Goodman GCH95 furnace condensation and or drainage issue


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Old 12-17-14, 01:17 PM
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Question Goodman GCH95 furnace condensation and or drainage issue

Hi DIY'ers,

I've been trying to solve a problem with a Goodman furnace model gch950453bxac. I just bought the house and the furnace appears to be brand new or less than a year or two old. I don't have any info on who installed it otherwise I'd call them to come recheck their installation. The furnace would run for 10 to 15 minutes and shut off. By searching this forum I discovered that sometimes there is water buildup in the hose running to the pressure switches. Sure enough I found water in the hose. I spent quite a bit of time draining water from the right side pressure switch hose. The one on the left had only a drop or two. Well, I thought that would solve my problem but now I've got most of the water drained but the furnace now will only run for a few minutes then shutoff and water is no longer, or not nearly as much, in the hose. I do now hear water in the fan for the inducer motor and figure that can't be good. There is obviously water still inside the unit but can't figure out how to get the rest of it out. At this point I'm trying to figure out how the condensation pump and drain system within the furnace works because it does not seem to be doing it's job well, at all. The condensation pump itself seems to be fine because I have activated it a couple of times by pouring some of the drainoff into it.

Can anyone point me to a manual that shows how drainage is supposed to work on this furnace? The manual I found with the furnace and what I have so far found online don't have any info on the drainage configuration. Any other suggestions? I will try and take some pictures to post if that will help.
 
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Old 12-17-14, 01:26 PM
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Welcome to the forum!! here is a link to the manual. Check page 20 for info on the condensate drain system. Have you checked the drain trap to make sure it is clean?

http://www.alpinehomeair.com/related...R%205.2013.pdf
 
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Old 12-17-14, 01:46 PM
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Thanks for the quick reply and the link to the install manual.

I need to study the descriptions and drawings more but it appears none of them represent how this furnace is set-up. I will try to post pics.
 
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Old 12-22-14, 07:51 AM
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Back with pics. Bear with me as I try to figure out what to do here..

There is no trap set-up, in fact, I don't believe the drainage system is set up at all like it's supposed to be. As you can see in the pictures they have the drain running off the middle of the inducer housing. From the results I'm getting, that configuration is useless. Someone didn't know what they were doing on this.
According to the diagram in the manual, if I’m looking at the right one, it looks like I need to run lines off the elbow and the lower right corner of the back of the inducer housing. Is that right? The side with the elbow is exhaust from the furnace to the outside of the house. The tube running off the elbow needs to be drilled out or cut off to open it because it is dead ended. That is described in the manual linked above.

Do I need to buy the Goodman trap set up or can I rig up something from the local home improvement store?

Here is a close up of where the drain hose is connected:



Here is an overall view:







 
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Old 12-22-14, 11:11 AM
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You are correct. The condensate drain is totally wrong and totally useless. It sounds like you have figured out what needs to be done to correct the situation. The drain trap is shown in the attachment. Here is a link to the parts manual:

http://www.goodmanmfg.com/Portals/0/...s/RP-GCH95.pdf

You might look around the furnace area and see if the installer left a plastic bag with the parts you may need to complete the job.
 
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Old 12-22-14, 03:06 PM
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[username=firedawgsatx]You are correct. The condensate drain is totally wrong and totally useless. It sounds like you have figured out what needs to be done to correct the situation. The drain trap is shown in the attachment. Here is a link to the parts manual:

http://www.goodmanmfg.com/Portals/0/...s/RP-GCH95.pdf

You might look around the furnace area and see if the installer left a plastic bag with the parts you may need to complete the job.
firedawgsatx, Thank you for confirming that I am on the right track.

I've seen the pictures of that trap in my research and of course it's shown in the manual you linked earlier but I can't clearly see how it fits together with the tubing they show in the pictures or diagrams. I'm wondering if I can make it work with just some clear tubing.

Thanks, again.
 
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Old 12-22-14, 03:18 PM
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Some of the black tubes you see already connected (incorrectly) were in the drain kit bag provided for the installation. Two of the tubes come out the side of the cabinet and go into the drain trap which is mounted on the side of exterior cabinet. The trap is secured with a couple of sheet metal screws. Yes, you can use clear hose for the condensate drain. You can take the existing "drain" apart and see if you can reuse the various parts. As shown in the parts diagram the black pipes coming out of the side of the cabinet and going into the trap have a 90 degree bend on one end. The trap needs to have water in it at all times or a vacuum will be created. So, once the trap is installed the trap needs to have some water poured into it to prime it.

Hopefully, the attached photo will help you see how it drains out the hole in front of the trap. Once the condensate level gets up to the inside lip of the drain hole it will enter the drain hose. A drain hose from the condensate pump will be attached there with a clamp.
 
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Old 11-23-15, 02:44 PM
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Goodman furnace and ac

Our home was built in 2013 and Goodman furnace and ac installed. The furnace is located upstairs and with the drain line connected the the sink drain adjacent to the furnace. We have had the unit serviced and was told the 2.5 ton ac is operating at the max range for the sq. ft. (1650) actual living space, 2 story. Our home always feels like there is high humidity. Now this said, my wife likes to run the ac and or heater with windows open. Would the open windows while running the ac/heater having anything to do with humid feeling the house has? We have been told to let the fan run all the time for circulation but my concern is shortening the life of the fan motor by doing this. Our house has a tight seal and I have to believe running the ac unit or heater with the windows open is having some effect on its overall performance. Any feedback is appreciated.
 
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Old 11-23-15, 03:20 PM
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UH..........running the furnace and AC with with the windows open is a real problem.
 
 

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