When Should I Call a Plumber vs. an HVAC Technician?
Whether you’re having an issue with your water heater or air conditioner, you may wonder: who should I call for help, a plumber or an HVAC technician? There’s a fine line between the two sometimes, but we’re here to give you an example of when a plumber is a better choice, or at least a combination of the two.
Air Condensate Drain Lines
A big issue we’re encountering here at Plumb Star Plumbing this summer, probably due to many years of hot and humid weather, is that air conditioning condensate drain lines are filling with an algae “sludge”. This type of algae has the appearance of cooked oatmeal. It is not green because it does not come in contact with sunlight.
Every A/C unit has a condensate drain line or lines. These are usually plumbed into a bathroom lavatory sink or a utility (laundry room) sink. This algae rapidly grows in humidity, and when A/C units continuously run or turn on and off often. South Central Texas happens to be in the middle of a long, hot, and humid summer. So what happens when you run into this issue? Who do you call?
We understand it can be tricky. There is a fine line between needing an HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning) technician and a plumber. An HVAC technician usually takes care of this issue from the air conditioning unit pan and down the wall. However, sometimes these technicians don’t have the necessary equipment (drain machine and high pressurized air bottles) to clean out the condensate drain line properly.
Plumbers are always responsible for the drain line and P-trap at the sinks where algae build-up can cause clogs. A slow-draining sink should be a red flag. The algae build-up can cause a sink drain line to completely clog, which then can cause the sink to back up and overflow — EVEN when the sink water is not in use. The A/C condensation is draining, almost continually.
Unfortunately, this is NOT a “one and done” repair. This is a continual service need as we have weeks and weeks of hot, humid weather. Making things even more tricky is that it is possible that one house will never have an issue while other home owners have this problem arise regularly.
What About Water Heaters?
Another gray area is water heater repair. Most people know that plumbers work on plumbing systems, while HVAC technicians work on heating and cooling systems, but it can be tough to really know which category water heaters fall into. Due to the term “water heater,” it may sound like they would be part of your heating system and your plumbing system, which leads to some confusion.
HVAC technicians typically work on heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, including heat pumps, furnaces, air conditioners, ductwork, and thermostats. While their purpose is to heat water, water heaters are actually part of your plumbing system. Licensed plumbers should be the only ones working on your water heater, unless there was an emergency situation where the gas had to be shut off.
HVAC technicians generally don’t have anything to do with water heaters; that’s a plumber’s job. They can handle any issue that arises with a water heater, from leaks to inconsistent temperatures.
There are some instances where an electrician should actually be called in a water heater repair request. For example, if you have an electric water heater and your plumber determines that the issue is caused by lack of power to the system, an electrician can step in to further troubleshoot and diagnose the power failure. They can repair the power supply or provide installation of a new power supply to your electric water heater. That being said, the electrician does not work on the actual water heater – only the power supply going to it.
In the end, many HVAC and plumbing issues can pose a safety risk to your home or family. It’s important to call a plumber for any of the above issues, particularly the clogged AC condensate lines. Calling the right professional will ensure you get the targeted service you need to return your appliances back to their normal operating state.
Get a Free Quote From Plumb Star Plumbing
When in doubt, just call us at Plumb Star Plumbing. We can let you know if you need a plumber or if an HVAC technician would be better suited to your situation. For a free quote, contact us at (830) 981-8702.