mysterious condensation


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Old 06-18-15, 02:40 PM
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Question mysterious condensation

Hi
Recently condensation has been pooling up in the room next to the ac in the basement. the ac itself is not leaking and there is no water on the floor around it. Sometime in the fall a company came over to make the house energy efficient and put some foam around the pipes. i fear that this may be the culprit but i am no hvac expert. any advice or online guides to troubleshooting ac condensation problems?

TIA
 
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Old 06-18-15, 02:44 PM
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Welcome to the forums! Would it be possible for you to post a picture or two of where it is leaking, and where you think it is coming from? No close ups please.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html
 
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Old 06-18-15, 02:58 PM
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no Im sorry I cant as i dont know where exactly it is coming from. I see no leak but just know that the room in the basement next to the ac unit is flooding whenever the ac unit is turned on. i do know however that we had this problem before. The pipe going from the ac unit outside to the inside unit goes over the top of that room.
The ac man took some yellow insulation foam spray stuff off of the line that was leading into the house from the outside and the condensation stopped. I went outside to see if i could remove it and none was on the pipe.
I know it makes things difficult
 
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Old 06-18-15, 04:42 PM
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Is your condensate pump operating properly? Pour a cup of water in the pump (there is a hole you can use) and see if it pumps it completely. Check, too, to make sure none of your condensate evacuation line is damaged. A rat hole will put the condensate right back on the floor. BTDT.
 
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Old 06-18-15, 06:19 PM
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condensate pump? condensate evacuation line?
 
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Old 06-18-15, 06:31 PM
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Is the condensation forming on the walls? ceiling? floor? Just feel around with your hand and see what feels wet.
 
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Old 06-18-15, 06:33 PM
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another thing. my filter came out soaking wet
 
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Old 06-18-15, 06:36 PM
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i only see condensation on the floor in the room next to the ac and the air filter
 
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Old 06-18-15, 06:43 PM
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Fill out your profile. It will help us to know where you are located. Post a picture of your air handler showing thr filter and any piping
 
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Old 06-18-15, 06:51 PM
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get a piece of plastic about 3 feet square, even a garbage bag with no holes in it will work, and tape it to the floor. Leave it for a day or so and see which side the condensation is on.

If its on the top, you need better ventilation in that room. Likely the efficiency upgrades that were done sealed the room up better than it was and the moisture that used to be able to escape is now trapped and condensing on the cold floor.

If the moisture is under the plastic, you have moisture coming up from under the floor and may want to consider looking at your perimeter drains or a sump pump.
 
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Old 06-18-15, 07:39 PM
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what is a condensate pump and condensate evacuation line? and is there any info online that could help me trouble shoot myself?
 
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Old 06-18-15, 07:43 PM
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perimeter drains or a sump pump.
where are these?
 
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Old 06-19-15, 03:36 AM
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Your air conditioner will put off moisture/water as a byproduct of condensation, It collects in a pan under the coils. From there it follows a PVC (usually) pipe down to the floor into a box about 4" x 6" with a motor on top. Once it collects enough water, it automatically turns on and pumps the water to the outside of the house, or to a collection drain. THAT is a condensate pump. The line from the condensate pump to the outside is the evacuation line.

where are these?
As asked before "where are YOU?" It would help us so much to know this as climates are so different around the country, and if you are not in North America, we are jousting at windmills trying to help you on a system we may or may not be familiar with. Still waiting on the pictures.
 
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Old 06-19-15, 06:24 AM
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Im in Maryland. ill get some pics or vids up here soon thanks
 
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Old 06-19-15, 04:27 PM
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https://youtu.be/JsVvWSI4egA https://youtu.be/3RMD23wMhKM The condensation does seem to be coming up from the floor although I cant do the plastic test because the room is carpeted
 
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Old 06-19-15, 04:44 PM
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You ALMOST videoed what we needed to see. I kept shaking my computer to see, but it just wouldn't get over to the area. The white pipe coming from the air handler, then turning left into a ptrap, then going into a pump on the floor. There is a stand pipe with a cap on it. Remove the cap and pour about 1/2 cup of bleach full strength into it. All the nameplates were good info, but not for what you are experiencing. If you could step back and take some pictures of the unit and the surrounding floor, it may include what we need to see.

Humidity is a very good possibility, so let's not discount that. You had the house sealed up, so it doesn't have the fresh air make up that it had at one time.
 
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Old 06-19-15, 05:17 PM
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will do but before I put in the bleach, will it come up through the floor and bleach my carpet?
 
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Old 06-19-15, 05:39 PM
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If you have a leak, sure. You say you don't have any leaks, so I doubt it will matter. This isn't the best place to have carpet in the first place. How will you tell if you have high moisture content in your concrete or a leak if the carpet masks it?
 
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Old 06-19-15, 06:07 PM
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If the carpet is wet, and not the walls or ceiling, it is pretty much impossible it us due to condensation. You have a leak somewhere, either from the condensate pump/line, or some other source, possibly ground water coming up from the floor.
 
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Old 06-19-15, 07:04 PM
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https://youtu.be/lUiGRkTfJTE So you don't have to abuse the computer
I didn't pour any bleach since Keith says he is sure it is a leak. If it is in fact a leak, where do I go from here
 
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Old 06-19-15, 07:42 PM
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Glue all the joints except the vertical cap. Can't believe someone failed to glue it together. Where does the brownish plastic line come from.
 
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Old 06-19-15, 07:56 PM
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If possible, keep the ac system off for a few days and see if the water dries up. If it dosent, it is not likely the source of your problem.

Have you had any heavy rains lately, maybe a day or two before you first noticed the water in the other room?

Is it possible there is a floor drain under the carpet in that room that is backing up with water?
 
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Old 06-20-15, 11:26 AM
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Chandler The brown line is a copper pipe from the water heater. What is the bleach for? will it improve the circulation, kill mold, or is it just for diagnostic purposes?

Keith we had the a/c off a few times already so as to let the ground dry up. we are certain it is caused by the ac. no there is no drain in this room but we did add a shower in the bathroom next to this room and had to cut the floor to connect its drain to the toilet.
 
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Old 06-20-15, 12:02 PM
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From the water heater as in T&P overflow exit piping? Bleach is to kill mold and crud in the trap (bendy little pipe from the upright pipe with the cap) to keep water flowing to the drain pipe. If it gets clogged up, it will back up the condensate in your air handler pan.

add a shower
The plot thickens..................
 
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Old 06-20-15, 12:27 PM
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Bleach is to kill mold and crud in the trap (bendy little pipe from the upright pipe with the cap) to keep water flowing to the drain pipe.
ok so bleach will help unclog the pipes? correct?
 
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Old 06-20-15, 03:22 PM
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I used a bottle of peroxide
I hope that works
could flushing baby wipes have something to do with it?
 
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Old 06-20-15, 03:26 PM
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Why peroxide when bleach was suggested? I hope it works too. The bleach only keeps fungus, mold, etc from accumulating in the ptrap of the condensate line. If it clogs up, it will back up and cause water problems. Flushing baby wipes can cause a back up in the entire system, including under the toilet in the adjacent bathroom. Have you checked under there for moisture? It could be migrating from the bathroom to the HVAC closet.
 
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Old 06-20-15, 07:58 PM
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I am not seeing the connection between the ac unit and the wet spot on middle of the floor on a carpet in the next room. Is there an ac duct in the ceiling of that room over the wet spot?

How long ago was the shower installed in the basement? Was it after that the wet spot begin appearing?
 
 

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