SpacePak Condensation from Coils Leaking into Pan

mikehvac

I have a spacepak air handler in our finished attic. The coils sweat and some of the condensation drips down to the edge of the cabinet and into the emergency pan underneath. It’s not a lot of water and it never fills up enough to trigger the overflow, but I’m afraid the outer pan will eventually develop a hole. You can see where it drips from the rust in the picture. System works well otherwise and cools sufficiently. 

Any ideas on how to resolve?

Jamie Hall

Where is the condensation -- there will always be some -- supposed to go, and why isn't it going there?

ChrisJ

Jamie Hall said:

Where is the condensation -- there will always be some -- supposed to go, and why isn't it going there?

I would imagine either the copper tubing shown is sweating and dripping on that lip for the door, causing it to exit the cabinet.

Or, hot attic air is leaking into the cabinet and condensing at that point and leaking out.
Maybe both.

mikehvac

The copper tubing is definitely sweating and dripping on the lip of the door. Any ideas on how to fix?

ChrisJ

mikehvac said:

The copper tubing is definitely sweating and dripping on the lip of the door. Any ideas on how to fix?

Insulate it?
Move it?
Build a small tray to catch the water and run it inside?
I don't know.

PC7060

mikehvac said:

The copper tubing is definitely sweating and dripping on the lip of the door. Any ideas on how to fix?

Carefully bend the arcs of tubing in slightly working from the inside tubes to the outside one. Just need to move enough to get the drips inside the normal pan area. 

Jamie Hall

SpacePak is pretty good equipment. Therefor... at one point it must have been set up so either that copper tubing didn't get chilled or, as @PC7060 implies it was placed so that any drips that formed on it would go into a pan designed to catch it. I would move the tubing if I could -- but I think I might also check and be sure that I have the proper refrigerant charge and pressures and that the equipment really is working properly.

mattmia2

I wonder if the whole coil got shifted in the condensate pan a little bit. Or the thing was disassembled to get it in to the attic and not quite reassembled where it was supposed to be.