Phillbuck

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09-17-2009, 11:10 AM
Phillbuck

Phillbuck

I am a retired homeowner and bought a Carrier 19 SEER Infinity air conditioner in April 2008.

Each A/C season [ May through late Oct.] here in the Tampa Bay area of Florida this floor mounted air handler in our enclosed garage CONDENSATES so bad we have to put towels around the bottom to soak up the condensate water.

We have had Carrier engineers in to view take instrument reading on the unit and FOUND THAT IT WAS INSTALLED AND SET UP CORRECTLY. They gave us and the installer the following insulting explanation as to why this unit is condensating:

1. We had installed double pane windows in this home. 2.we installed r-19 blown in insulation in the attic. 3. we installed a solar fan in the roof [at its highest point] and that produced a "cold attic syndrome". Can you believe that? I measured the attic temperature over several days and it reached 110 to 112-degrees F. during the afternoon. That is not a cold attic!

Please note that Progress Energy did two energy audits on this residence and recommended all of these changes! Wow! what a contradiction between these two companies!!!!!! Ridiculous and absurd comments by Carrier.

This is not an installer problem. It is a CARRIER problem producing an air handler that is not properly INSIDE insulated for the Tampa Bay market to keep it from condensating--plain and simple!!!!

Carrier will NOT do anything to resolve this problem and refuses to contact me personally to discuss the problem. Carrier refuses to admit they have a problem with these INFINITY A/C units. Contacting the parent Company United Technologies is non productive. I can only suspect that there is a cover-up of a RECALL and that is why no contact with me is made. Note that I have filed State and Federal complaints about Carrier Infintiy units.

Buyer be aware!!!! If you live in a high humidity, high dew point climate you should make sure the A/C air handler you buy does not condensate on the exterior surface.

We bought this expensive unit to help sell our home and now we have an impediment to a home sell.

Let me close with the admission that this Infinity unit does provide a very comfortable atmosphere within the home but that is not worth the problems we have with the condensation on the air handler.

If you know of anything we may be missing that may help solve this problem, please pass it on to me.

Thanks
09-17-2009, 03:15 PM
yourairman

If you could post some pictures of the airhandler in its current location and also some pics of the garage it is in you will probably receive better results with the response on this one.
09-17-2009, 03:26 PM
sktn77a

Physics is physics - if the surface temperature of the furnace is lower than the dewpoint inside your garage, you will get condensation. Most high end furnaces have some sort of internal insulation. I don't know if it is possible to add external insulation to help?
09-17-2009, 03:31 PM
beenthere

Maybe the contractor should have used an air handler that is insulated better.

What insulation value does the air handler have.

Its also an easy fix to stop it from sweating.

Ask your contractor if he ever heard of Rubatex.
09-17-2009, 04:16 PM
hvac n-j-near

I am a design engineer and I have run into this situation many times and heard this complaint but sktn77a is correct, Physics is physics.

I just checked Weather Underground and the dew point (the temperature at which moisture will condense out of the air) in Seminole is 79 deg. Anything below that temperature is going to sweat. Since the air inside your unit is in the 50-60 degree range, the exterior surface of your unit cools and the unit sweats. It is probably worse at night since the air temp drops to closer to dew point.

The best solution is as beenthere says add insulation to the exterior of the unit. You definitely want to use Armaflex or something similar. Do not use duct wrap or fiberglass insulation because as moisture gets in it will become like a sponge. Armaflex is a black rubber foam type product, but it is available with a white or even aluminum jacket.
09-17-2009, 04:27 PM
yourairman

Quote:

Originally Posted by sktn77a

Physics is physics - if the surface temperature of the furnace is lower than the dewpoint inside your garage, you will get condensation. Most high end furnaces have some sort of internal insulation. I don't know if it is possible to add external insulation to help?

I would think the external insulation should help too. Good idea. The system has a much longer run time with two speed operation which is probably cooling the metal casing of the air handler even with insualtion. Espescially if the AH is exposed to the garage with doors being opened and closed. And garage doors are not known to be sealed very well. Most of them you can see daylight through.
09-17-2009, 04:28 PM
yourairman

Quote:

Originally Posted by beenthere

Maybe the contractor should have used an air handler that is insulated better.

What insulation value does the air handler have.

Its also an easy fix to stop it from sweating.

Ask your contractor if he ever heard of Rubatex.

Or bubble wrap insulation
09-17-2009, 07:46 PM
wraujr

"I am a retired homeowner.."

Cool - I didn't know one could make a career being a homeowner.. (sorry I couldn't resist)