Apollo Forced Air Furnace, leaking water

sethfc

Hey all,

First and foremost, I am new to this forum! Just bought my first house.

The only ''problem'' found at home inspection was dripping from the Apollo Furnace into it's drip pan (this unit is located in the attic). The drip was occuring while the system was running. There was not a lot of excess water though (meaning it looks like it only drips when the unit is running). There was some mold looking growth down in the pan, so it's pretty clear that the drip has been there a while.

Here's my question: how should I go about finding the leak/problem? I've never worked on a furnace myself, but I've got experience in the ''DIY'' field naturally. Can I just pop the cover off the furnace and take a gander? Or is it more complicated than that...?

Any guidance is really appreciated!

Thanks,
Seth

kennzz05

welcome is this a condensing furnace we are speaking of? is the exaust pipe made of pvc pipe? or metal pipe? if plastic it is in fact a condensing furnace and the leak is most likely from the drain tubeing which is prone to deterioration take a look and see what you see could just be loose or bad connection. if the unit has metal exaust than the only source of water i could think of would be a humidifier.hopeefully not a humidifier as an attic exposed to freezeing temps dosent make alot of sense. on that subject how cold was it the day it was leaking? could it have frozen downstream and made the unit leak at its source? ok you have some homework now get at it ill wait hereor someone else will respond

sethfc

Nice, quick response!

I will be moving in on the 26th. I did not take note to the details about the exhaust pipe and such.

I will say this: I live in Washington State, right across the river from Portland, OR. It doesnt freeze all that often here (it does, but the climate in this area is very mild, comparatively).

It looks like I'm just going to have to get back to you on the 26th, when I can get you more specific information and pictures/video. I'm guessing that'll be best, right?

I'll write back when i move in!

-Seth

P.S./Edit - how do i know if it's a condensing furnace?

kennzz05

condensing furnaces utilize pvc pipe for their exaust pipe because water is exausted thru the flue and must be drained

Marvin Gardens

Make sure that you note that in the inspection report. It could be a problem depending on the heating system.

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beenthere

Sounds like a repair that the seller should have paid for.
As above, it could be more serious then you think.

sethfc

It was a short sale, sold ''as-is''.
as the rest of the house was in good shape, took the ''gamble'' so to speak.

Marvin Gardens

Well then you will have to figure it out.

The easiest way would be to contact the previous owner and just ask them if they know anything about it.

If that is not possible or they have no clue then you will have to do some detective work and figure out what is going on.

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sethfc

yea, not to cut the previous owners short, but they won't have any idea (lol).

so, whats the easiest situation, and the worst situation, i could be in... (i take it the worst situation could involve replacing the entire furnace, right?)

-seth

Marvin Gardens

Most of us have already focused on condensation from something. High efficiency furnaces have condensation as well as air conditioners. Either could be an easy fix. If you have hydronic heating then you would have to track down the leak and fix that.

You could have a roof leak from where the exhaust is venting. Another easy fix.

I suppose in the worst case scenario you might have to replace the entire furnace but I don't see that in this situation.

Once you get more details than we can offer some possible solutions. But leaking fluid is not good and finding it and getting it fixed is a priority as it could get worse.

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sethfc

hey guys!
long time no talk

house is well, but the drip started up just a few days ago.

it IS a hydronic system. The leak is coming from inside the attic unit (the ''furnace'').

I'm going to assume what is in the unit within the attic is similar to car heating (a basic radiator with a giant fan blowing through it).

IF i can get the cover off, i'm sure I can track down the leak source. I've shut the hot water line going to the ''furnace'' in the attic, so that it'll stop leaking shortly.

any suggestions with removing the cover of this? i'm going to have to shovel insulation out of the way and such, and from what i've seen, the ''screws'' appear to be ~8MM hex.

let me know what yall think, and thanks
-seth

hvaclover

Who installs a boiler in the attic?

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sethfc

heres a picture taken with my cellphone =x

sethfc

i'm not sure if you're just joking about my language, or what, but i'm not sure what you technically call the ''attic'' unit.

it leaks pretty bad o_0

hvaclover

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