The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on April 27, 2009, 07:53:16 PM
-
Aren't all units supposed to have a damn drain in the drip pan?
-
Are you talking about a window a/c unit
-
Should, or a condensate pump.
-
condensate needs a place to go no matter what, pump, drain, cooling unit for the still whatever.
-
Not window.
Condenser outside, blower in the attic. Pans fills and trips the shut off every 36 hours!
-
Yes, most often it's mud dawbers, or attic insulation, if the PVC pipe sticks out the side of your house, APT, Condo, Townhouse whatever for drainage, compressed air or snake can remove whatever is in there clogging it.
Check to make sure it;s not too low and has become clogged. Or blocked from the air handler.
I hope this helps, usually you can trace the hose back to the air handler and blow it out.
Check the fitting in the attic, its usually 1/2 to 5/8 simple drain fitting. Hose clamped to the hose
-
TW,
Her's my prblem.
I have had 'service contarcts' with two different (suppoedly repuatable) companies that tell me that a drain on the pan is not needed. BUT there is a PVC pie running down the outside of my house. I ask "Where does that sum'bitch go" and never get a answer (just mumbles)!
-
Not window.
Condenser outside, blower in the attic. Pans fills and trips the shut off every 36 hours!
needs to have a drain... might be something as simple as a clog or a bad pump. Look for a 3/4-1" pvc line comeing from the unit. a wire fish makes a good clean out tool.
-
Haz, You live in Florida! They condensate the coils and have to drain, they all have to go somewhere. usually down and out through a hose to a PVC fitting leading outside.
Sometimes they are mounted at ground level, they should be at least 14" above the exterior wall. (Last time I did HVAC work),
Regardless, it sounds as if your drip pan is not draining, and the sheetrock ceiling will be the victim.
I wish I were there, it sounds like an attic trip to me.
I agree with TAB on this one, something is over flowing your drip tray that should drain outside.
-
by the national code, it needs to drain out side, but often people just put it into the sewer vent.
if they are saying it does not need a drain, as it should never fill up... you have a contract with them, something is broken, they need to get thier ass out there. I'm not sure how it works in FL, but in CA, saying the word "bond" works very well for getting people to do thier job. damn shame your not in CA, one phone call from me and they would be there before they were off the phone. (I never, ever play fair)
-
I never heard of a residential a/c unit that did'nt need to drain condensate from the evaporator coil (attic) it either has a drain pan with an overflow saftey shut off switch or drains into condensate pump which also will shut down the a/c unit if it over flows. Since my background is in HVAC/R. When visiting my parents in Spring Hill, I got roped into crawling into the attic/crawl space to work my relatives a/c units. Either your blower unit has shifted and is not level anymore. Or your electric condensate pump is hanging up. Twyacht is right about tracing it back and checking the line it may have gotten clogged up with drain snot. Another way which will keep you outside is. While the unit is running take shop vac to where the pipe drains outside of the house and put the pvc pipe into the hose and vac it out the air draw combined with the water in the pipe will provide enough suction to draw out most obstructions. But your service contractor should know this already. Good luck
-
Now you know where that ceiling shot went.
-
Well, the condensing unit is outside and the air handler with indoor coil is in the attic. All coils have a dran pan with a female fitting where you attach pvc pipe for a drain. If the drain opening is in the blower compartment it needs to be trapped (U trap). If the drain opening is with the coil after the blower it does not need to be trapped (but I trap them anyway).
All coils have a drain pan. Some furnaces also have a drip pan under the furnace that is piped into the pvc.
You say the unit shuts off.
Condensate pumps have a switch that opens when the condensate well is full and the pump won't pump. This burns out pumps.
If you have a gravity drain there'd be no reason for the unit to shut down.
If you have a condensate pump and it is wired into the Low Voltage wiring look at the pump. Take a bucket, pull the 3/8" tube and see if it pees all its water. If so the tube is clogged. Blow it out.Then remove the 4 screws that hoild the pump to its well (unplug and cut power to the AC first) and clean it out. Re-assemble and see how it goes. You can artificially fill the well with a bottle of water to watch it pump (restore power first).
If by some chance there is a water safety associated with the indoor coil and it is gravity open the panel (use 5/16 nut driver) and look into the drain pan. Fish around and make sure nothing is clogging the opening. Check the slope of the unit and pvc drain to the outside it should be 1/4" per foot. You can carefully pour water into the drain pan to check if the pvc is plugged. If so, blow it out.
Perhaps when they tell you a drain pan is not needed they are referring to the large pan under the air handler. If they are talking about the drain in the unit for the coil find a new Company. AC first removes water from the air... and it can be gallons every day. It needs to go somewhere. An other poster is right, it should pee outdoors but sometimes you'll find it goes where the sinks drain.
Anyhoo if you still have problems break the concepts down and make another run at it.
-
Well the HVAC guy just left. I have a drain line from the condenser that was plugged. The pan with the cut off that was being filled is a overflow pan.
-
Well the HVAC guy just left. I have a drain line from the condenser that was plugged. The pan with the cut off that was being filled is a overflow pan.
No AC in your neck of the woods could make for a mad cat ;)