leak from the Air conditioner evaporator coil

[tvogel]

I had a new air conditioner/furnace and heat pump installed by a professional AC Company. About a month after the install I noticed water underneather the home. After checking for a water leak I discovered that when they completed the install they neglected to connect the evaporator drain clamp so instead of the water draiing outside it was draining directly under the house. All the installation in the area was satuarted and sagging down. I called them to come out and when they made it out after the holiday weekend the installation was about 90% dry. He told me they would replace it if I wanted but in trailer houses it comes in all one sheet and if replaced they would be creating seams and it would not be as effective. They insisted that since it was dry now it really wasn't going to hurt anything. Is any of this true? Should I insist on them replacing the installation?

[David Oxhandler]

Your AC has a drain pan designed to hold condensation. It also should have a pipe which allows the drain pan to empty outside away from the home... not under the home.

I am sorry but I don't understand what it is that would need to be seamed? We use 3/4 PVC pipe for drain lines here. Sections are glued and it matters not how many "seams" there are.

I have owned several dozen manufactured homes in Central Florida, where humidity is our number one natural resource Any and all installation standards call for the condensation to be drained away from the home.

Water leaking through to the underside of a home can bring mold, mildew, wet rot and termites. The results could be harmful to your health and the structural soundness of your home

Any professional installer knows this. It sounds to me like they did the install the cheapest, fastest way possible. That it is just wrong.

Call the contractor and let him know you expect them to fully correct their "error". That must include replacing the insulation that got wet and repairing or replacing the "bottom board". Bottom board is a water resistant usually black plastic like material that the floor insulation rests on.

Be sure everything is dried out prior to replacing the insulation. The bottom board should be cut, the wet insulation removed and discarded, the area sprayed with anti mold spray (available at Lowe's) and then left to dry out for a few days. Don't let them button up the bottom while there is any moisture in the floor or you will have mold problems later.

Don't let them reuse the same insulation even if it is dried out. Once rolled insulation gets wet it becomes compressed, looses insulation value and could still hold mold spores.

If the bottom board is cut cleanly it can be closed up using a tape made for that exact purpose. Dont use duct tape as it is not appropriate for this applicaiton and will not last

If you don't get them to eat the cost NOW you will have to do it sooner or later. The longer you wait the more damage will be inflicted and more it will cost.

If you get any resistance or have any doubts call your local building department and ask to talk to the guy that inspects air conditioner installations. I doubt that he would ever pass a system that dumped water inside the home.

[tvogel]

There is a pipe (tube) that clamps into the pipe that directs the water to the ourside of the home. When they replaced the A/C unit they neglected to clamp the tubing back to the pipe that allows the water to drain outside of the home. I have a picture if it would help you get a visual of the problem.
What the installer is saying....is once you remove installation from a mobile home you never get the installtion replaced since you will have seams where you cut out the bad and replaced with new.
So, if I understand you correctly..."YES", make them replace the damaged areas?

[David Oxhandler]

My gut reply would be yes. Do what ever you can to make the contractor stand behind the work you paid him to perform. If he was negligent he should take responsibility for any collateral damage cause by his neglect and make the repairs.

There is no reason, I am aware of, that a replacement air unit should not be able to drain as well as an original one, if installed correctly. If the existing drain line was not up to the job, it seems to me, the installer should have run a new line..... or what ever was necessary to not permit water to run onto and through the floor.

More important than assigning blame is to get the water leaking through the floor to STOP. If the AC install was recently there is a good chance that the only damage will be to the insulation. In which case, the costs and work involved would be minimal. Don't let the problem continue, even if you need to shoulder some expense. You home is too important an investment to permit any continuing damage.

Get what you can out of the contractor. Take the steps previously outlined to inspect for damage, get the area dried. restored and re-closed. Get the repairs made and the future of your home secured.

[tvogel]

Thank you for your reply. Once we found the problem we fixed it ourself that day but didn't do anything with the installation. I'm going to go ahead and have him replace the installation. Do all manufactued homes have bottom board? When I was under the home I didn't notice it being black.

[David Oxhandler]

Bottom Board comes in many variations with colors from black to transparent. It can have the feel of plastic or butcher paper. There is some rolled product that is supporting the insulation.