Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
elsea_gw

HVAC unit leaking

Elsea
10 years ago

Hello,

I am living in the South Louisiana area outside of New Orleans. Our summers are VERY humid. I am a widow and my house if 14 years old (as are the AC units). My units are Carrier. I have a 3200 2 story square foot home with 3 units. Main unit is 3 ton for dining, living kitchen, Second unit is 2 ton for Master suite, Master Bath and Small front bedroom area. Third Unit is upstairs and is 1.5 ton unit. I bought this home 4 years ago and every summer the last 3 years I've had to repair condenser part on each unit. This year I have a serious problem. I hope it's not mold, but the a/c vents on second unit (2 ton master bedroom) are black, and I have moisture creeping down the walls in MB closet and second bedroom closet. I have had TWO a/c companies come out and tell me they can find no leaks. The first company told me I had some ducts closed and opened the dampers and left. The second company (HUGE company) came out and told me he could find no leaks and recommended a whole new system. Dual 5 ton Lennox with all new furnaces and outside unit and ductwork. He took pictures of the mildew and left. We set up an appointment to do a heat load.

A gentleman came out and spent 4 hours in my home checking ductwork, insulation and calculations in square footage and told me that my insulation is above grade level. I have TOO many returns he says which is causing the extra moisture level as the a/c is now constantly running and my electric bill has been $600.00 over the summer this year. He says he wants to install a new Lennox 5 ton dual zone, close off the two bedroom returns and put a huge return in the hallway. All for only $15,000.00 after rebates!!!

I can't afford that, and I looked online at prices for Trane's and Lennox and found that 5 ton's shouldn't be that expensive. I really would love some direction and advice if possible. I really just want the moisture in the walls to cease. He told me to cut out 12x12 cardboard squares and put them in the returns in the MB and 2B on first floor to control the moisture. It has helped somewhat but it's not a fix. I googled whole home dehumidifiers and I am wondering if that is what I need?

I am nervous about calling anyone else out before I know what I need. I know this is a rambling, jumbled post but I hope it makes sense to someone? My children and I cannot even sleep in our rooms until I get it fixed because I'm afraid they are being exposed to mold.

Comments (5)

  • ionized_gw
    10 years ago

    What do you mean by "...moisture creeping down the walls..."?

    I really don't see how you can have "too many returns". Most people could use more. One in each room would be ideal, but is expensive so not often done anymore.. I am in your area. A couple of years ago I got estimates for re-doing a 2000 sq ft home with good equipment and all new ducts. The costs were $12-13k. If you are getting new ducts then 15k would not seem unreasonable. 3200 is a lot of house.

    If your ducts are outside of your house envelope, your moisture problems very likely come due to pressure differentials induced by the AC system. By outside, I mean in the vented attic or crawlspace. What happens is that leaky supply ducts blow air out and at the same time, in other places, moist air is drawn in to replace it. Either that or leaky returns suck air in and it has to be blown out through leaks elsewhere. The wet closets might be near the places where air is being sucked in and hitting cool surfaces causing condensation. Air often leaks in around poorly sealed "vents" and causes condensation too. Your closed-off ducts could have aggravated that problem. Note that "no leaks" might be a relative thing. The investigator might not have found any big leaks, but a typical residential HVAC duct system that age might be losing 20% of its air. Note that the insulation that you have might be great, but that does not speak to air sealing. You can have great insulation and still have a leaky house. Both duct and house envelope leakage can be determined by a blower door test.

    Another thing that causes high humidity is a system that has more cooling capacity than needed, They short-cycle rather than giving good, long runs that lower humidity better. At this time of year, you are in a period where demand for cooling is low and humidity becomes more of a challenge for even a right-sized system. As a stop-gap measure, you should consider buying one or two portable dehumidifiers. It is also important to monitor your relative humidity levels. Buy two or three electronic thermometer/hygrometers. Check them against each other for accuracy. Your humidity levels should be below 50%. (They should also be above 30%, but I think that you will rarely have to worry about that!) If you can lower your humidity with portable dehumidifiers, you won't save any electricity but you may be more comfortable at a higher temperature setting.

  • Elsea
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you for the response. Well moisture creeping down the walls in both closets are what appear to be moisture spots and green spots of possibly mildew? I have sprayed them with tea tree oil as I read this will kill the mildew/mold. The first tech that came out told me the humidity in my master bedroom is 70%. Crazy huh? Cardboard is working to drop it in the bedroom returns I can tell, air is much less humid. I will look into portable humidifiers, but hoping to find another solution that will work and is in my price range. Where can I buy the thermometer/hygrometers please?

  • ionized_gw
    10 years ago

    You want a DEhumidifier. Something like this should work for hygrometers:

    La Crosse Technology WT-137U Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer with Comfort Meter

    I think that you should remove the wet drywall in the closet. You can easily patch it there yourself. It does not have to look pretty so anyone can do it.

    Ask the HVAC companies that looked at your system if they can slow down your blower or look at the model numbers and post them. The pros here might be able to say if it can be slowed down and how.

  • energy_rater_la
    10 years ago

    that 500 sq ft per ton of ac is eating your lunch.
    $600 utility bill...that is crazy.

    when units are grossly oversized they don't run
    long enough to remove humidity.
    this time of year as it gets cooler the units
    run even less.
    RH inside house rises.

    I'm not suprised at 70% RH in master bedroom with
    bedroom bath & maybe 2/3 closets & 2 ton unit.

    see if unit's dip switch settings can be lowered.
    Ultra air makes a great whole house dehumidifier
    which would help with lowering RH year round.

    entergy has a program with energy raters in N.O.
    perhaps it is something you can take advantage of?

    you can by Hygrometer's at wal mart, kmart & even
    radio shack. I have the type with multiple channels
    so that I can monitor outdoor temps & RH, indoor
    temps & RH in several locations in my house.
    knowing what RH% your house is holding
    is good info.

    mold needs two things to live. moisture source
    and food source. address the moisture source
    clean off the mold & it will not reactivate.
    but you have to stop the moisture source first.

    best of luck.

  • Elsea
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you both for the replies. I will buy a Hygrometer, and yes, I think that before I can even address the mildew/mold I need to stop the moisture. Going to call and see about whole home dehumidifier to add on to my hvac, the cost seem much easier to deal with too and I am hoping it will alleviate the humidity. Thanks again!