Expert's Rating
Pros
- A streamlined, simple solution to keep your air conditioner’s drain line clear
- Installs in a matter of minutes
Cons
- For some, installation will require drilling into the air conditioner’s drain line
- Expensive consumables last only about 3 months
Our Verdict
iFlo keeps your air conditioning free of Zooglea, which can plug its drain line and lead to significant water damage, but the system depends on expensive consumables.
Best Prices Today: iFlo Smart Automated A/C Drain Line Cleaner
Central air conditioning is increasingly indispensable in this overheated, modern world, but anyone living with one can tell you what happens when an air conditioner’s drain line gets plugged up, leading to a drain pan overflow. When that happened to serial inventor Joe McDonnell, the overflow filled his walls with gunk, causing thousands of dollars of damage.
The event lead him to create the iFlo Smart Automated A/C Drain Line Cleaner reviewed here, which is designed to combat a common issue with air conditioning systems: the growth of Zooglea, a goo-like bacteria that thrives in humid air conditioning systems and which is known for clogging A/C drain lines. Zooglea—commonly referred to as “drain snot”—can form quickly. Rather than dealing with a minor leak or slow drain, homeowners can be faced with an abrupt overflow of gallons of condensate that shows no signs of stopping.
The beauty of iFlo is that it dispenses drain cleaner automatically, on an intelligent schedule, and only when the time is right.
What is the iFlo Smart Automated A/C Drain Line Cleaner?
The brains of the system dispenses the drain-cleaning fluid into your air conditioner’s condensate drain line.
The brains of the system dispenses the drain-cleaning fluid into your air conditioner’s condensate drain line.
Christopher Null/Foundry
The brains of the system dispenses the drain-cleaning fluid into your air conditioner’s condensate drain line.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Christopher Null/Foundry
iFlo is a DIY kit that requires some level of comfort mucking around with your HVAC system, but Joe McDonnell promises you can complete the installation in less than five minutes. The app haltingly steps you through the process, but I found watching tiny embedded videos on my phone to be less instructive than simply watching this 97-second tutorial on YouTube. The textual version: Determine where the iFlo mounting bracket should go based on proximity to the system’s PVC drain line. Attach the adhesive-backed mounting plate to the air handler, then connect the included flexible plastic tubing to the drain line.
If you have an open or capped drain line pipe, you can simply attach the included adapter directly to this pipe and run the flexible tubing to that adapter. If you don’t, you’ll need to drill a hole in the drain line and connect a different adapter for it to work, which is a slightly more daunting process. All the tools you need for both operations (apart from a drill) are included in the box. Fortunately, I was able to use the (easier) first method; however, I did need to mount the iFlo hardware on top of various warning stickers on my HVAC unit because there was no unobstructed space where the tubing would reach.
With the tubing attached, the nearly final step is to connect the iFlo device to the mounting plate and connect the flexible tubing between the iFlo and the adapter in your drain line. Lastly, the bottle of iFlo bio-enzymatic cleaning liquid connects to the iFlo dispenser hardware, which is powered by four AA batteries. (Pro tip: You need to twist the bottle harder than you’d think to get it securely sealed into the system.) After scanning a QR code on the bottle with the iFlo app, you’re ready to start dispensing the magic juice into your A/C system.
How does it work?
The iFlo system is easiest to install if your air conditioner has either an open or capped drain line.
The iFlo system is easiest to install if your air conditioner has either an open or capped drain line.
Christopher Null/Foundry
The iFlo system is easiest to install if your air conditioner has either an open or capped drain line.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Christopher Null/Foundry
The beauty of iFlo—and, in fact, its only real “smart” feature—is that it does this dispensing automatically, on an intelligent schedule, and only when the time is right. I installed the system in January, but after registering information about the location of my home, the iFlo app noted that it would not make its first dispensation until mid-March. Why? Because of geolocation features that track temperature and humidity: iFlo knows that the A/C isn’t running right now, so there’s no real chance for Zooglea to build up in my drainage system. Once the air conditioning begins running and the humidity hits 75 percent—the magic number, according to Joe McDonnell—then the iFlo cleaner will start flowing on a roughly once-every-three-weeks schedule.
The bad news is that a 36-ounce bottle of cleaner is only good for 3 months. I have two air conditioning systems, one of which is in a very difficult to access spot in the attic, so I opted to skip installing iFlo on it and instead chose an easily accessible A/C unit located in a ground floor closet. For me, the risk of an overflow was simply not equal to the hassle (and personal risk) of climbing up to the attic several times a year to replace the iFlo cleaning fluid. After this article was published, iFlo introduced a 6-month-supply cartridge for $45.
The iFlo app manages the solution-dispensing calendar; apart from that, it’s really just a portal for buying replacement cartridges.
The iFlo app manages the solution-dispensing calendar; apart from that, it’s really just a portal for buying replacement cartridges.
Christopher Null/Foundry
The iFlo app manages the solution-dispensing calendar; apart from that, it’s really just a portal for buying replacement cartridges.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Christopher Null/Foundry
If you choose to do any manual dispensing—by holding down the button on the front of the iFlo for a few seconds—you’ll spend even more. To be sure, $45 per year is a lot cheaper than replacing drywall and carpet due to an air conditioning leak, but if your system isn’t prone to backups, this might not be all that important. You can also simply buy some A/C drain line cleaner and squirt it into the drain line whenever you feel the need. Note that iFlo’s cleaning solution will only work with its hardware unless you somehow hack open the custom dispenser on the bottle.
Should you buy the iFlo Smart Automated A/C Drain Line Cleaner?
While iFlo today is a little one-note, Joe McDonnell says that he hopes to outfit it down the road with additional features through a connector to your HVAC system that can monitor performance, detect condensate overflows, and more. While the iFlo is wired with extra connectors that are presently unused, connecting them to your air system will probably require some level of professional involvement. I’ll report back with an update when that day arrives. Until then, I’m happy to enjoy a Zooglea-free air conditioning system, at least in half my house.
Updated, May 10, 2024: iFlo now offers its drain line cleaner in a larger bottle that should last 6 months.
Correction, January 31, 2024: iFlo was invented by Joe McDonnell, not Joe McDonald, as originally reported. We regret the error.
Best Prices Today: iFlo Smart Automated A/C Drain Line Cleaner
Author: Christopher Null, Freelance Contributor
Christopher Null is a veteran technology and business journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive, PCWorld, and Wired, and operates the websites Drinkhacker and Film Racket.