Hot water coil troubles

itscoldinhere · 02-21-2009, 10:06 AM

Hi i am having trouble with a hydronic forced air hot water coil. It is mounted in the return air handler of my system. I have replaced it 2 times now cause of what looks to me to be electrolysis around the top 2 copper tubes where they meet the steel frame of the coil housing. So if this is the case is it a good idea to add a ground directly from the case of the coil to the ground bar in my electrical panel. or is this just a case of bad luck with 2 consecutive defective coils (seems to strange to be ) they last about 2-3 years before i see the leak start. I also froze one of the coils previously so i have changed this thing 3 times now in all. I am getting real good at replacing the coil but would like to not have to replace again. any advise or idea are greatly appreciated.

wirenut1110 · 02-21-2009, 11:57 AM

I'm no expert on this, hence the screen name, but could a dielectric fitting/union to connect the 2 dissimilar metals work for this?

yuri · 02-21-2009, 02:00 PM

Do you have any unusual fumes in your house/basement. Ie: is the wife running a hair salon and using peroxides? Chemicals may eat your coil. Do you have a workshop/paint booth nearby?

itscoldinhere · 02-21-2009, 05:07 PM

The coil is pre built and assembled through the steel frame so no fittings are involved here. its really just a radiator much like the one in a car just with no tanks on the sides. and no to the smells/fumes, although the house has been undergoing a remodel for some time now. So for the most part the house is vacant. but i keep the heat on for me to work in warmth. I was going with more of maybe a bad ground to the thermostat on the coil, and is why i was thinking of adding my own just not sure if this will cause any other problems or is a good idea at all. Im not an electrician but i dont see how it could hurt (also spoke to a friend that is in the hvac field and says he has not seen this happen before so... )

yuri · 02-21-2009, 05:36 PM

Is there a brand name of the coil and what is it? I have seen some really poor quality A/C coils fail prematurely so quality can be an issue. I have never seen your problem in 30 yrs and would suspect some environmental problem.

02-21-2009, 10:06 AM	#1
itscoldinhere Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2	Hot water coil troubles Hi i am having trouble with a hydronic forced air hot water coil. It is mounted in the return air handler of my system. I have replaced it 2 times now cause of what looks to me to be electrolysis around the top 2 copper tubes where they meet the steel frame of the coil housing. So if this is the case is it a good idea to add a ground directly from the case of the coil to the ground bar in my electrical panel. or is this just a case of bad luck with 2 consecutive defective coils (seems to strange to be ) they last about 2-3 years before i see the leak start. I also froze one of the coils previously so i have changed this thing 3 times now in all. I am getting real good at replacing the coil but would like to not have to replace again. any advise or idea are greatly appreciated.

02-21-2009, 11:57 AM	#2
wirenut1110 Electrical Contractor Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Chester, VA. Posts: 789	Hot water coil troubles I'm no expert on this, hence the screen name, but could a dielectric fitting/union to connect the 2 dissimilar metals work for this?

02-21-2009, 02:00 PM	#3
yuri Hvac Pro Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 6,737	Hot water coil troubles Do you have any unusual fumes in your house/basement. Ie: is the wife running a hair salon and using peroxides? Chemicals may eat your coil. Do you have a workshop/paint booth nearby?

02-21-2009, 05:07 PM	#4
itscoldinhere Newbie Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2	Hot water coil troubles The coil is pre built and assembled through the steel frame so no fittings are involved here. its really just a radiator much like the one in a car just with no tanks on the sides. and no to the smells/fumes, although the house has been undergoing a remodel for some time now. So for the most part the house is vacant. but i keep the heat on for me to work in warmth. I was going with more of maybe a bad ground to the thermostat on the coil, and is why i was thinking of adding my own just not sure if this will cause any other problems or is a good idea at all. Im not an electrician but i dont see how it could hurt (also spoke to a friend that is in the hvac field and says he has not seen this happen before so... )

02-21-2009, 05:36 PM	#5
yuri Hvac Pro Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 6,737	Hot water coil troubles Is there a brand name of the coil and what is it? I have seen some really poor quality A/C coils fail prematurely so quality can be an issue. I have never seen your problem in 30 yrs and would suspect some environmental problem.

Hot water coil troubles