does condensate damage an air handler

16 years ago

We had a new 2.5 ton Goodman air handler installed in the attic of our vacation home in March. When we returned in July the primary drain line wasn't working and the drain pan filled with water.

Upon closer inspection we found that the unit wasn't installed level nor was there an emergency shut off switch installed. That means that the water that would normally drain out went into the handler itself and not out the drain lines (primary or secondary) at all. This went on for 2.5 months.

So my question is whether it would be better to replace the air handler (the person who did the work originally has agreed to give us a full refund) OR should we just fix the other problems with the installation (wrong solder was used to connect unit; plenum not sized correctly) at his expense and keep this handler?

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Comments (7)

creek_side
16 years ago
I would replace it. You have no way of really knowing the long term effects of the water. I doubt that the seller would offer to refund the money (not replace the unit?) if there was no chance of problems cropping up in the future due to the condensate pooling in the unit.
indygem
Original Author
16 years ago
I think the seller's decision to refund is based more on deflecting a formal complaint to the state board because of the faulty installation and some other code violations that I uncovered.

My brother-in-law says keep the unit but I'm worried about mold and other issues. I have a feeling we'll need to replace some duct work too - it is 20 years old.
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troys
16 years ago
Should not have any lasting problems from the water in the a/h. I would have them relevel the unit and replace the supply plenum (could get mold). What kind of solder is "wrong"?
brickeyee
16 years ago
"wrong solder was used to connect unit"

Solder (definitely wrong) or brazing rod?

Not a lot of solder on AC lines, the pressure is to high (especially on the larger lines).
indygem
Original Author
16 years ago
the people who came to level the unit and to install the emergency shut off said that the solder that was used to connnect the evap coil part of the unit to the rest of the unit was soft plumber solder not the higher temp stuff that should be used. While not an immediate problem they told us that over time this connection would leak because this solder (sp?) isn't designed for this high pressure application.

My biggest concern is with the amount of water that sat in the handler for some time before it started to over flow. We're talking gallons of water here. It was so bad that it started coming through the ceiling and we can see a fair amount of water damage up there.

The plenum that was made for the original 10 SEER unit was never adjusted to fit the larger opening of the 13 SEER unit.

Water was leaking into the drain pain from the junction between the air handler and the duct work on the opposite end of the drain lines (this is a horizontal install).
troys
16 years ago
They need to braze all the connections now before it gets to late and they try to charge you to do it. They need to replace the plenum and adjust the a/h for proper drainage. I would watch them while they fix their problems since they don't know that you cant use soft solder..lol
hvacgene
16 years ago
I wouldn't give them a second chance..
Better to pay for a licensed contractor and make them get a permit.