It doesn't need to be that complex. Just shoot it with some vinegar
UPDATE
DIY Dispensing Pump hardware is ready and tested positive;
By spec pump rate should be 220mL/Min
Measured average rate is 160mL/100sec
I guess, the minimal reasonable run time should be around 2 sec. This will dispense on average around 3.2mL of White Vinegar into AC Drain. I will start with dispensing this 3.2mL of Vinegar on a daily basis. This is about 100mL or one half cup a month which is recommended dispensing volume. I do believe small amount daily is much better than one big shot monthly.
Tomorrow this DIY Toy wll be installed.
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I have a very hard time to understand how blower can/will be useful. For the blower to work the line must be very well sealed. Otherwise the required pressure will not be created. But sealed line will be absolutely useless for the primary use case reason which is draining condensate from a pan.
Just some engineering notes.
The vinegar tube should be installed relatively tight into the condensate line. You don't want to pull a bunch of air through the condensate line if the tube fits loose. Even just a piece of duct tape should be enough.
Your rate may change depending on the level of the vinegar bottle relative to the discharge. If bottle is on floor and has to pump up 3 feet it will be different than if they are near the same level.
Install the bottle at a lower elevation than the discharge tube so that once the pump stops it doesn't continue to siphon all the vinegar into the drain line.
The drain line will be under a small negative pressure because of the AC fan. This means when the fan is running, it could dispense more vinegar than when it is not running because of reduced head pressure.
This is probably just nit picky because anything is better than nothing, but 3.2mL is a very small amount. If you're starting out with a clean pipe this may be ok. I think a larger shot once a week would be more effective. If your AC is running, the vinegar will be diluted as it is added. An AC unit can condense 5-20 gallons per day in the summer(lots of variables). Let's say it does 15 gallons per day. That's 39mL per minute of water down the condensate tube.
Here is a link to the Complete Project thread.
The connection is pretty much sealed (see the picture in the above link) but this makes very little sense. First - drain-to-pan connection cannot be sealed. And what the problem is to add vinegar into vertical open drain end which is present for specifically this reason?
Peristaltic pump has always the same dispense rate by design. When stopped peristaltic pump is very well sealed, again by design.
Again, this is not a case for the peristaltic pumps.
The rule is programmed to dispense around 5mL daily and 150mL once a month. Total monthly vinegar dispense will be around 300mL. This should do the right job (I hope).
And yes, line is clean.
I am in South Florida and AC is running non stop all around the clock 24/365. I have no idea what is a daily amount of condensate but I am sure, it is far less than a gallon (but I could be wrong).
I did not see that you're using a peristaltic pump. You are correct on this front.
If we are talking about the air handler unit that is inside your home, then yes the drain pan is sealed to the air handler and sealed to the condensate drain which has "P" trap which basically seals it from the end of the condensate drain. It is sealed so that the only air that gets to the coil goes through your filter and is clean.
The cleanout on a condensate drain is supposed to have a loose fitting cap for this reason.
If you are in Florida, I would bet money that your unit is condensing around 20 gallons per day from April to October.
Just trying to help.
Understand, and Thank you! I do appreciate any ideas and opinions.
The humidity in my apartment (around 55%) is very consistent around the year. Outside humidity is between 75%-95%. I don't have an ability to measure the amount of condensate but 20G/D (this is approximately 1G/H) seems to be to much.
What kind of air-conditioning system does each apartment have? FCU?
If FCU means "Fan Coil Unit" than yes, FCU is in many (but not all) apartment buildings.
