Looking for some advice: The evaporator in my attic collects a rather impressive amount of condensation under it. There is a drip pan, but it still seems odd to me. I know that the evaporator is supposed to be well sealed, but I can feel cold air escaping from various connections. Is the condensation normal? If not, is it caused by the leaks? I know that bad ventilation in the attic can make for a huge thermal gradient, causing condensation. I presume that cold air from the evaporator will not help in this regard then. My roof uses the old school whirly-bird type air circulators - anyone know of better options to help ease the heat in the attic? Thanks.
One should get their A/C unit serviced once a year. the coils can be really dirty and need to be cleaned. You should not feel any cold air seeping out unit. Whirly birds are sufficient. Do you have soffet vents? You might want to cut more soffet vents if you feel there is a lack of ventalation in the attic.
Had this same exact problem just a couple of weeks back. Check the unit outside to see if the coils are frozen over. Call this guy if you need it checked. He is good, honest and cheap compared to anybody else you will call. Iqbal at 7139222888
We have some soffits. I don't think the attic is too hot per say (I mean, it's frikkin hot, but not abnormal IMO). I guess I'll check the coils and see if I need to make a call....
Well you def need to do something if you are feeling cold air seeping out of connections. That is incredibly inefficient and you are wasting good $. Do you change your filters once a month? That is the easiest and best thing you can do. Get the really cheap filters and change them once a month religously. It is hotter and there will be more condensation but if is like filling up the pan or close to, def get it checked out.
Evaporator coils have two drain pans. The primary drain pan sits right under the coil and constantly carries water (condensation) out of your house via a PVC pipe. If for any reason your primary drain pan fails, there is a secondary pan to catch the spillover, and it also has PVC taking it out of the house. Ideally, your whole blower system should be air-tight. If you're finding holes, a little duct tape, or aluminum tape will fix those. (you could do that yourself very easily... I used to do it when I was 10) It is very important to keep your evaporator clean so that you get good airflow. The big thing to remember is to change your air conditioning filters often. Definitely don't go longer than once a quarter without changing them. Also, make sure you get the right kind. A lot of people get the ribbed ones or the washable kind (which totally suck... never buy them). But you're only supposed to use the ribbed kind if your house was designed to have them. They actually restrict airflow more than the fiberglass mesh kind, so if you're house wasn't designed for them you could actually be hurting more than helping. But if you get dirt, etc. in your coil it will restrict airflow, freeze up, and stop working. My whole family is in the A/C business. 713-946-7149 if you still need help and wanna call my dad, Gary Hayden. Just tell him your son from "that Rockets site" sent you.
It's not the primary pan failing (unless said pan is disintegrated - which is highly unlikely given that the system is just two years old). The underside of the evaporator itself gets quite covered in condensation, which drips into the secondary pan. I figured as much. Interesting. Time to go get some fiberglass mech type. Good to know. Thanks.
Had this problem with the house I just bought. There was a clog somewhere in the system. Fairly easy fix for an a/c guy.
That's also true, and I meant to mention it. Often, algae collects in the PVC pipes leading out of your attic and in the drain pan, and it basically just clogs up. It's simple enough to fix. Usually you just blow out the lines with some high pressure air. Also, they have little tablets you can put in the pan to kill (and prevent) the algae. However, I get the impression from what he's reading that it's condensation and not just drainage.
