Regular Guest
My brand new GAM5 air handler just leaked everywhere-- advice needed! (pics)
Hi everyone,
About a month ago I had an American Standard GAM5 system installed in my home to replace my old Trane XE 900 system. All has been going well (aside from the noise) until tonight when I noticed a massive brown spot in my kitchen ceiling and a large puddle on the floor. I went upstairs and saw that the handler closet floor was soaked and that the handler was leaking water at a pretty significant rate. I've attached pictures, but the water had dripped down through the blower.
Apparently my worthless, worthless contractor didn't install the float switch correctly, but thankfully the unit is under warranty and the town has not yet done the final inspection for the permits I insisted on getting. Here are my questions:
1) Should I be worried about the water damaging the electronics, motors, or anything else in my system?
2) How could the drain switch have been installed incorrectly? Isn't it pretty damned simple?
3) Based on your experience (and not knowing the laws in Florida), do I have any recourse other than homeowner's insurance? If my contractor did a negligent job installing my system, I feel like his insurance should cover the damage and repair to my home.
I would greatly appreciate your answers to these questions and any other suggestions you might have.
Image 1: The puddle in the handler's closet
Image 2: View from underneath the unit
Image 3: The wet blower. There's also a leak coming from one of the seams on the bottom of the blower and the fan blades are wet (camera wouldn't fit)
Image 4: Back of blower compartment
Image 5: Back of blower compartment again
Image 6: Damage to ceiling in kitchen
Professional Member*
This would be a good time to contact the installing dealer and have them pay for the repairs, and install a secondary drain pan under the unit with accessories.Originally Posted by Lugh
Florida should be under IRC for the inspection and the drain pan is required
Regular Guest
By installing dealer do you mean the company/contractor that installed the unit or the distributor who sells the units to the contractor? And has this damaged my unit at all?
Professional Member*
The dealer that installed it. It probably has not harmed the equipment. The only time you would get the distributor involved is if they sold the equipment to the contractor and he was not an authorized Trane dealer then the liability would fall back on the distributor.
Regular Guest
But bottom line-- the installing dealer is responsible for fixing my unit and for the repairs to my home? I don't think I should have to pay to rip out, replace, re-skim, and re-paint a portion of my ceiling considering the fact that my dealer obviously didn't install it correctly. Is that an unreasonable assumption?
Professional Member*
That would be reasonable, that is why contractors are required to have insurance.
Professional Member*
Looking at the pics form last week about the air filter, I notice no trap on the drain line. Is one installed out of view?
Always here
Professional Member*
If you do remove it (You should not have to) have him screw a media type filter frame to the bottom of the air handler and then sit it back on the frame. This would give you a 5" or 6" thick filter.
Always here
Professional Member*
I just looked at the installation instructions, did he leave your copy?
Always here
Regular Guest
Not that I can see. But do you concur with secondopinion in that this is my contractor's fault and he should be paying for the ceiling repair?
Professional Member*
These units do not require a trap in the drain. The coil is above the blower.
GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!
A DECADE OF DOMINANCE! +3
Professional Member*
Yes I looked at the installation instructions. You may be correct. The pressure is positive at that point? Also if you read the directions, some specific sealing should occur at that connection if installed in the up flow position. Back to the drain....when it must be cleaned out or checked, should the tech just keep cutting the PVC each year? A trap or at least a tee would have been a point of entry.
Yes, it is my opinion the contractor should correct all water damage. It is also my opinion that the contractor could have done a better installation with the entire air handler. For example, a metal sleeve should have been installed in your office return. The tape he used acting as a short transfer duct will not last as long as the air handler. That is the point with any new installation, is to have it installed and be worry free, is it not?
I saw the video you posted. When you are done reading this, go remove the insulation blanket you have hanging in front of the air handler. It is not a good idea at all.
Always here
Professional Member*
This looks like a very low bid install.
Low bid may or may not get your ceiling fixed. He may not even come back.
Professional Member*
It's not that the drain switch was installed incorrectly, it simply wasn't installed! If this on a 2nd floor than it is code to have at least an emergency pan installed under the unit with a float switch to shut the system down. You have every right to go after the contractor for damages to your home.
Professional Member*
It may have the optional internal float switch AS/Trane makes for that air handler.
I completely agree that the whole thing should have been sitting in an emergency drain pan, with a float switch in the the pan.
Professional Member*
True, although if they didn't have the forethought to put an emergency pan under it, I doubt they ordered a factory spec float switch for it. I haven't used the factory switch yet because it's probably cost prohibitive.
Professional Member*
You can buy 2 1/2 EZ-Trap float switches for the price of the factory one, but the factory one takes maybe 1 minute to install and wire, including the time opening the package.
Regular Guest
Thanks all. It wasn't a low-bid job-- I went with a new system because Florida Power & Light, the electric company, was doing a big rebate for 16 SEER systems if you went with one of their authorized contractors. I then fielded about 8 bids from those contractors, cross-checked with the BBB and with Angie's List, bothered the ever-lovin' crap out of you guys here on the forum, and chose my contractor. The install is less than a month old and I haven't yet had my inspection from the city, so if this doesn't go well I'll get the city inspector on his butt, as well as FPL and Angie's List.
He actually just left the house-- my drain line was clogged and he flushed it out for me and is coming back tomorrow to address the float switch. He said he doesn't understand why the float switch didn't function as it was the factory switch that came with the unit and he installed it correctly. Ugh, we'll see.
Professional Member*
I hope the drain didn't have a piece of your insulation blanket in it.......lol
Always here
Regular Guest
Nope, just gunk from probably many years of neglect by the previous owners of this house. Why exactly is that insulation blanket a bad idea? It really cut down on the noise quite a bit.
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