Baby, I need some SUCTION! How to get it?

Ha! An ordinary household help thread; were you expecting something different?! :-D

The condensate pipe from my central air conditioner is apparently clogged. This is a PVC pipe about 3/4" wide (maybe 1/2"; I haven't measured), and has several right angles in it in its way from the AC to the drain in the floor. I can't get to it from the inside of the AC, but can easily get to the end of the pipe that is by the drain.

I tried to snake it out, and got some gunk out, but it's still clogged enough to cause water to back up (and then leak all over the floor. It's making a huge mess.). I can't get the snake past the first right turn in the pipe.

I need something, preferably something simple and cheap, to suction the pipe out. It has to be something that has a fairly strong suction, and has to be something I can get into or around the pipe firmly so there is no air leakage when applying the suction.

I'm going to look for a turkey baster, but suspect that will not be suction enough.

Might any of you have an idea or three for something that might work? Would really appreciate it!

Is it just a drain hose?  Can you stick the hose in it and flush it?
How about a wire coat hanger?

have you tried your vacuum cleaner? Use its hose and then hmm...

Ok, use the vacuum cleaner hose... and take some old styrofoam packaging (stuff that holds TVs of Computers in their boxes, should be some around). Stick the hose into the styrofoam to cut it (like a cookie cutter), which should plug up the end of the vacuum pretty nicely.

Then, cut a slightly smaller hole then the pipe is wide into the middle of the plug....then push that snuggly onto the pipe. Should create a seal that will allow you to vacuum the pipe.... im not sure what blockage you have and why you want a vacuum though (i would think its harder to unplug then that?).

2nd option, try to snake it like before...but you might need to go to the store and grab some thin hose that you can use (less then half the size of the pipe). I would probably cut the end of the snake into a circle shape (so it wont go flat against the side at the angle and get stuck).

3rd option, you might be able to disconnect the drain pipe from the AC? That would make cleaning it out a lot easier....take it outside to where you hook up the garden hose to water...then just press it against the water and that should flush it really well (those things have tons of pressure).

Or, you can do a combination of them all....really hard to give a better answer without knowing more about the sittuation and what it goes into in the AC.

I have the same problem about twice a year here in South Florida.   I just take the garden hose to the drain outlet outside the house and force water into the pipe until it comes up into the overflow pan in the A/C unit in the house.  I remove any gunk that comes up by hand and pour in a little water to make sure it is clearing. Sometimes it takes a couple of shots from the hose to get all the gunk up.  It also helps to have someone in the house to yell when the water comes up into the pan so it doesn't spill out onto the floor.  Then I pour about a gallon of water mixed with about 1/2 cup bleach back into the drain to kill any mould etc that might be growing in there. It works every time and saves me about $150.

Thanks for the suggestions! I couldn't find a turkey baster.

spoiled_candy, I have access to the end of the pipe, but not the start of it, as that's in the air handler of the AC itself and I can't get to it. I can't detach it, the way it's made, either, and darn it!

lorik, I might try the vacuum; haven't yet because it's not a wet vac, and what's coming out is wet! A thin hose for a snake might work.

robertnoel, the pipe is in my house, and drains to a drain in the floor, not outside. I can't get to the overflow pan (or if I can, I don't know how, alas!). I've already got water on the floor (all over the floor... ). A bleach solution sounds like a great idea, if I can figure out how to flush or more likely, suck, the gunk out.

The update:

Nothing I tried worked, and when my DH managed to take off a cap that is next to the place where the condensate pipe leaves the AC's air handler, LOTS of water came out. 

So I got the hacksaw and sawed off part of the condensate pipe. Cleaned out the piece I'd cut off (grossssss stuff came out), then cut off another piece, and then the rest of it...

Tonight, DH and I made a Home Depot run to get replacement piping and connectors, and we put a new drainpipe on, but draining into the bucket a couple of feet away from the AC. 

Yeah, I'll call the repair guy, I'll call the repair guy!