Just a thought...
Hello all,
Back in July my AC unit leaked into the ceiling of the 2nd fl. The service people cleared the clog from the end of the pipe by blowing nitronen I believe. No probem since then. I'm puzzled however due to the fact that the drip pan under the unit was not wet at all and the water leaked completely outside of it. The tech was not able to Id the root cause.
I'm facing $2500 in damage - covered by insurance - but am concerned this may happen again. Also ...I have a a 10 yr svc contract with the Co. that instaleld the unit 2 years ago. Any general opinions as to whether they are liable for at least the deductible I'll have to shell out? Unit is Lennox Signature. Thanks.
This you may already know: You should have, (if I’m picturing it correctly) two condensation pipes on the outside of your house. One should be low; around 12” above ground level and the other should be higher. The lower one should be the one that drips all the time…everything is ok. When the top one starts to drip, that means that the normal operation drain is plugged, and the pan is now taking on water.
When you’re A/C guy came out, did he have to blow out both drains? Being that you had drywall damage that would mean that both condensation lines were plugged. If this is a big mystery, of how the pan under the unit was not wet, and the water got to your drywall, the only thing I can think of doing is imitating the seen of the crime.
Go up in your attic, (making sure that you thermostat is set in the, “off position” before going up there) and remove the side panel to the air handler. Take a small rag, and plug up the drain hole, in the air handler unit. Pour water into the bottom of air handler tray, until it overflows, and see what happens. The water should drip over into the emergency pan, and out the drain line. Have someone stand outside, to see if water is dripping out of the pipe, (the higher one). See if there is sludge build-up in the bottom of the air handler. If there is, shop vac up as much as you can, and then take a small brush and hot soapy water, and flush out as much of it as you can. When you are done cleaning it out, make sure that clear water is coming out of the lower pipe, on the outside of your house.
As far as them being responsible for all/ part of the damage, (in my opinion and depending on what you find out on the test) it may fall back on the original installers of the unit. If you just have a service contract with you’re A/C company, and not a maintenance program, I would say, (again in my opinion) they would not be responsible for the damage that accrued.
As far as the pan not being wet; if it was hot up in your attic, the pan would have probably dried up, by the time someone got up there to check it out.
Good luck on that one,
Mike