DIY Home Improvement Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Air Handler Drain Leaking Water Down Ext Wall Causing Damage

Jump to Latest
876 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  beenthere  
#1 ·
Thank you for taking the time to review my question. I have two 5 ton Airquest air handlers (FEM4X6000BL(2) in my attic to handle 2 ground mounted heat pumps outside my home (1 for upstairs/1 for down). The unit I am having issues with handles the downstairs. It has two drains, one primary and one secondary (see photos). One drain line runs a short distance and then drops down through a wall (where it ties in to a drain presumably), and has a trap built in the PVC (as seen in pic). The second line spans across my attic and out of the soffit underneath my eave outside the house, and has no trap in the line (about 18' in the air above a window). I recently had the home stucco'd and noticed saturation of the stucco below this particular drain line (See photos). There is also a window directly beneath it, and water is leaking in and between the panes of glass.

The second unit (the one for the upstairs) also has two lines routed in a similar way, yet I NEVER see any moisture coming out of the drain line that exits my soffit for the second unit. Is it possible that the lines were not hooked up in the correct position (maybe secondary which drains to soffit hooked up in position for main accidentaly), or maybe the main line is clogged? Is it normal to see that much moisture coming out any of the drain lines? We live in the high desert area of Southern CA, very dry here. I tried to take a few pictures to show what I am looking at and appreciate ANY advice you may give! I'm relatively good at most DIY projects, but know ZERO about hvac. Thank you again!!
635493

635494
635495
635496
 
#2 ·
It may be simply that the drain lines are clogged. yours look to be pvc??? and glued. Follow the lines and look for a union somewhere so you can take the pipe apart and clean it out. They can get clogged with gunk, etc., and cause back up issues such as yours. Just a suggestion.
 
#3 ·
jmon said:
It may be simply that the drain lines are clogged. yours look to be cpvc??? and glued. Follow the lines and look for a union somewhere so you can take the pipe apart and clean it out. They can get clogged with gunk, etc., and cause back up issues such as yours. Just a suggestion.
Click to expand...
Thank you! It does look like they glued... The first unit they installed vertical caps where I can clean the lines out, but of course with this unit, they did not. No big deal to cut it and run something through though. Are you saying the main line (that drops down through the floor) is likely clogged, so it's rolling over to the secondary? Not sure if I am describing the drain process correctly. Thanks again!
 
DIY Home Improvement Forum
posts
3.4M
members
353K
Since
2003
A forum community dedicated to Do it yourself-ers and home improvement enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Helping You to Do It Yourself!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Electrical HVAC Building & Construction Plumbing General DIY Discussions