what causes a leaky furnace?

Question

The furnace is in the attic above the bathroom. Apparently it was leaking last night because the bathroom floor is wet and the rug drenched. Only knowing that the leak came from some where in the attic, I climbed up there a few minutes ago and found the pan under the furnance had a little water. The pvc pipe right above the pan had condensation. I couldn't find any more water. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Your air conditioner air handler is in the attic and should have a primary condensate (water) drain as well as an emergency overflow pan drain. You apparently noticed that the emergency overflow pan under the air handler unit had some condensate water in it. This indicates that your primary condensate water drain is clogged up. There should be a U shaped trap in the primary drain line attached to the air handler. The U shaped trap needs to be taken apart and cleaned out so that the water can drain freely out through the trap to your household plumbing drain line connection. The emergency drain pan under the air handler is usually connected to another drain line that may go across your attic floor to drain directly outside your house somewhere. You may have to turn your A/C off until the primary condensate water drain line is unclogged if that's where your water leak came from.

Answer 2

I agree that your condensate drain line is plugged. This can be remedied rather quickly if you can find the end where it discharges the water, and connect a high-powered Shop-Vac to the PVC line via duct tape, and suck the obstructions out.

That may not solve your problem. You noticed condensation on the p.v.c. drain line, and this may require insulation to prevent future problems. The attic is quite hot, and the cold water running through the pipe will cause condensation to form on the outside.
This could produce enough moisture to cause the problem you identified. The product used is often called "rubbatex", consisting of a round rubber tube that slips over the p.v.c. to provide insulation.

One last thing to check. Make sure your auxiliary drain pan is not leaking. It is possible that a lot of water was dumped into the pan, but it leaked out by the time you investigated. Look for rust holes
or gaps in the bent metal in the corners. A good emergency repair is O.S.I. Pro-Series Quad polyurethane caulk, $4.50 tube at Lowe's or Home Depot.

Good luck and God bless you.

Answer 3

Listen to Bob and Air Boy obviously both of the people know there stuff. An air conditioner actually does two things. It cools the air and it removes humidity. The water you describe is this humidity.

Your drain line is either clogged or leaking(aka) loose joint. There is a product available sold under the brand name "KONTROL". It is a solid tablet that slowly dissolves, releasing chemicals that help prevent the clog in the first place. It works kinda like a urinal block, helps keep a urinal clean and fresh.

Answer 4

In our Pennsylvania city, there's a employer that advertises a duct-cleansing provider. They instruct photos of heating pipes that have become partly blocked with the aid of dirt and spider webs (spiders love heat places interior the iciness time). A heavy infestation can look a lot like a protracted, narrow, clogged-up air filter out. Their medical care is to deliver an electric powered-powered flail alongside each and every of the heating ducts and chilly-air returns, after which vacuum out the loosened debris, which leaves them in simple terms approximately thoroughly sparkling. they commence with the aid of reducing openings interior the obtainable basement ducts, then deliver the flail and vacuum with the aid of, and finally screw sheet metallic coverings over the openings they made. We had this completed approximately 3 years in the past, and it did even out the warmth that got here into the rooms. some thing else to ascertain – are there disc valves interior the basement warmth pipes that could have become closed off for some reason? Twenty-3 under 0 is somewhat chilly! That tests maximum furnaces' ability to the max.

Answer 5

A furnace with holes in it?