Air Conditioning - Lennox evaporator drain pan rotten.

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dalealan
10-25-09, 10:04 PM
I have a Lennox evaporator Ch23-31-1 and the drain pan is leaking into the cabinet then into the secondary pan. Started looking at it, thinking maybe a clog but no luck, it is open and the 3/4" pipe is loose and leaks into the cabinet. It is obvious to me the drain pan is rotten and needs to be replaced. The unit is 15 years old but has been pretty much trouble free. The drain pan is $250 (must be the gold plated model) and it looks simple enough to open the cabinet.
My question is if you are familiar with this unit, can I just open the cabinet and lift the coils up and slide the old pan out and slide another in? Or are the coils attached to the pan in any way?
Dale

Former Member
10-27-09, 05:53 AM
Typically the system will have to be emptied of refrigerant then the entire coil pulled to replace the pan. If you try to lift it up you may kink the lines and you probably will not be able to access the area where the pan is attached anyway. Might want to just replace the coil or possibly the entire system at 15 years old. Most are crammed into small closets etc and it is not doable from a practicalitiy standpoint. Next thing that happens is the coil begins to leak and the system is junk anyway. That 30% Tax Credit is very good you might want to just bite the bullet and replace the whole thing, the energy savings will have a good payoff against a 15 year old systems performance. 250 is a ripoff price for the pan by the way.
GRIMKNOTME
11-02-09, 04:21 PM
Typically the system will have to be emptied of refrigerant then the entire coil pulled to replace the pan. If you try to lift it up you may kink the lines and you probably will not be able to access the area where the pan is attached anyway. Might want to just replace the coil or possibly the entire system at 15 years old. Most are crammed into small closets etc and it is not doable from a practicalitiy standpoint. Next thing that happens is the coil begins to leak and the system is junk anyway. That 30% Tax Credit is very good you might want to just bite the bullet and replace the whole thing, the energy savings will have a good payoff against a 15 year old systems performance. 250 is a ripoff price for the pan by the way.


Agree on 15 year replacement and 250 2 hour labor @ 85 $ 15$ fiberglass sealant a tad high but a cheap fix compared to replacement...
Your choice a new unit is and would a lot more energy eff.