes. Water level was about an inch, you can see the rust, and the slinger on the condenser fan couldn't evaporate the condensate.

I make drain holes 1/2 inch and washed the slime out. What would cause AC slime? Never had that happen before. I take all my window units used in rentals apart each spring, bleach them to remove all mold before installing them. Slime in 4 months is a first.

I included mold I found inside a unit a friend brought me. He never has his sanitized, which I recommend to do annually unless you are a smoker. I have never found mold inside an AC is tenant smokes. Instead AC is covered with brown tar/nicotine. I guess no respectful mold wants anything to do with cigarettes.

Slime comes from a mixture of the water condensate, along with whatever other debris gets caught in it; insects (especially if looking for water) that get hit by the fan blade, pollen, dust, even mold from leaves.

We had skeeters so bad one year that a brand new A/C was trashed within 2 weeks due to the skeeters getting in there and being sliced-n-diced. Made a huge and very bloody mess that really began to smell wonderful when baking in the hot sun! :shock:

I've seen spiders and their webs, june bugs, Asian beetles, frogs, and at the last place, even those small lizards. No lizards up here that I know of - only the occasional salamander.

george, someday we gotta get together and swap landlording stories. some of my tenant were or are doozies!!!

Renter is moving out next week, house goes on the market already have a buyer ...

I install a fine screen over the exterior intake side of window conditioners to keep bugs out and also drill drain holes to drain condensation, seems to keep the units clean with these modifications.

You might consider the slope of the drain pan. I lived in a lot of places where you ran aircon 24/7 for 365 days a year, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines.

I think the slime comes from an accusation of dust, insects, and so forth, added the humidity, and a flat tray, somethin has to grow.

Change the pan a bit, 20-30 degrees to outlet port. Even like that, I have to have aircons serviced every 6 months on the place in Philippines.

Some Manufactures used the Condensate, in helping remove the heat from the condenser, in those cases a
slinger ring was attached to the condenser fan blade and whipped the water into the condenser coil, it
may have allowed the units to run in an elevated ambient temperature, so by draining the moisture away
you actually in the above mentioned case could shorten the Air-conditioner life, mold is never a good
thing within anyone"s respiratory system so the water was meant to drain into the condenser area and be
removed by evaporation, not saying yours shown is like I mentioned only that it is not a one size fits
all approach to condensate removal on a Window Unit

I use window screen too. Have for years. Great way to keep critters and lint out of condenser. This is the first time I've seen slime. First time slime choked up my 1/4 inch drain holes and slime formed in about 4 months.

I posted this to show people they need to take their window units apart annually, clean and sanitize.

My older brother managed a HVAC business in Florida. He saw all different colors of slime inside AC's. I forget what color of slime he said was the dangerous color that you should run away from.
geo

Glennster,

I could write a book on all the things I've seen. When I went to college in 67 housing was in shortage, so I had to buy a place to live in. I instantly had roommates. So I became a landlord at a young age. Politicians said I couldn't rely on SS being there. So that was the beginning of becoming a landlord. My first rental paid for the next one and so on. When I retired 13 years ago I had 12 rentals, all paid for. I'm now down to 8 and would like to continue to downsize, but my rental income exceeds my SS. It also gives me something to do. As long as I'm healthy I guess I may become the oldest landlord in Terre Haute.

In Indiana we have DOXPOP.com. It's downloaded to my smart phone. Anyone can use it to look at a person's history for free. It only tells you if court cases are civil, criminal, defendant, complainant, garnishee defendant. My lawyer will dig deeper if I want, for $10. DOXPOP is what lawyers pay for and use. It tells if a person got a speeding ticket or busted for drugs. Very nice thing use. Keeps the losers out.

Another thing I do is make prospective tenants show me their last pay stubs. Really puts an end to people telling me they have a JOB and they don't.

Red flag, woman only gets custody of her kids every other weekend. Can't prove income. Claims she is divorced and can't show proof of child support. The more tattoos, more red flags.

Have to stop, I could write a book on tenants. I will say I have found good ones. My Oldest tenants, 20, 15, 12 and 10 years. Rarely even see them. Rents are paid on time, mailed in or put under my front door. I rarely talk to them unless they need something fixed.
geo

Impossible to angle window AC 30 degrees.
It had proper tilt so no water leaked
Inside. Slim prevented condensate from
draining or evaporating.

George, that slime is a real problem here, in central air units that by city code must be drained into sanitary sewer system. Old homes just drained it out onto lawn, but current codes require the connection to sewer plumbing. For reasons that I can not explain, the "old house" condensate drains never, over decades, clog, but these "to code" drains very regularly clog. If in early stages, it is slime, but over a long period of time it is similar to atherosclerosis. The stuff hardens to a mortar like substance on walls of the drain pipes and will be impossible to remove.
I have had it completely clog 1 1/4 inch size drains! Have to replace pipes.

Jessie,
I've had a central in basement for 40 years. It has
a small condensate pump. Like a small sump pump. It
pumps the water up about 5 ft then over to basement
drain. 1/2 flex plastic hose. Never had a problem
with slime or anything in 40 years.

I think the first time I ever heard of Legionnaires?
disease happened at Indiana University and it was
linked to air conditioner. Killed a few people form
the american legion convention.

Recently on local news they showed a pic of the
central air in a girl's dorm at Indiana University.
It was covered with mold. Girls were complaining it
made them sick.

We had a local high school that was full of mold
when school started last year. School was too cheap
to run AC in the summer and all the carpet had to be
replaced.

geo