Georgetown Hard Water Note: Georgetown draws from the Edwards Aquifer, one of the hardest water sources in Texas. This means AC drain lines accumulate mineral scale significantly faster than in Austin or Round Rock. Annual drain cleaning is strongly recommended here.
Condensate Drain Services
Clear blocked AC drain lines with pressurized flush and vacuum, the most common summer service call in Georgetown.
Repair cracked, disconnected, or improperly pitched drain lines causing leaks or improper drainage.
Clear and flush condensate P-traps that accumulate sludge and cause drain restriction or float switch trips.
Chemical treatment of drain lines to dissolve biofilm and mineral scale buildup, recommended for Georgetown's hard water.
Drain Pans, Pumps & Safety Devices
Install properly configured P-traps to maintain the water seal required for correct drain system function.
Install float switches that shut down the system if the drain pan fills, prevents water damage from drain backups.
Install secondary drain pans under attic air handlers, required by code and essential for protecting Georgetown ceilings.
Replace cracked or rusted drain pans before they leak into ceilings or cause structural damage.
Install or repair condensate pumps for systems that can't gravity-drain, basements, closets, and attic systems without nearby drain access.
Install condensate neutralizers for high-efficiency furnaces and heat pumps that produce acidic condensate.
Emergency response for active water leaks from HVAC drain pans, stop water damage before it spreads.
Moisture Control & Water Leak Services
Comprehensive HVAC moisture management, condensate drainage, humidity control, and insulation assessment.
Full condensate drainage system evaluation and repair, drain lines, trap, pan, float switch, and pump.
Balance system moisture removal for consistent indoor humidity levels in Georgetown's humid climate.
Identify and address condensation problems on HVAC components, ductwork, and supply registers.
Preventive treatments and insulation improvements to eliminate recurring condensation issues.
Diagnose and repair all causes of water leaks from indoor air handler units, drain, coil, or housing.
Address water pooling around outdoor units, improper drainage, defrost water, or refrigerant issues.
Code and the Georgetown Attic
A secondary drain pan is a backup pan installed beneath the entire air handler, not just under the coil like the primary pan, specifically for installations located above living space where a leak would otherwise drip directly into a ceiling below. Building codes adopted throughout Central Texas, including Georgetown, generally require either a secondary pan with its own independent drain line, a water-detection float switch, or both, for any air handler installed in an attic or other space above finished ceiling.
The secondary pan's job is straightforward, catch anything the primary drainage system fails to handle, whether that is condensate overflowing a cracked primary pan, water from a disconnected fitting, or overflow from a clogged primary line, and route it somewhere visible before it ever reaches the ceiling drywall. That routing is a design detail that matters more than people expect, the secondary pan's own drain line should terminate somewhere obvious and easily noticed, commonly through a small pipe that exits at a roof eave or soffit where a homeowner would actually see water dripping. A secondary pan that drains quietly into another concealed space defeats the entire purpose of having a visible early warning.
Sizing and installation require the pan to extend under the full footprint of the air handler and its connections, not just the coil section, since a leak from any part of the unit, the blower housing, an electrical connection, or a refrigerant line fitting, should still be caught by the secondary pan below. We typically install pans in the same materials discussed for primary pan replacement, galvanized steel or molded composite, sized specifically to the unit's footprint with adequate clearance and proper pitch toward its own drain outlet.
Georgetown's attic air handlers see more of this kind of installation than homes in cooler climates simply because the region's hot summers make attic space a practical location for equipment that would otherwise take up living space, and virtually every subdivision built here over the past few decades includes some homes with attic-mounted systems. For homes where we find an attic unit with no secondary pan at all, often older construction predating current code requirements, retrofitting one is a straightforward and relatively affordable way to close a real gap in water damage protection, particularly valuable given how much ceiling and insulation damage a single unnoticed primary pan failure can cause over even a few days.
Frequently Asked Questions, Secondary Attic Drain Pan Installation
AC Water Leak or Drain Backup?
Don't wait on water damage. We respond same-day for drainage emergencies.