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Old 09-12-2016, 02:44 PM
 
13,811 posts, read 27,349,266 times
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IF the drain lines are empty. You may have another issue. It's possible reduced airflow has iced up your evap. Then it melts and it fills the drain pain. Check your filter, is it clean?

Also possible low refrigerant level could ice it up.

Again these are "next step" items, are you 100% sure your drain lines are fully open? As above, the drain pain should be completely dry regardless of the time the A/C has run.

The lines are fairly large PVC generally. You need a lot of water to stop it up, water that the residential units are unable to produce.

https://www.ahs.com/home-matters/rep...ate-drain-line

I don't want to talk ill of your 'usual service company' but they may be taking you for a ride.
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:21 PM
 
580 posts, read 709,563 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wheelsup View Post
IF the drain lines are empty. You may have another issue. It's possible reduced airflow has iced up your evap. Then it melts and it fills the drain pain. Check your filter, is it clean?

Also possible low refrigerant level could ice it up.

Again these are "next step" items, are you 100% sure your drain lines are fully open? As above, the drain pain should be completely dry regardless of the time the A/C has run.

The lines are fairly large PVC generally. You need a lot of water to stop it up, water that the residential units are unable to produce.

https://www.ahs.com/home-matters/rep...ate-drain-line

I don't want to talk ill of your 'usual service company' but they may be taking you for a ride.
Yep, filter clean.
I appreciate the advice.
Our company has been with us for 17 years. Always seem honest. Great online reviews and BBB rating too.
If you have a company you would like to recommend- please let me know who. I will get a second opinion. Thanks!
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:31 PM
 
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Something is amiss here, but it does not mean that your company is "taking you for a ride". The lines could have gotten blocked since they were checked (nest, plug of dirt?) or perhaps something is blocking the "venting" of the lines so that water doesn't flow. It's pretty easy to check yourself: just find the outlet pipe where it comes out of your house (ours is near the ground) and put a pan under it. After running the AC a few hours (if you can), check the outside pan for water. Ours collects gallons overnight (like >10 gallons). If there's no water or not much water, then the condensate lines are not draining adequately. If you happen to have some kind of water capture system at the outlet for recycling the condensate, that's a likely culprit...bad venting, hydrostatic pressure issues not letting it drain, etc.

We have done the ceiling-caved-in-experiment and it is so not pretty! Good luck.
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Old 09-12-2016, 05:22 PM
 
580 posts, read 709,563 times
Reputation: 323
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prumio View Post
Something is amiss here, but it does not mean that your company is "taking you for a ride". The lines could have gotten blocked since they were checked (nest, plug of dirt?) or perhaps something is blocking the "venting" of the lines so that water doesn't flow. It's pretty easy to check yourself: just find the outlet pipe where it comes out of your house (ours is near the ground) and put a pan under it. After running the AC a few hours (if you can), check the outside pan for water. Ours collects gallons overnight (like >10 gallons). If there's no water or not much water, then the condensate lines are not draining adequately. If you happen to have some kind of water capture system at the outlet for recycling the condensate, that's a likely culprit...bad venting, hydrostatic pressure issues not letting it drain, etc.

We have done the ceiling-caved-in-experiment and it is so not pretty! Good luck.
Thank you! Just checked the outside pipe- seems to have a constant drip coming out of it. Went back up to the attic- and the drip from the pan into the back up pan is still constant. But, at least, the back up pan isn't getting more than 1/3 full so it's somewhat draining.
This is where my knowledge in a/c units ends
I think I should get another opinion so if anyone wants to recommend their HVAC company, please do so.

Thanks!
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Old 09-12-2016, 09:40 PM
 
422 posts, read 518,072 times
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"Went back up to the attic- and the drip from the pan into the back up pan is still constant."
Is the outlet from the main condensate pan to the exterior pipe lower than the outlet to the back-up pan? It needs to be...This is where hydrostatic pressure comes in. A little hard to explain, but if you think back to when you were a youngster & maybe siphoned gas from a car gas tank to a gas can: there's always that "hump" that the gas has to get over. Any air along the way or raising the end of the siphoning hose too high will stop the flow. Sounds as though the pan is filling faster than it is draining to the outside, though.
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