Drip pan leak - DIY Chatroom

bbfan23 · 07-01-2009, 04:53 PM

Hi,

So I wake up this morning to find a small amount of water damage on our ceiling. It appears there is a small leak somewhere in the rather large drip pan (~2'x4'). The supporting board is wet as is the insulation where the water is leaking though. The pan also looks to be slightly warped so water is proabably not exiting the drain as efficiently as it should.

I am sure this is a stupid question but I was wondering why it's not possible to connect the drain directly to the drip pipe or catch the drip in the drain? Why is it necessary for the water to go into the pan first?

I was hoping as a temporary solution until we are ready to replace the unit to bypass the pan altogether. Of course the pan should be replaced but a very large unit is sitting on top of it and it looks like a huge pain in the butt to fix.

biggles · 07-01-2009, 08:26 PM

if the pan is under the air handler it is considered the emergency pan and the main condensate is blocked on the line or clogged within the unit.there never should be water in that pan....check the inside of the air handler you will see a filled condensate pan with water in the insulation under the fan

evapman · 07-01-2009, 08:39 PM

agreed biggles, prolly the safety pan drain blocked also, if there is one, most the time we run the overflow drain, & emergency pan drain in front of a window or door so the homeowner can see(or feel) it dripping and know something is not right. sounds like they are going to be doing some drywall repair and painting. Hate air handlers in attics for just this reason, but no choice sometimes. :o(

handy man88 · 07-02-2009, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evapman

agreed biggles, prolly the safety pan drain blocked also, if there is one, most the time we run the overflow drain, & emergency pan drain in front of a window or door so the homeowner can see(or feel) it dripping and know something is not right. sounds like they are going to be doing some drywall repair and painting. Hate air handlers in attics for just this reason, but no choice sometimes. :o(

Whose job is it to run these lines? A plumber, or does the HVAC guy run the lines too? It's not easy to run pvc around an attic with the proper pitch into a soffit.

evapman · 07-02-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handy man88

Whose job is it to run these lines? A plumber, or does the HVAC guy run the lines too? It's not easy to run pvc around an attic with the proper pitch into a soffit.

Handyman 88,
Around here the HVAC guy uausully run them hopefully when installed the 1st time new, but as you stated it is a itch

after the fact to run them. In some of them we have put a condensate pump in the safety pan, easyer to run the 3/8" line to somewhere noticable.

bbfan23 · 07-02-2009, 08:36 PM

Wish I had known for the past 10 years that water was not supposed to be dripping outside!

We had never seen/heard it go elsewhere so I just assumed it was normal. Unfortunately with water sitting in the drip pan off and on for that long it has rusted through and created a slow leak.

So I called someone out and they unclogged the line and managed to create a bigger hole while showing me how bad the pan was which in turn really let the water out. Thanks, I really didn't need you digging your finger in the pan to point out the obvious.

The smell of wet wallboard reeks in one room now.

Anyways now that I know how to keep the main line clear I don't anticipate any more secondary pan problems. I will either put a small bucket under the second line and keep an eye on it or (unless someone can tell me otherwise) reconfigure the pvc connected to the pan and run it directly to the second line.

Replacing the giant pan which the blower sits in looks like a big job (he said it's not worth doing unless they replace everything) and will not likely happen until the unit needs to be replaced (1996 Lennox).

Thanks for the input.

biggles · 07-02-2009, 09:03 PM

the secondary pan on other installation is piped out seperate from the unit drainage piping and run over a kitchen window or onto a front stoop so if you see water dripping you know the pan inside the air handler is bloocked...let ir dry out and coat the leaking area with liquid plastic from Home Depot find it in the tool section for redipping handles on tools.it will seal the holes.....paint it on with a cheap paint brush

handy man88 · 07-03-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biggles

the secondary pan on other installation is piped out seperate from the unit drainage piping and run over a kitchen window or onto a front stoop so if you see water dripping you know the pan inside the air handler is bloocked...let ir dry out and coat the leaking area with liquid plastic from Home Depot find it in the tool section for redipping handles on tools.it will seal the holes.....paint it on with a cheap paint brush

Why not just use waterproof caulk?

bbfan23 · 07-03-2009, 08:41 PM

I may try to fix it but it is a very big pan and the back side is impossible to get to to inspect for cracks. Seems to me the easiest fix is to connect PVC directly to the overflow pipe and run that outside. Nobody has really commented on that as an alternative and (to me) an immensely easier fix.

beenthere · 07-03-2009, 09:09 PM

Secondary drain pan is a code requirement.

You can pipe boh the primary, and secondary drains of the A/C seperately to the outside.

When you see water coming out the secondary line, you know to unclogg the primary.