Annoying AC drip

[iceman_ch]

I'm sure this question comes up alot in the summer but, here it goes.

My interior unit has what I think is called the condensor but, I'm sure what the exact word for it is. It's the part that gets cold and air is pulled through. Anyways the unit is in the closet in a the kitchen. The condesor is angled at a what looks like a 45 degree angle but, it might be a bit more then that. In normal operation I assume that the water that builds up on the unit is supposed to trickle down the unit and drip in to a drip pan. Well it's not working..... It's dripping about midway down the unit. I've tried vaccuming it out since it looks like it's built up some dirt on it but, this dosn't seem to be working. Does anyone have any tips for stopping the drip?? Maybe a very light coat of WD-40 or do I just need to keep vaccuming?

[John Dirks Jr]

How about the condensate drain line? Is it there and have you checked to see if it is clogged, kinked or otherwise damaged. Where does it run to? Also, if the pan looks rusty or corroded, it could have a hole in it.

[iceman_ch]

How about the condensate drain line? Is it there and have you checked to see if it is clogged, kinked or otherwise damaged. Where does it run to? Also, if the pan looks rusty or corroded, it could have a hole in it.

The pan is in good condition. The line is a little plugged and I plan on cleaning it out soon but, the drip is not coming from the pan. I can look up inside of the unit and see the condensor or evaporator or whatever its called and the water is dripping off of it. The water is supposed to trickle down it into the drip pan put instead it's dripping in the middle straigt down on to the filter.

I guess I'm having a hard time explaining it. The drip pan is the length of the unit and about 2-3 inches wide. The evaporator sits over the drain pan but, angles out. Only about 10% of the evaporator is directly over the drip pan. after that the rest is hainging over. thats where the problem is. The water is supposed to trickle down to the last 10% and then drip instead it's dripping way higher up on the unit. This is causing water to build up in the filter and then pudle underneath the unit. The filter actually covers everything up. I have to remove the filter to see the drip pan.

[fqp25]

The filter is not suppose to get wet. There is a problem with the condensation not reaching the drip pan. How your evaporator coil and drip pan is configured is a little confusing. If you can't see what is causing the condensation from dripping there instead of reaching the pan, just call a Tech.

They do have a coil cleaner, which you spray on the coil and it foams up, and breaks up dirt, lint or whatever. I would use that instead of WD-40.

Frank

[Terence McCann]

I'm not sure if you have a chilled water coil or a dx (freon based) evaporator. Is it a private home or an apartment/condo association?

The main problem is bad air flow. Either the coil is very dirty or the air filter needs to be changed or both. The main fan/blower could be very dirty as well.

Best to call an air conditioning company to come out and service the system.

Also don't use WD40. Would be about the same as putting duct tape on the coil.

[iceman_ch]

Here is a crude picture of the setup.

|. . . . /|

|. . . /. |

|. . / . .|

| / . . . |

|[]. . . |

======

| = Ducting

/ = evaporator

[] = drip pan

= = to air filter

I know it's cheesy but it's the best thing I can think of. This would be a cut view from the side. I think it shows what I'm talking about. the evaporator is at an angle and so the water should trickle down and then drip into the pan but, it's dripping in the middle and falling onto the filter.

Where do I find some of this foam cleaner? I didn't spray WD-40 I was pretty that would just stink the house up. I did however spray water from a little spray bottle really close to the evaporator this seemed to help a little but, I'm not sure yet.

[SonOfSwamp]

Just call your heat-and-air guy and let him fix it. Maybe he'll let you look over his shoulder. Most likely, the job will get done sooner, and there's less chance of something going wrong.

It's service-call time anyway. (Bathwater hot in South Carolina).

WJ

[Jim Katen]

I'm sure this question comes up alot in the summer but, here it goes.

My interior unit has what I think is called the condensor but, I'm sure what the exact word for it is. It's the part that gets cold and air is pulled through.

It's called the evaporator coil. I know that sounds strange because water is condensing on it. But inside the coil, the refrigarant is evaporating.

Anyways the unit is in the closet in a the kitchen. The condesor is angled at a what looks like a 45 degree angle but, it might be a bit more then that. In normal operation I assume that the water that builds up on the unit is supposed to trickle down the unit and drip in to a drip pan. Well it's not working..... It's dripping about midway down the unit. I've tried vaccuming it out since it looks like it's built up some dirt on it but, this dosn't seem to be working. Does anyone have any tips for stopping the drip?? Maybe a very light coat of WD-40 or do I just need to keep vaccuming?

