Easiest way to keep A/C drip pan from filling up?

Bleach down the drain. Check the inside coil to see if its dirty. If it is you made need to clean it.

Get your drain pipe clean.

Don't just pour bleach if it's clogged as it can damage the pvc if it just sits. You can use vinegar but if it's clogged it won't likely fix it. Use a shop vac to suck out the water from the pan and then use it to blow air through the drain pipe.

I had this problem last week. After doing all of this, I was still having water back up so I called my AC guy. He used a co2 cartridge to clean the line and was there for like 5 minutes. Cost me $20.

Do you have an air compressor? The AC guy will probably put an air hose in the drain pipe and blast it clear.

Put a towel over the drains in nearby showers/baths that could be connected. Otherwise you may blow gunk on the ceiling.

After it is clear, start pouring bleach in it monthly to avoid buildup.

Extremely timely thread, as mine overfilled yesterday afternoon and started dripping through the air filter grate in the hallway. I went up in the attic to scope it out and found that the drain pipe had something small thrown on top of it, keeping it at an angle where the gravity-feed wouldn't work. So I fixed that, but since the water had been sitting stagnant in the pipe so long it clogged up.

Eta- I wrote the next part before reading the entire thread, obviously

I'm thinking my next move will be somewhat ghetto/genius, as I plan on going outside to the drain outlet and adapting the shop vac to suction it out, like emptying a fish tank. Any reason this would be a bad idea?

That s not the drip pan, to the emergency pan. It only get wiser when something else is wrong. Either you have a leak in the primary pan or you have a clogged condensate drain line.

If you have a wet vac you can try to suck the trap clean. Depending on what is in the trap you may need to cut it out and build another if it won't blow out or suck clean. As others have stated pour bleach into it every somoften to keep it clean.

Had this problem once. I actually used an pool algaecide and poured it into my drain line. This may solve you problem and it may not. My issue was in the a trap in the wall, not the small one near my AC. The setup from the AC to the drain line was kind of crappy, I re-plumbed it, haven't had issues since. It is also possible that it is trash in the line from dirty coils, etc.

If it is algae. you could add these to the evaporator pan (not the overflow pan) to help prevent algae growth. Air Conditioner Pan Cleaner Tablets

Chlorine bleach. One cap full ought to do it.

Your drip line is clogged, as you probably know. Get some compressed air and spray the air through the line to unclog it. Just payed a fricking AC guy $150 to watch him fix it in 3 minutes.

just spent last 2 days clearing the clog in my drain line. bleach and patience