Evaporator dripping onto heater

r22gh9

I am new to HeatingHelp. I am trying to figure out what is going on with my Thermopride forced air oil heater and York AC and hopefully correct it.

I noticed water coming out of the bottom onto the floor. The condensate line and pump are working fine and not clogged up. I took the side off the evaporator. For some reason condensation is dripping directly onto the heater instead of rolling down the fins into the channels/gutters that direct it to a side gutter that pours into the pump.

The photo of the bottom of the evaporator is looking directly up. I cleaned out all of those gutters beneath the fins. Actually, they were already very clean. I don't know why the condensation is not running down the fins directly into the gutters. You can see rust on the top of the oil burner. So, it looks like this drip has happened in the past but I didn't notice it. This system was installed in 1995. We haven't had any problems with it but I assume this drip will eventually ruin the heater.

I live outside Philadelphia. It has been hot lately, but we have had heat waves and humidity before.

I appreciate any comments.

Thanks,

mattmia2

Maybe it is sticking to that rust on the side plates and dripping from there instead of running down them?

HVACNUT

Are the channels clear all the way through? You can't really tell if there's gunk built up where the fins meet the channels. This is the first flat evaporator coil I've seen mounted horizontally. 
In any case, have your oil service company check the heat exchanger. 

Big Ed_4

The metal trough for the coil is rotted . I would recommend replacing the complete coil . The ThermalPride Heat exchanger is made with heavy plate , but still check out for holes ...

EBEBRATT-Ed

You could put the sheet metal back together and cut a large hole in it and screw a pc of plexiglass over it and run the system to see where it is dripping. Replace it with sheet metal later. If it's a York coil and not a Thermopride coil it may not have been installed right.

The coil needs to be clean so the water will run down it correctly

clammy

That’s a straight coil mounted horizontally . In which case where is the pan usually straight coils are mounted vertically not horizontal being there’s no way for them to drain properly and still let air pass . . I high doubt that much rust would form in one season ,it most likely has been dripping for a while . Is the condensate line equipped w a trap ? In most cases from my experience straight coils are cased if not then a pan must be fabricated for them to not drain into and on the duct work . I would guesss there’s limited horizontal height hence there choice of coil being thermopride furnaces are a little tall and being most basements w them seen to be short and it’s usually a tight squeeze for a a coil fit. Also that coil looks like it could used to be cleaned . Peace and good luck clammy

pecmsg

Being on the positive pressure side a trap is not needed. 

The last picture is that from the air inlet side looking up?

Big Ed_4

The furnace looks like a highboy , assuming you will have more room on the return for the box coil

pecmsg

Big Ed_4 said:

The furnace looks like a highboy , assuming you will have more room on the return for the box coil

That will rust out a heat exchanger. Just look at any RTU. 

Big Ed_4

What is RTU ?

pecmsg

Big Ed_4 said:

What is RTU ?

Roof
Top
Unit

pecmsg

Because the heat exchanger is down stream of the evap they rust out quickly. 

mattmia2

pecmsg said:

Because the heat exchanger is down stream of the evap they rust out quickly. 

Although in an rtu they are probably a lot more full of hot humid air to condense on the combustion side than in a basement. If it were mine i would find an A coil, probably with a stainless pan, from someone like Aspen that was compatible with the outdoor unit, pump it down, and figure out a way to make it work with the clearance available.

r22gh9

I appreciate all of the excellent comments.

I believe this Thermopride model # OL20-151 was installed in 1994. (I bought the house in 2007) So, it is old, but I haven't had any problems. Also, the York AC is probably SEER 10 or 12, but I have never had a problem . . . knock on wood. This is a basement with a 7.5' foot ceiling and a concrete floor. The blower fan is on the left. Air comes from the left into this box and then goes upward through the coil.

I suspect the dripping condensation was heavier than normal because of the heat wave and that is why I finally noticed it when it was coming out of the bottom onto the floor.


I attached a couple of photos. Hopefully you can see the condensation dripping off the fins instead of rolling all the way down into the channels/gutters. The coil is sloped to one side so that the gutters drain into a larger gutter which goes into the pump.

The channels/gutters are made of aluminum. I don't see any corrosion on the gutters. The fins on the coil are aluminum and have slight oxidation. I don't know if that is contributing to the problem

I used my air compressor to blow out some dust and debris that had accumulated.

I am thinking I could spray some vinegar on the fins and then some water to rinse them off. But, that might make the house smell like vinegar.

I appreciate the comments. Thank you,

mattmia2

There are commercial coil cleaner solutions

jumper

Big Ed_4 said:

The furnace looks like a highboy , assuming you will have more room on the return for the box coil

Much more sensible to design with "upsidedown" furnace and evap downstream. How often do we see that?

r22gh9

I sprayed WEB brand Coil Cleaner on the evaporator. The directions say this stuff is "self rinsing on condensate producing coils".

It is another hot day so we will know soon if this helps.

mattmia2

It is still a good idea to spray it with some water to rinse the detergent off after it has soaked a while.

pecmsg

If the drain channel is dripping the RH of the return air is to high.