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Found leak in AC drain pipe connections and this is what I found: RESOLVED
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:21 pm
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:21 pm
My wife noticed a wet spot in our bathroom ceiling and water was bubbling in the drywall. The furnace is directly above. I climbed and found where the water source was coming from. The picture is where the AC drain pipe leads out. I'm not a plumber/HVAC specialist by any means, but this looks pretty jacked up by whoever did it.
Furnace on the right, it goes out, makes this U shape going down and up. The material closest to the furnace feels like some sort of sprayed on tar, while the left side is some type of padding that loosely fits around the pipe. The middle is some insulation that got saturated and for some reason the pipe sat on that piece of insulation.
Can anyone tell me if this is how a drain is supposed to be designed? The connection doesn't seem to be entirely secure, so I'm not sure if I should just spray flex seal around some of it, or any other type of sealing product.
Furnace on the right, it goes out, makes this U shape going down and up. The material closest to the furnace feels like some sort of sprayed on tar, while the left side is some type of padding that loosely fits around the pipe. The middle is some insulation that got saturated and for some reason the pipe sat on that piece of insulation.
Can anyone tell me if this is how a drain is supposed to be designed? The connection doesn't seem to be entirely secure, so I'm not sure if I should just spray flex seal around some of it, or any other type of sealing product.
This post was edited on 4/22/23 at 10:19 am
9
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:36 pm to BilbeauTBaggins
I'm not a residential AC or plumbing expert. But I can tell you that it looks like there was a previous leak and someone put a lot of gummy tar like goo on it.
Normally those things are made of PVC and easy to work with. If you are not conformable doing it any competent AC tech or plumber should be able to do relatively cheap.
Normally those things are made of PVC and easy to work with. If you are not conformable doing it any competent AC tech or plumber should be able to do relatively cheap.
This post was edited on 4/21/23 at 11:37 pm
Posted on 4/21/23 at 11:42 pm to Swazla
I mean if I just have to have one pipe connection instead of this stupid U shape thing I can just get new PVC pipe and seal those ends that way. It just looks really suspicious and I wasn't sure if this was how it was supposed to be designed.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 12:49 am to BilbeauTBaggins
Pull off all that pipe insulation and see what you are working with , looks like a pea trap but not sure why
This post was edited on 4/22/23 at 3:55 am
Posted on 4/22/23 at 6:39 am to Tigerpaw123
quote:
looks like a pea trap but not sure why
If it's tied into a drain line, it's to stop sewer gasses from backing up into your system. Mine has one as well.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 7:07 am to Swazla
quote:
If you are not conformable doing it any competent AC tech or plumber should be able to do relatively cheap.
The words "cheap and plumber" do not go well together. If you don't believe me, ask any plumber to come by and fix that and I'd bet dollars to donuts that would run you an easy $200=$300 before they are done.
If you do it, probably less than $30 in pipe, pipe fittings and the glue to assemble it.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 8:02 am to BilbeauTBaggins
That's a P-trap. Vent after the trap.
This post was edited on 4/22/23 at 8:04 am
Posted on 4/22/23 at 8:13 am to BilbeauTBaggins
The pipe is insulated to prevent humid air from condensing on the surface of the pipe while cold water is draining through it.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 8:49 am to BilbeauTBaggins
You shouldn’t need a P-Trap on a HVAC furnace b/c the evaporator coil is downstream of the furnace blower motor and under positive air pressure - you can install one but it’s not required. However a p trap would be required on an air handler where the evaporator coil is upstream of the blower motor and under negative air pressure. Watch this video - it will show how HVAC condensate drain traps work under negative and positive pressure air flows LINK.
OP - I’d suggest you hire a HVAC tech and plumb that condensate drain correctly - the $300 or so you’ll pay to do this is going to be much cheaper than ceiling, drywall repairs and painting from water damage - reads like you are going to have to do some of that anyway.
OP - I’d suggest you hire a HVAC tech and plumb that condensate drain correctly - the $300 or so you’ll pay to do this is going to be much cheaper than ceiling, drywall repairs and painting from water damage - reads like you are going to have to do some of that anyway.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 9:47 am to CrawDude
Looks like it's feeding into the house plumbing which is likely plugged up.
I agree call an AC guy or plumber.
I agree call an AC guy or plumber.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 10:02 am to BilbeauTBaggins
OP can either read a couple hours on how a Furnace hvac trap works and its design and Diy, or hire an hvac guy to come do it for ~$150. System might need to cleaning anyway so he can combine services for better value.
Though the best thing would be if his wife's uncle is a handy fellow and willing to come over and fix it. Should only cost a nice bottle of whiskey.
Though the best thing would be if his wife's uncle is a handy fellow and willing to come over and fix it. Should only cost a nice bottle of whiskey.
This post was edited on 4/22/23 at 12:14 pm
Posted on 4/22/23 at 10:17 am to BilbeauTBaggins
Wife's uncle came by this morning since he had lots of parts available. Getting him a nice whiskey bottle next time we see him.
Got this with a new peatrap, tee pipe and better insulation.
Got this with a new peatrap, tee pipe and better insulation.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 10:27 am to BilbeauTBaggins
Looks like you've actually got a trap there. If you want water to drain properly, the low spot depicted must be removed. Straight pvc line with a good fall will assure you of proper drainage.
Posted on 4/22/23 at 11:58 am to Lutcher Lad
The P-trap is for holding water to keep sewer gas from coming into the house through waste lines connected to sinks, tubs and shower drains. If the condensate line drains outside the building, it just needs to be pitched properly and a P-trap isn’t necessary. If it is connected to an internal waste line or vent pipe, it should have a P-trap if the air handler is in a closet. I don’t know that it is necessary when the air handler is in the ceiling. The black stuff on the pipe looks like roof mastic.
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