home ac unit question

There's a few AC guys on here I believe who knows people or have family that works on AC if I recall.

If you do call someone, do not call John Moore.

 

Looks to me that it is the evaporator drain line. Either the pipe is cracked or separated or is just collecting alot of condensation. It is water. The coolant is a gas.

 

I agree that looks like the drain line which should be a pvc pipe that runs outside. There shouldn't be that much consendation on that line. If it's leaking, then find/fix the crack.

 

My family owns an AC company.

The picture you posted is the outside of the evaporator coil. The top line in the "cold" freon line, the middle one is the "hot" freon line, and the bottom one is the drainage line for all of the condensation (water) that drips off the evaporator coil while it runs.

The pan sitting under the evaporator is there to collect water if the primary pan (built into the evaporator coil's "box") is clogged and overflowing.

It definitely looks like your primary pan / drain is clogged and needs to be cleaned out. Also, your secondary pan might be rusted through or something if you're getting water in the house. A little hard to say from the picture. You might also be getting water in insulation around the drainage line if it's cracked somewhere, and that could be causing the water on your ceiling.



Anyway, if you want to call my dad, he can come look at it. He's helped out some other ClutchFans in the past. Tell him you're from the Rockets website his son goes to. 713-946-7149.

 

I hate AC problems. Make sure you find someone who's well reviewed.

 

We can't say 4chan or Reddit /b/ ?

Spoiler

 

It's pretty common to have to blow out the drain lines from time to time. The dampness grows molds and mildews

 

Darkhorse and others- Can you tell me what is the average hour of labor for an A/C job? I am getting a coil replaced in my home unit and the guy is quoting me $100 an hour for the job and says it will take about 4.5 hours to complete. This guy is doing it as a side job, so I dont know if this is about right or if he is overcharging... any thoughts?

 

4.5 hours seems about right time wise. $100/hr seems a little high for labor, though. I've really never been more than the helper on jobs, so I never deal with the billing part. (I don't have a license, and now I work in the corporate world as a software guy)

But yeah, that does seem a little on the high side to me, but maybe not. I don't know, it's been a few years since I worked in that business. You could try calling me dad (number above) and see what he would quote.

 

Just happened to me. I was due for an AC checkup/service anyway, but here is what he did... there is a PVC pipe that leaves the AC unit and carries water out to eventually drain into your water pipe. If you lookunder one of your bathroom sinks you will see a black pipe connecting to the drain pipe under your sink, just above the p-trap. Most likely that is logged up with grease, hair, and mold. Remove the p-trap and clear it with high pressure air or water.

The clog may be higher up in the pipes, if so you will need to get a plumbers tape and run it down the pipe from the attic. There will be an access ap near wherethe pipe takes a 90 degree bend from the AC unit to the outside of the house. You can also pour bleach down that access every few months to keep it clear.