Hello,

My mom's all electric house was built in 1974, and the original Carrier air handler hummed along for 37 years before needing replacement. When it finally did, a good friend of mine did the job at a huge discount for her. He and his helper had to travel 3 hours each way, so I know he was taking a huge loss as a favor to me.

The installation was done during the hottest weeks in August, and when they finished, the AC ran just fine. He had forgotten to bring a correct size air filter with him and so it was running with no filter. He told me to buy a filter as soon as possible, so the next day I bought a package of HEPA filters and slid one into the slot. The following day I noticed water on the basement floor, a lot of water. It seemed to be coming from the bottom of the new air handler. The drain lines were clear, and I could hear the water running out each time the blower stopped. The only thing that had changed since the days before was my installing the filter, so I removed the filter and the leaking stopped. I called my friend, he told me the HEPA filter was probably too restrictive, causing too much suction, and keeping the water from draining. So I bought regular filters and it didn't leak as much, but still leaked. I found I could stop it from leaking by sliding the filter out part way.

My friend made a second trek back to VA to check it out. He checked the pan for leaks and added silicone caulk to areas where he thought it might be leaking. He installed two additional drain lines and shimmed the back of the unit up to increase the drainage slope. None of this did much good.

I didn't have the heart to tell him it still leaks. I've just kept my eye on the forecast and remove the filter whenever the temperature climbs above 90, and keep the wet vac handy.

We never had this problem with the old system and I'm wondering if the new system is just too big for the existing ductwork. Are larger drain pipes needed? Could adding a second air return help? Is the fan too strong, could it work on a lower speed?

I'd like to get some ideas for a solution before another summer gets here. I don't want to go another cooling season without a filter in place. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks