Air conditioner condensate handling & drainage defects: This air conditioning repair article discusses the inspection, diagnosis, and repair of air conditioning condensate drainage systems, including condensate leaks, condensate piping, traps, drains, condensate pumps, and the detection and hazards of air conditioning system condensate leaks in buildings. health and safety concerns are also reviewed. This document describes the inspection and repair of condensate handling systems for residential air conditioning systems (A/C systems) to inform home buyers, owners, and home inspectors of common cooling system defects. Improper handling of air conditioning system condensate is one of the most commonly reported set of A/C system defects. Condensate problems can lead to leaks into the building, costly mold or insect damage, or even to complete A/C or heat pump system shutdown. Perhaps we see lots of air conditioning condensate leaks and related problems in part because these defects

are easily observed visually, and perhaps also because some A/C installers do not follow basic plumbing and building code requirements for handling the discharge of the condensate produced when an air conditioning Condensate leaks or discharge errors (such as the drips into the dog bowl and cooking pot in this attic) present several risks of ugly surprises in buildings. Here are some inspection tips that can avoid a condensate leak or even a costly mold problem in the air conditioning system air handler, duct work, or in the building itself:lg ac window unit parts One of the most common causes of air conditioning or heat pump condensate leakage and overflow is a clogged condensate drain line trap. ac unit cad blockAnd if the secondary or emergency condensate handling system is absent or defective, the result can be costly leak damage to the equipment or to the building.vision air handling unit

Carson Dunlop Associates' sketch (left) illustrates the requirement for a trap on the A/C condensate primary drain line. If there is no overflow pan under the air handler, especially in units installed on upper building floors or in an attic, when the condensate drain clogs or the condensate pump fails you can expect to have leaks into the building and possibly costly mold or water damage. See DRIP TRAY DEFECTS for details. A condensate pan should have its own independent drain to an approved location. Otherwise, for example if it shares the main condensate drain pipe, you have not gained much protection. An alternative to a drain on a condensate overflow pan is the installation of a Float Switch on Condensate Tray that will turn off the system if water is detected. Check the condensate drip pan and at bottom of the "A frame" cooling coil, indicating that the drain may need cleaning and more important, indicating that the condensate is leaking out of the equipment or drains and not being carried to

an acceptable disposal point. Links below continue with detailed discussions of condensate handling components, defects, cleaning, maintenance, and repairs. I can't find a description of the method for inspecting the drain pipe leading out from the drain pan under the condenser coils. I have been told that this pipe commonly blocks up and causes problems and that inspecting it is a part of a HVAC maintenance program. Would you describe for me, or maybe add to your site, how often and how this drain line should be inspected and maintained? - R.B. Chattanooga, TN., The condensate drain line, trap, and evidence of blockage, leaks, overflow, or improper piping should be part of annual air conditioning system service, or should be performed immediately if there is evidence of a condensate spill or leak. It only takes a quick look by an experienced service technician to see trouble. Here are some signs of trouble that a visual inspection of the condensate drain system might pick at an inspection:

Check out the articles listed below for more detail about each type of condensate drain system defect. We noticed water stains and wet spots on the wall below our wall-mounted split system air conditioner. But condensate is also coming out of the drain line on the roof. What might be wrong? Check the following sources of condensation leaks at or near a wall-mounted air conditioner:: If the wall mounted air conditioner is not level, condensate may collect in its internal drain pan but may overflow the (relatively shallow) condensate pan edges before reaching the condensate drain opening. Check the unit for level, and watch out: the plastic cover may not be dead straight - it's the unit itself that should be level for the condensate drain pan to work properly. The photo at left is explained at SPLIT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS. That white line is the condensate drain headed from the wall-mounted unit (not shown) to outdoors. Continue reading at CONDENSATE LEAKS or select a topic from the More Reading links or topic ARTICLE INDEX shown below.

Your air handler is essentially the indoor component of your central air conditioner. If condensation is forming on the air handler, it can cause some serious problems in your home. It can discolor the concrete upon which it is mounted or even destroy your crawlspace. Here are some excellent tips for stopping this condensation in its tracks. Any time warm, humid air comes into contact with a cold metal surface (such as the ductwork protruding from your air handler), there is going to be condensation. As such, your first and simplest step is to check that your ducts are all completely and properly insulated. Even an inch of exposed ductwork can create enough condensation to create a problem. If the air handler itself is mounted at the crawlspace, then it is important to ensure that the crawlspace is correctly sealed. Otherwise, in the summer months, the warm air that is under your home will rise up through the floors and cause your air handler to ‘sweat’. There are many different ways to seal this crawlspace including plastic sheeting, the application of foam insulation to the foundation walls on the inside of the crawlspace, and more.

If you have blockages in your ducts or a dirty filter, this can also cause a significant condensation issue. What happens is that the temperature of the air dips below the dew point (or the point at which condensation can form on surfaces) allowing significant sweating to occur on the exposed parts of your air handler. To fix this, you may only need to change your filter or check the ducts in your air handler. There is a drainage system within your air handler that is designed to remove any condensation from the inside of the unit. However, if this drain becomes clogged for any reason, or even if your air handler is off-level, the cold water will remain inside of your unit for a longer period of time. This can also add to condensation since it cools the temperature of the entire air handler significantly. You may be able to simply clear the blockage and remedy the issue within minutes. Again, this has a lot to do with the dew point. Essentially, when there is relative humidity in the air, there is a temperature at which condensation will begin;

this is known as the dew point. In some cases, solving the issue may be as simple as raising the temperature in the home by one or two degrees so that condensation can no longer form. In others, the installation of a dehumidifier may be necessary. Finally, significant condensation can occur if the central air conditioner itself is simply not large enough to cool your home. The purpose of the unit is to remove the humidity from the air so that the air can be cooled, but if the unit is too small to properly do that, the level of humidity in the home will stay higher, your home will stay warmer, but the air handler itself will be very cold. This causes large amounts of condensation that can truly cause damage in the home. If you are experiencing condensation on your air handler and you cannot find the cause with these tips and tricks, please give the friendly agents at A Superior Air Conditioning a call. We will be happy to schedule an appointment to stop the condensation in its tracks.