I have water in my air ducts.....?

Question

I am not really sure why, well i do understan that when you run your A/C it sweats and what not, but how do I get rid of this issue and then prevent it? Ther eis about 3 inches of standing water in them I can see it if I look down in one of my registers.

Answer 1

YOu must have what we call a down flow system with ducts in the floor that blow out the conditioned air.

If these are inside a concreet floor the only hope you have to clear it up once and for all is replace them with overhead ducts and may require replacement of the air mover (the furnace) to an upflow model and probably the Evaporator coil as well.

If you can verify that the water is commin gform the evaporator coil and not ground water seeping in from the ground then you have the alternative of just fixing or replacing the coil drain pan.

And it could be due to the evaporator coil freezing up either from low air flow or something  causeing the effect of low air flow like shutoff vents in rooms, or dirty filter or even the evaporator coil may be dirty, or some insulation If it had some in the ductwork loose and flapping to cover some of the duct work and slow down the air flow. The other cause of a freeze up would be anything that may restrict refrigerant flow, commonly a undercharge system, but other things like a defficent liquid drier, or a expantion device not feeding properly.

A close look by a local expert that has some expierance in these areas can advise you of the correct action to take. But ask for proof of the problem before you throw money at the problem. If the repair person can explaine it to your satisfaction hes the one to use. And it may require more than 1 look to get to the bottom of the problem. Other factors that cant be seen like colapsed ducts under slab require testing and deduction.

In any case finding out where the water is comming in will allow you to find the solution or options for solutions.

Let me know if this helps.

Answer 2

couple of things it might be ,i guess it's been there a few yrs so i would say a clogged drain line,lint,bacteria,mold ,build up in there till it clogs ,you have a pan under your evaporator that fills with water that condenses on the coil and a drain pipe to take it away it's overflowing and pouring into your ducts... you might can run it out with a thin stiff wire or you might have to remove it,to clean,or if you have an air compressor(messy) blow it clear.............tom

Answer 3

condensation should be on the outside of the ducts, IF they arent insulated. the only thing i can suggest is that your duct work is extremely leaky and uninsulated. under these conditions your unit is extremely ineffefficient and water must be leaking into the attic insulation which will eventuelly get to the drywall and cause even bigger problems. that's a lot of water! go ahead and get a pro out there asap!

DOH! sub floor duct work. i forgot about those! 6 and 7 are correct i betcha!

Answer 4

not normal.....u should not have any water in them....u have to take the loose form the boot, that what the vent rest on, and drain them...either u dont have any or enough insulation under the house or the install was done improperly....either way get it fix or more damage will come of it..

lic. gen. contractor

Answer 5

Sounds like you're in a slab home with underground ducting.   If this is your case, your problem is poor drainage around the house, and groundwater is getting into the ducts.  You'll need to address the drainage problem to get the water out of the ducts.  You may need to add a french drain, or make sure the downspouts are connected to piping which carries rainwater away from the house.....It's something you really should take care of, ...the water in the ducts can cause some pretty unhealthy situations.

Hope this helps

Answer 6

several causes mentioned here.... I'll mention a result... mold... see to this getting fixed ASAP......

Answer 7

3 inches of standing water inside the duct is a lot!  I suspect the condensate drain is emptying into the duct rather than outside into a floor drain or otherwise pumped.

Get it fixed immediately!

Answer 8

well if you are talking about a mobile home there are several reasons: the most common reason could be that your ducts are not insulated very well. metal sided buildings are bad about rain leaking into the under belly of the mobile home which in turn could leak into the ducts