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A dry overflow pan means two things- one, the system is operating properly. Two, the system is NOT being used.
So, the primary condensate line is not clogged- but is it complete( w/o breaks or separations) from the unit to the exterior? If the unit appears to be operating correctly, but you aren't getting condensation at the exit point- either there's no humidity in the air or the condensation is going somewhere else.
Location: Downtown Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill,Homestead for now
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Another note we were out of town for a week and we put our thermostat higher than normal. We are in FL and the temps are about 80s. Do you think that this is why the carpet got wet from the humidity while we were gone?
Just want to rule out some stuff before spending money.
I'm in South Florida too. While it's hot , these days its not that bad and not ridiculously humid like it is in summer. So I doubt keeping the thermostat higher when it is in the 80's would cause a wet spot on your carpet. Sounds more like a leak.
Something is leaking somewhere. What other water or septic lines are running through/near there? Crack in a PVC line, yes PVC can crack? Old pipe leaking, joint leaking? How old is the home? There is a total lack of significant humidity and/or rain down here now that would cause this. If there was a problem with the overflow being blocked, the pan should also be filled with water that was not draining. This could be anything, including a roof leak flowing down between the walls. Could be a crack in a PVC pipe for something else, or a metal pipe failing somewhere if its an older place. May just have to bite the bullet and rip out a portion of the drywall there and see if you can see where its coming from. Delaying won't be a great idea. Water in the walls means water in the 2x4's which attracts termites, they are attracted to the water and will crawl up into your house and start munching on the interior wood. Open it up and take a look. Find out where its coming from, repair the leak, fix the drywall. Drywall hand saw is about $7 at Home Depot, that and some box cutters will get you a nice, easy to repair hole.
Where to start? Just start. Now. Call an AC service person to look at it. They will probably tell you they have to cut a hole in the wall to take a look. Or they will tell you that they fixed it and did nothing but charge you for the visit.
Open up the wall, you don't have enough information for anyone here to tell you where to start.
Location: Downtown Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill,Homestead for now
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The home was built in 2005 now i think maybe it is not the A/C but the pipe going to our washer. The washer is on the other side of the stairs.... Before leaving for holiday i did 8 loads of laundry.
I cleaned the wet area and it is dry and haven't done laundry yet humm
I think you are onto something! Do a load typical of what you normally do, but, first pull the washer out a bit and observe what happens during the cycle. You may have a plastic box in the wall that the drain hose is placed into and the water supplies are near that; if you do, check that box carefully as well!
You may want to call your insurance company. They may cover the resulting damage.
First find out where the water is coming from. Push on the wall in that corner and see if you finger or a blunt tool goes through the drywall. (Do not use a pointy tool. Pointy tools will go right through perfectly sound drywall, especially in a newer house). If your finger or blunt tool go through, it is wet and the water is probably coming from above or outside. If your finger goes through, push on it up higher until you find hard drywall. That gives you a clue, but not an answer. Drywall can wick water up from the floor, but that is not all that common. INsulation wicks a lot more than drywall does.
If the drywall is dry and hard, try the cieling (but if it were coming through the cieling, it would probably make a stain).
Regardless of what it tells you about the source of the leak, it will give you the area that you need to replace, if any. I would nto start cutting out sound drywall until you find the source of the water. If it is coming through the slab, there may be no need to replace the drywall.
If the drywall on the wall and cieling is had and dry, pull up the carpet and padding in that corner and look underneath. You need to do this regardless so you can find out if the pad is saturated. If you find a puddle on the concrete or a stain on wood subfloor, follow it until you find the size and shpe of the wet area. Try to figure out where it starts and ends. The wettest part is not always where it is coming in. Sometimes it runs downhill and collects. If you have concrete slab, look for cracks. Cracks in concrete are normal, but that could be where the water is coming in.
If the water is running under the stairs from the washer, you may need to open it up a bit to dry it out and kill any mold. Usually this can be done by putting small holes in the drywall on each side and running a fan made for drying out carpeting directed at the holes on one side.
You might be able to pull up the carpeting and dry it out with one of those fans. If the carpeting or padding is severaly moldy or mildewed, you will probably need to replace it.
If you are on a slab and have water coming up from below, you will most likely correct it with grading changes or installation of a french drain system around the house. This is inexpensive if you cna DIY, but can be pricy to have done.
Water is your worst enemy in a house. It ruins things, causes rot, mold mildew, attracts termites. THe longer it goes the more severe damage you will have to resolve. It is important to find the source of the problem now.
I just noticed something i think that is what is called condensation line that comes out of the back of the house is dry no water it used to have water dripping all the time. I am in HOT florida. Is this related some how?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NCtoMiami
Yes condensate line is connected and the overflow pan is dry not even a drop of water.
Sounds like the condensate drain line is clogged up, making the condensate overflow inside the air handler, this is why the filter is wet. I have a house where this happens periodically. The condensate line has a low spot before it exited the house. The low spot holds water and over time it would collect dust and mold in it and clog up enough to prevent the condensate from draining out of the pipe to the exterior. When that happens it backs up into the air handler. You can blow the line out with compressed air or a water house to clear it.
I can't explain why the overflow pan has no water in it, but if the filter is wet, it appears the condensate is overflowing inside of the air handler.
It would be a good practice to clear the line each spring before the AC season starts.
I took a female PVC cap...drilled a hole for a threaded valve stem the local tire guy gave me. I use my little air tank to blow the line out when I have had problems in the past. I now have a removable cap on this unit to pour bleach in yearly.
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