Rain Water in Slab Return?

[carbine10]

We've been getting alot of rain in Phoenix, AZ. I had a service call for water in return duct. I get there and find the customer had pulled off one of the return grills. Look down and see water. So I go to the outside mechanical closet. All dry around the furnace and water heater. I pull the blower and see alot of water in the return duct. This is the kind that uses big plastic pipe. Customer has lots of water ponding in the yard. So much that he's using a sumersible pump to drian his yard. So we throw the pump down the return duct. It takes 45 minutes to get the water out of the return.

How would you fix this problem?

[Toolpusher]

Theres nothing you can do,

It's either coming in through the foundation, or the up through the slab.

They need to get the water drained away from the yard, 1st off.
I had a lady that had this problem, Her house was at the bottom of a small hill.
When it rained the water would come down the curb to her area. And it always found its way into her ductwork.

I sucked it out twice and told her next time it's up to her to take care of. I couldn't keep going to her place to suck the ducts when she knew she had issues and other people had real problems I was trained to deal with.

[carbine10]

One of my supervisors said. We need to get one of our plumbers out. With a camera snake, to find the leak. Then the plumbers could bust up the slab. And fix the leak.

[cem-bsee]

sounds like another sorry installation -- especially by the general contractor -- slabs need to be laid on stone for drainage with a pvc blanket just under slab, and insulation around the perimeter --

needed is an intercepting ditch to get the water before it gets under the slab -- If lot is not sloped for this to be a good solution, then the whole perimeter needs to be ditched to a sump & pump installed.

else think MOLD

fixing the broken RA pipe would be good, but that would be my second choice.

[mo-flo]

cut out the side of that furnace and go up...if you can.abandon that old return.

[chilledcool]

Toolpusher said it right. The water needs to be drained away from the house, ie: gutter spout extensions. If the ground is getting saturated and the water is coming up through the ground the return will have to be raised somehow. Not a good situation could cause mold problems.
Had similar situation, customer did recommended spout extensions and so far so good but I am waiting for the big rains before I can say it solved the problem.

[fat eddy]

I wouldn't look at it as a heat\cool problem there are serious issues with the home that need to be addressed by other trades\contractors.