VALORES

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? - Ed.

Reply: Common defects that cause leaks or blockages in wall-mounted air conditioner condensate drains

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.

Check for lint or crud blocking the opening to the condensate drain line inside the unit.

Check for a blocked or clogged condensate drain line as it passes through the building wall to the building exterior.

Check for punctures in the condensate drain line anywhere in its route but especially high on the wall near the unit where you see the leaks or wet spots

Check for missing insulation on the refrigeration lines inside the wall-mounted unit. We describe this SNAFU at

Interior Leaks On & In Wall Below a Split System Air Conditioner Wall-Mounted Unit

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Questions & Answers about recognizing defects in air conditioner and heat pump condensate drain line piping, connections, traps, or disposal destination.

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Comments

(July 23, 2012) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said: Merritt,

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It sounds as if your condensate drain or trap is / are clogged. Try cleaning the trip first.

Norma, some condensate blow by at the cooling coil is common in very humid weather, but leaking into the building or pooling on the floor outside the unit is clearly a problem. I'd start by checking to see what's wrong with the condensate drip tray and drain.

(July 23, 2012) Norma said:

My blower is sucking the condensation through the coils and it's puddling at bottom of my unit and water getting into the floor in my hall way.

(July 21, 2012) merritt said:

Our heat pump has condensate pooling below the unit. It has a PVC drain pipe installed running to a floor drain but I have some questions about the way it is routed. It has a "trap" (for lack of a better term) in it as shown in the 4th photo on this page. Is this correct and if so, why? It seems to me water could never drain past this. It also is routed on the level floor around three sides of the unit instead of taking the direct route to the drain. Again, is this correct, and why? Our unit does not have a condensation pump. Can I just clean out this pipe and reroute it straight to the drain w/o the up and down 90 elbows? BTW, we had a HVAC guy here and said it was working OK.

(June 5, 2012) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said: Florida,

I suggest inspecting the interior of the air handler unit to see just what is rusting - you might catch a condensate leak problem or other damage before the unit rusts- through and thus avoid leak damage to your building.

(June 5, 2012) Florida dude.. said:

Is it normal to see a rust inside the drainage pipe coming from the evap coil?? My unit has a safety feature to stop the a/c unit if the drainage over flows and does not drain. I decided to pull the piping around the air handler to clean it better an noticed rusty water...But I also hand the evap coil replace last year..

(May 29, 2012) DanJoeFriedman (mod) said:

Gene, condensate production slows once the in-building air has been dehumidified when an A/C has been on for some time. If no condensate is ever produced you'd check for a blockage or leak in the condensate drain system.

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(May 27, 2012) Gene O said:

I am not seeing any water draining from my Central Air unit when the A/C is running. It seems to be cooling but I haven't seen any drainage. Does this mean the condenser isn't working or do I just need to wait until the A/C has been on for a while?

(May 12, 2012) Cyndy Black said:

Can the evaporator coil be "fixed" or when it's shot, it's gone completely? Also, the pipe that leads from my outside a/c unit and goes into our furnace is leaking right at the joint. A small puddle of water is under the furnace. The a/c guy inspected everything: no freon leaks, no freezing up, pans and hoses are clear, etc. He said to tape and wrap that joint real good and see what happens. If it still leaks, the evap. coil will have to be replaced. Is this correct? Thank you.

(Mar 29, 2012) John T. said:

Sorry, I meant the coil in the air handler where the air returns (evaporator?). I took out the blower fan and the blades are rusty as well as the mount for the motor. The inside of the handler, made of that "furry" material, has plenty of mold also. Can I replace that material or do I need a whole new box or cabinet or whatever it's called--the thing that everything is encased in?

(Mar 28, 2012) Anonymous said:

John, I'm not sure what an "intake coil" is - perhaps you mean a cooling or evaporator coil in the air handler? In any case, I think the immediate steps are:

- clean the coil

- install or make sure you have effective air filtration upstream from the coil, preferably at the return air inlet register(s)

- inspect the ductwork for damage or dirt or debris - depending on the duct material (metal, for example) it can be cleaned.

Let me know what you find and perhaps send along some photos (see the CONTACT US link at page top or bottom) - we may be able to suggest more steps.

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CONDENSATE HANDLING DRIP TRAY DEFECTS

Missing Condensate Overflow Pan Improper Condensate Drain Connects Float Switch on Condensate Tray Water in Condensate Overflow Pan CONDENSATE LEAKS

CONDENSATE PUMPS CONDENSATE DRAINS

Locations for Condensate Disposal Plumbing Code for Condensate Drains Improper Condensate Disposal

Condensate Drains Connected to Vent Pipe Condensate Spills in Crawl Spaces Condensate Leaks Onto Heat Exchangers Condensate Disposal Outdoors

Condensate Drains to Hidden Location CONDENSATE DRAIN CLEAN & DE-CLOG CONDENSATE TRAY CLEANING

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Thanks to reader RB in Chattanooga TN for discussing inspection procedures and inspection frequency for air conditioning condensate drain line systems - October 2010

Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, A. D. Althouse, C.H. Turnquist, A. Bracciano, Goodheart-Willcox Co., 1982

Principles of Refrigeration, R. Warren Marsh, C. Thomas Olivo, Delmar Publishers, 1979

"Air Conditioning & Refrigeration I & II", BOCES Education, Warren Hilliard (instructor), Poughkeepsie, New York, May - July 1982, [classroom notes from air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance and repair course

attended by the website author]

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, 5th Ed., William C. Whitman, William M. Johnson, John Tomczyk, Cengage Learning, 2005, ISBN 1401837654, 9781401837655 1324 pages

Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment ($69.00 U.S.).

Air Conditioning SEER - New DOE Air Conditioner and Heat Pump Efficiency Standard Asbestos HVAC Ducts and Flues field identification photos and guide

Fiberglass: Indoor Air Quality Investigations: Fiberglass in Indoor Air, HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation

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