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Gas Furnace with Drain Pipes to Drain the Condensation.
Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem - Richard, My furnace is leaking water. It is summertime, so I am not using it for heat except for the blower fan which is hooked up to the air conditioner and the heat. I know the pipes from the outside units run into a box on top of the furnace. I think that is a part of the air conditioner. What can I do to fix the problem if you know what the problem is by my explanation here? Dan
Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem
Dan,
The box on top of your furnace is an essential part of your air conditioner. The pipes run into the evaporator coil for the air conditioner. You are right that the blower fan from the furnace is used for both heating and cooling. However, you need to take action right away. That is before the water causes severe damage to the electrical components of the furnace. That includes the blower fan. You have an upflow gas furnace with an evaporator coil on top of it for air conditioning.
That means the air from the return comes in at the bottom of the furnace. The air is discharged from the top of the furnace into a supply plenum. Then to the supply trunks, which are probably in the ceiling. The return (where the air filter is located) is close to the floor. While the heating and cooling function well for you, an up-flow is better for cooling than heating.
That is because the air is discharged out of the supply vents in the ceiling where cool air naturally falls. Alternatively, the heat is discharged from the top; it will likely stay up near the ceiling. It will slowly flood the space with the heat so you can feel warm.
Alternatives | Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem
Some people compensate for this by turning the thermostat to a higher temperature to feel warmer. However, a ceiling fan will suffice. However, only if the ceiling fan is set to a slow speed in the winter. If you feel a draft, you will feel cooler. However, the ceiling fan will help the warm air trapped in the ceiling come down to your level. It will pull the heat down from the ceiling.
Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem
With upflow furnaces that have integrated air-conditioning, the evaporator coil needs to be downstream of the furnace. That is because the evaporator will deliver saturated air that is cold and below the dew point. If the evaporator coil were before the furnace, the furnace would get too cold and begin to sweat. The sweat would cause water damage such as rust and corrosion to the furnace prematurely.
So the evaporator must be installed downstream from the furnace. With upflow furnaces, this means the evaporator coil will likely be installed on top of the furnace. That can present a unique problem if a water leak occurs, such as you are experiencing. A few things can happen here that will cause big problems with a water leak in your furnace.
Possible Causes
- The water leak can be the result of holes in the drain pan that is located under the evaporator coil. The drain pan collects the condensate that drips off the evaporator coil. Again, the evaporator coil operates below the dew point so when your air conditioner is running the evaporator coil will remove the humidity from the air. The humidity condenses into the water at the evaporator coil and drips into the condensate pan. If the condensate pan has a hole in it then the water will drip onto the furnace. This will cause big problems. Some older air conditioning systems used a metal pan and over time the pan will rust and rust holes will cause water leaks.
- The condensation drain line is plugged and the pan is overflowing. The condensation drain line needs to be unplugged so the condensate can drain. This will eliminate your furnace water leak if this is the problem.
- In some cases, the evaporator coil can freeze up. Certain conditions cause the evaporator coil to operate below freezing and when the evaporator coil operates below freezing all the humidity will freeze to the coil. As the air conditioner cycles on and off the evaporator will thaw depending on the temperatures. This is directly related to the location of the furnace and evaporator coil. As the ice on the evaporator coil thaws, it will often overwhelm the drain and overflow.
Serious Leaks | Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem
Number one and three are serious water leaks. They require the attention of a professional HVAC technician to be repaired. While number two can be taken care of by a good DIYer and a shop vacuum. Find the end of the drain and hook up the shop vac. The shop vac will suck any plugs in the drain line. Then, you are heating again, although if a lot of water got into your furnace, you probably still want to call an HVAC tech.
Perhaps, to check out the furnace and all the electrical components that got wet. It can save you lots of problems in the future, especially when it comes time to turn on the heat. You will feel comfortable know the furnace will give you heat when the temperatures get cold.
Regular Maintenance | Furnace Water Leak Condensate Problem
Another good reason to have an HVAC technician check out this problem is that the technician can make recommendations about avoiding this problem completely. He can recommend adding a few safety controls. These controls will turn the system off before the water leaks on the furnace. There are many different solutions.
An inline drain switch will cut off the system if the drain gets plugged. Additionally, a moisture sensor will cut the system off if it senses moisture. Good luck and I hope this helps.
A water leak such as this originating from your furnace or air conditioner can cause serious water damage to your home especially if the air handler or furnace is located in the attic or above any living space.
Furnace Water Leak Possible Condensate Problem
Furnace Water Leak Possible Condensate Problem
I have a York high-efficiency furnace installed four years ago in my Southern New Jersey residence. The furnace is in the basement with the two direct vent PVC pipe routed to the outside just above ceiling level. With the recent high humidity weather there is a lot of condensate dripping out of the intake air pipe which enters through the top of the combustion chamber. this water is dripping all over the burners, the gas valve, piping, wiring and is collecting on the floor of the compartment where an interlock switch has become damaged and caused the circuit breaker to the furnace to trip. I contacted the contractor who installed the unit and he told me that this is a common problem with York high-efficiency furnaces in the Northeast part of the country where I live. He went on the say that York is not owning up to this. All the parts inside my unit are corroded or rusted and I demanded that something be done to correct this problem. My furnace is still under warranty but I want to make sure that this is corrected and does not recur.
Can you send a few photos https://highperformancehvac.com/hvac-photo-uploads/
Yes, this is not normal. I would call York customer service and get a second opinion.
I have an Amana 90 Air Command. I cleaned all the condensate drain hoses/tubes and the trap, the drains from the bottom of the induction blower are open, but it still leaks water from the sheet metal housing below the induction blower. Is there a drain catch pan that is rusted through, or maybe bigger problems? thanks for any clues.
Most likely yes it is a metal pan that is rusted or a plastic pan that is cracked. However, it could also be something like a lose drain pipe.
Tech said it was secondary heat exchanger. I have my doubts but maybe it was. I think pressure sensor was/is bad and water was loading up pretty deep as it did not shut itself down.
Without seeing it I can’t really say, however, the moisture in the exhaust gases are highly corrosive and is the reason many manufacturers offer 20 years to lifetime warranties on furnace heat exchangers.
A well-written and informative piece, thank you.
Is there a fourth possibility where the condensation drips off the coils in wrong place, therfore missing the collection pan? I was told it would need some kind of treatment so as to train the droplets to release over the pan correctly instead of releasing prematurely. It is an upflow as you mention here.
not that I’m aware of?? I know some evaporator coils have a little splash guard to prevent the negative/positive pressure from the blower from pulling/pushing the moisture where it is not wanted. And all the A coils I’ve seen the condensation drips down the coil and into the drain pan. The splash guard directs the moisture to drip in the drain pan under the coil. Maybe you need the splash guard??? And thanks for the compliment!!!