This is a very common problem in AC units that haven't been properly maintained. You've described the issue perfectly. The built-up crud on the coil is preventing the water from slipping down the coil into the condensate pan. Instead, the water drips off the coil, misses the pan and makes a mess.

The solution is to clean the coil properly. You can't do this. You'll screw it up. The vacuum cleaner attachment will bend the fins and make things worse. Also, a vacuum cleaner is the wrong tool to use anyway; it won't be effective. WD-40 will just attract more dirt and make the coil even harder to clean. Just put down the WD-40 and step away from the air conditioner.

Hire an AC tech to clean the coil and check out the rest of the system. If the coil is dripping water, there are undoubtedly other problems with the system as well.

(The coil cleaner is sold in special HVAC supply stores where you have to know the secret password to get in. Whoever fixes this will probably also need a coil comb to straighten out the fins that you bent.)

- Jim in Oregon

[Phillip]

Here is a photo of a coil like you are talking about. This one is took from the return air looking up. It is a heat pump and the coil is in the bottom area of the blower unit/furnace.

Click to Enlarge

44.28 KB

It is dripping also.

Click to Enlarge

51.35 KB

[iceman_ch]

Alright sounds like I'm calling a tech. Thanks for your help.

[fqp25]

Phillip,

Where's your hat?

Frank

[Phillip]

Phillip,

Where's your hat?

Frank

In the Truck.[]

[logrolls]

I have been having the same problem, only I've had THREE separate techs out to "fix" this. Each one uses the "most powerful" stuff in the industry to clean my coils, then lectures me on using candals (when I NEVER burn candals). One even suggested I get rid of my dogs. They claim there is a waxy buildup on the coils that prevents the water from trickling, and instead it drops down to the ground (where I've now put buckets that I have to drain with my wetvac everyday). When I use my fingernail to try to find and see this waxy buildup, there is none...and my coils are squeaky clean. They also claim the coils are in great shape, no holes, not bent, etc. What am I to do?

Additionally, one tech complaimed that my coils were at a 45 degree angle and that gravity was just working against me, but if that were the case, the other 200 townhomes in my neighborhood with the same exact unit would also be having this problem.

[Jim Katen]

I have been having the same problem, only I've had THREE separate techs out to "fix" this. Each one uses the "most powerful" stuff in the industry to clean my coils, then lectures me on using candals (when I NEVER burn candals). One even suggested I get rid of my dogs. They claim there is a waxy buildup on the coils that prevents the water from trickling, and instead it drops down to the ground (where I've now put buckets that I have to drain with my wetvac everyday). When I use my fingernail to try to find and see this waxy buildup, there is none...and my coils are squeaky clean. They also claim the coils are in great shape, no holes, not bent, etc. What am I to do?

Additionally, one tech complaimed that my coils were at a 45 degree angle and that gravity was just working against me, but if that were the case, the other 200 townhomes in my neighborhood with the same exact unit would also be having this problem.

Were all three techs from the same company? The company that installed the unit, perhaps?

If water is dripping off of your evaporator coil and the coil is clean, then there must be another problem with the installation. Possible problems include a fan speed that's set too high and a coil that's installed at the wrong angle.

45 degrees seems awfully shallow. How do you know that the other 200 units' coils are installed this way?

I think your next step is to get a manufacturer's rep out there to look at the installation.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[snooked321]

Sounds simple, not enough airflow to hold the moisture in the coil. Either restricted coil(airflow), filter, duct issue or blower issue. Call a tech out.

[hagermantech]

Ive ran into this problem before. Ive pulled evap coil and cleaned with chemical first. this has happened a few times with different custiomers. If the water is still dripping from the middle of the coil after cleaning and lowering fan speed, the problem is what is described as a dry spot in the coil. two causes are a defect in the copper or aluminum in a specific spot or a restricted cell inside the evaporator. to check for a restricted cell would be to disconnect the fan motor and turn on the a/c. you should see the coil frosting up. if water persistantly dripps from the evap coil you should replace evap coil. doesnt happen often but it does happen. if its a defect in the metal it should have been happening since day one. if its a restricted coil (cell), this problem might not present itself for some time after installation