Advice on oversized/mismatched tonnage -

[lynn comstock]

...When the contractor does return my calls, he always asks if I can assist him over the phone since he knows I'm handy. The other reason is, he lives two hours away and it's difficult him to cross from VA through DC into Maryland.... Hadn't heard from him since.

You're right, this could come back to haunt me.

NOW I see why the contracter is not responding promptly. I am willing to bet:

• He is not licensed and bonded in Maryland.
• No permit was purchased and no inspection was done.

.
If he really is a "good guy" he will replace the entire system ASAP. This experience is a HARD way to learn.

[lynn comstock]

...when that fan fell off the cond. motor, that seemed to put this whole shabang into motion. it's obvious when the fan fell off, and the comp. kept running, that's what froze the inside unit, you most likely got iced up, inside the coil, when it started to thaw, a hunk of ice fell off, and probably cracked the pan, which is most likely why you'VE been leaking water for 3 MONTHS!

If the unit were functioning normally when the outside fan fell off, the system would have overheated and cycled off on high pressure. It is possible that the icing and the fan coming off were coincidental problems and the icing preceded the fan failure. The very low load caused by the icing would allow the compressor to continue operation without the condenser fan.

The only way that I can see a connection between the blade problem and the icing problem is that the suction line to the compressor iced up sufficiently AND the icing suction line was very close to the fan blade AND the fan started to hit the ice buildup which loosened the set screw on the blade causing the fan to spin off. So the question is: is the suction line located just below the fan blade?

[RoBoTeq]

NOW I see why the contracter is not responding promptly. I am willing to bet:

• He is not licensed and bonded in Maryland.
• No permit was purchased and no inspection was done.

.
If he really is a "good guy" he will replace the entire system ASAP. This experience is a HARD way to learn.

Many Northern VA contractors are licensed in MD and the District of Columbia (Washington DC), just as many MD contractors are licensed for DC and VA. This is a very densely populated area.

I agree though, if he is a good guy...and he can afford to make good on his mistake, he will replace the system. With the fan blade having fallen off and doing damage to the outdoor unit, he could even make a claim to Goodman for damages occured. It would not cover all of the mistakes made here, but it could help.

[wirelesstim]

If the unit were functioning normally when the outside fan fell off, the system would have overheated and cycled off on high pressure. It is possible that the icing and the fan coming off were coincidental problems and the icing preceded the fan failure. The very low load caused by the icing would allow the compressor to continue operation without the condenser fan.

The only way that I can see a connection between the blade problem and the icing problem is that the suction line to the compressor iced up sufficiently AND the icing suction line was very close to the fan blade AND the fan started to hit the ice buildup which loosened the set screw on the blade causing the fan to spin off. So the question is: is the suction line located just below the fan blade?

That's a good question. Out of my tech knowledge. Here's the compressor, I hope this helps: GSX130361

[MM#7]

If the unit were functioning normally when the outside fan fell off, the system would have overheated and cycled off on high pressure. It is possible that the icing and the fan coming off were coincidental problems and the icing preceded the fan failure. The very low load caused by the icing would allow the compressor to continue operation without the condenser fan.

The only way that I can see a connection between the blade problem and the icing problem is that the suction line to the compressor iced up sufficiently AND the icing suction line was very close to the fan blade AND the fan started to hit the ice buildup which loosened the set screw on the blade causing the fan to spin off. So the question is: is the suction line located just below the fan blade?

like i said "he said?she said", hows this sound? condenser fan, falls off fan motor shaft, for whatever reason! when fan,falls off motor,it nicks the cond. coil, which lets freon start to leak very slowly! as the freon starts to leak very, very slowly, it hits a point where the inside coil starts to freeze! hence the ice build up inside the coil! when thawing out the coil, ice breaks off and cracks the pan, causing all this havoc.which then has h/o call the contractor who comes over , notices the coil inside the condenser has a leak, which most likely was caused by the fan falling off the cond. fan! the thread is 10 miles long, reads like a novel, what a education exp. when all is said and done this is a ""he said, she said situation"", i'm glad i'm not involved, because no one is going to be happy imo. just one of lifes interesting situations!

[wirelesstim]

If you are referring to my offer, just get my email address from my profile by clicking on my username and let me know the particulars of the company that installed the system and your information. I may already know the company since I serviced Maryland for over a decade as a Regional Technical Service Manager for Goodman Manufacturing.

I can also get you together with the current RTSM with Goodman who took my place when I left the company.

I truly appreciate your help. I just sent you an email

[classical]

like i said "he said?she said", hows this sound? condenser fan, falls off fan motor shaft, for whatever reason! when fan,falls off motor,it nicks the cond. coil, which lets freon start to leak very slowly! as the freon starts to leak very, very slowly, it hits a point where the inside coil starts to freeze! hence the ice build up inside the coil! when thawing out the coil, ice breaks off and cracks the pan, causing all this havoc.which then has h/o call the contractor who comes over , notices the coil inside the condenser has a leak, which most likely was caused by the fan falling off the cond. fan! the thread is 10 miles long, reads like a novel, what a education exp. when all is said and done this is a ""he said, she said situation"", i'm glad i'm not involved, because no one is going to be happy imo. just one of lifes interesting situations!

Not even remotely possible, first the compressor would trip on internal long before the unit would freeze up and second extremely unlikely falling ice from the coil could fracture the pan. The ice chunks would not be large enough and even if they did have the mass the inertia of falling just a few inches would never be sufficient to fracture the pan.

The scenario detailed by the OP on leaking water percentages clearly indicates the pan was cracked initially when the primary line fitting was screwed in too tight and that was further exacerbated when the fitting was latter added to the secondary connection.

[MM#7]

Not even remotely possible, first the compressor would trip on internal long before the unit would freeze up and second extremely unlikely falling ice from the coil could fracture the pan. The ice chunks would not be large enough and even if they did have the mass the inertia of falling just a few inches would never be sufficient to fracture the pan.

The scenario detailed by the OP on leaking water percentages clearly indicates the pan was cracked initially when the primary line fitting was screwed in too tight and that was further exacerbated when the fitting was latter added to the secondary connection.

just so you know, this happened to me, where a chunck of ice, fell off the coil, and cracked the pan, i've seen this a few times, not a lot, but a few times,it's all on how this ice hits the pan,that's why i made that statement,blew me away the first time i saw it,this is over the corse of years,some if these polymare pans are cheaply made, and i mean cheap,but what ever, there's millions and millions of units in the USA, and i mean millions, and that's millions of possible different stories and problems, but what ever. last thing, you stay in this trade long enough, you'd be amazed what you'll see!