Air Conditioning - Water leak in home with unknown cause. Could it be the central AC?
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JWBLue
06-28-09, 05:21 PM
We had a leak in our home. We had every possibility checked for a leak (AC, pipes) but found nothing. Would it be wrong to conclude by process of elimination that the air conditioner is the culprit?
We do not want another leak. The AC is about 28 years old.
If the AC is leaking, can just a part be repleced to fix what might be leaking or should the whole thing be replaced?
We do not want another leak. The AC is about 28 years old.
If the AC is leaking, can just a part be repleced to fix what might be leaking or should the whole thing be replaced?
gilmorrie
06-28-09, 05:57 PM
Would it be wrong to conclude by process of elimination that the air conditioner is the culprit?
Please tell us exactly what was involved in your process of elimination.
When you say "leak," please describe it. Leak of what? Where? When?
If you are speaking of a water leak, A/C-wise, I can think only of moisture condensate on the evaporator. Is the drain line clogged?
Doug
Please tell us exactly what was involved in your process of elimination.
When you say "leak," please describe it. Leak of what? Where? When?
If you are speaking of a water leak, A/C-wise, I can think only of moisture condensate on the evaporator. Is the drain line clogged?
Doug
PoorJohn
06-28-09, 06:07 PM
We had a leak in our home. We had every possibility checked for a leak (AC, pipes) but found nothing. Would it be wrong to conclude by process of elimination that the air conditioner is the culprit?
We do not want another leak. The AC is about 28 years old.
If the AC is leaking, can just a part be repleced to fix what might be leaking or should the whole thing be replaced?you may have eliminated everything else in your mind, but I didn't see enough information in your post to agree or disagree with your conclusion.
If your system has a normal gravity-flow system to get rid of condensate it can get clogged, presumably from dirt that got blown into the evaporator and eventually worked its way through into the pipe. Or I suppose small animals or vegetation could build a dam at the exit. But in either case it should be pretty obvious that the water is coming from the area of the furnace/air handler/evaporator.
If you can see the drain pipe at the evaporator end, there's often (always?) a tee where it turns to go down that's open at the top, and a clog in the piping downstream will cause overflow at that point. If you see that, you should feel moisture inside, but no standing water.
We do not want another leak. The AC is about 28 years old.
If the AC is leaking, can just a part be repleced to fix what might be leaking or should the whole thing be replaced?you may have eliminated everything else in your mind, but I didn't see enough information in your post to agree or disagree with your conclusion.
If your system has a normal gravity-flow system to get rid of condensate it can get clogged, presumably from dirt that got blown into the evaporator and eventually worked its way through into the pipe. Or I suppose small animals or vegetation could build a dam at the exit. But in either case it should be pretty obvious that the water is coming from the area of the furnace/air handler/evaporator.
If you can see the drain pipe at the evaporator end, there's often (always?) a tee where it turns to go down that's open at the top, and a clog in the piping downstream will cause overflow at that point. If you see that, you should feel moisture inside, but no standing water.
sminker
06-29-09, 06:57 PM
if you have the leak when the house is cool its the AC,up at the air handler if you see any water under the fan section the condensate pan might be blocked or the line in clogged down from the fan section.
JWBLue
06-30-09, 07:49 AM
Please tell us exactly what was involved in your process of elimination.
When you say "leak," please describe it. Leak of what? Where? When?
If you are speaking of a water leak, A/C-wise, I can think only of moisture condensate on the evaporator. Is the drain line clogged?
Doug
It was a water leak in the room next to where the air conditioner is.
When you say "leak," please describe it. Leak of what? Where? When?
If you are speaking of a water leak, A/C-wise, I can think only of moisture condensate on the evaporator. Is the drain line clogged?
Doug
It was a water leak in the room next to where the air conditioner is.