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futbole10

Attic Air Handler Dripping Water into Emergency Pan

futbole10
12 years ago

Hello everyone,

I bought a house in Northern Virginia a year and half ago and the attic air handler is filling the emergency pan in about 5-6 weeks of use with the temperature set at 75 during the day and then 72 between 6 pm and 8 am. This unit has a Vision Pro stat on it (TH8321U1006). A week before my summer contract maintenance, I drained 3 gallons of water from the emergency pan when the unit was shut down by the float switch in the pan.

I have a contract for twice a year maintenance with one of the best HVAC companies in the entire DC area. They installed a Trane XL15i with humidifier and Honeywell VisionPro stat (TH8321U1006) last year for us on the heat pump for the main level and basemenet. It is great. It gets the humidity down to 41-42% on days where the heat index hits 105 and works wonderfully in the winter, where it has rarely used the heat strips (staged by the way using a thermometer installed outside).

In the summer checkup, they drained the attic condensate line and then used a high powered shop vac to vacuum the drains where they exit on the side of the house but the unit is still dripping into the emergency pan. I do see drips of water, and lot of it when it is really hot and the upstairs unit is running perpetually to keep the temperature setpoint. When they opened the unit they said the insulation was wet but the plastic pan inside the unit did not appear to be cracked. They said a new p-trap might solve this problem but they can't guarantee it because the unit is so old. I took many pictures of the water and the drip appears to happen underneath the drain port that has a cap on it. The underside of the air handler has droplets on it and the area closer to the drain ports is wet and dripping. Last year, there was water in the pan but that was an insulation issue where it was too loose and once the contractor fixed that, the sweating/water stopped.

I have already put in $600 into this unit and am not sure I want to throw more money at it if a p-trap can't guarantee this water issue will stop. What do you all think? Should I get a p trap? Are those waterless p traps better for this situation?

Please see the pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47067976@N04/5848764920/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47067976@N04/5848207419/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47067976@N04/5848765750/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47067976@N04/5848770284/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47067976@N04/5848214179/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47067976@N04/5848771114/in/photostream

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