How to fix a leaking AC coil drain pan and save $6,000 

I’m an hvac installer and you did exactly what they should have done, they were just trying to get that commission spiff and not go thru having to fix that good work

I hate paying (getting ripped off) for stuff I can repair myself. Your video is inspiring. I’ll have to take my unit apart to diagnose but I think the pan is corroded or cracked. Sigh. I see a big bill if I let someone else do this. Thanks for the video. RU-vid is like that knowledgeable dad who teaches. Something I never had.

I was wondering what that tray looked like, thanks for posting this.

Your guidance is simple and effective for dealing with AC coil drain pan leaks. We're your one-stop shop for genuine Goodman AC evaporator coil replacement parts.

So sad. Many dishonest people in the HVAC field, and also shoddy work. Finding a good one is hard because it usually depends on which HVAC employee shows up to do the job. Some are lazy and some are dishonest. Good techs are like cold gold but it's always a gamble. So happy you figured it out yourself and saved tons of money.

Thanks for posting, this was helpful. My 35 year old Lennox air handler finally developed a leak in the drip pan. I dread calling for service knowing there's a good chance of being told to replace the entire system, inside and out, to the tune of several thousand dollars. On top of that, the newer equipment wouldn't stand a chance to last as long as the old Lennox. I do all my own maintenance and plan to see if I can repair the leak my self.

Great video and I admire your investigative initiative... Like any system, it is simple if you can break it down into components. I once had a dead AC unit and paid a repairman $65 to troubleshoot and provide a quote to fix it. He quickly pulled the motherboard out and showed me a clear plastic box surrounding a contactor which was blackened and not working and told me the board would cost $500 and another $500 for labor to replace it. When he left, I took the motherboard out and cut the clear plastic cover off of the contactor with a red hot razor knife. I then pulled a strip of 200 grit sandpaper until there was matching metal contacting each other. I cleaned it with alcohol then siliconed the plastic box back over the contactor. It worked like a charm for years afterward for $65 to the AC tech who showed me exactly what the problem was!!! Amazing what you can do when you dig in and figure it out with advice of a professional.

Unbelievable that you did that without ac knowledge. Great job.

Your video is awesome and inspiring. Your step by step explanation are spot on. THANK YOU for sharing your tenacity and getting this done. Thank you

It's also important to make sure the refrigerant tubing/lines/coils aren't rubbing on anything, including the pan. If any of these lines (copper and/or aluminum) are rubbing or contacting a surface unintentionally in such a way they're abraided, holes can develop from rubbing action of vibration. Be very careful as the coil tubing especially, is very thin.

This is important, read this whole thread. I too have been scammed to buy new units, but I found one tech that found the problem with my freezing coils and dripping water. Low R-410A refrigerant. I thought finally found someone I can trust. Well not so fast, last 2 visits seemed suspicious and I paid a few hundred each time. So I decided to get certified and I learned a lot. Like it’s obvious and 1st thing you learn is how to fix a freezing coil. And then the other suspicious things are bs too. In your situation if your using R-22 refrigerant and they believed your coils were freezing and dripping water in unwanted places, then well they don’t have it anymore and try to sell a new outside condenser to give you R-410A. So that makes sense. But they totally missed the obvious because of laziness to get down and dirty and open the indoor air handler to the degree you did. Regardless it looked scary but you succeeded. Playing the devils advocate, if and soon you’re going to need more R-22 then you’ll be back to the same situation unfortunately.

If those other techs work for larger companies I would 100% make my complaints known, that is highway robbery what they were trying to get you to go along with. Unscrupulous bastards. Good video, btw, and good diagnosing work and repairs on your part 👍🏻

Safety first fellas. Screw the AC take a look at that heat exchanger. Looks like it's developed severe temperature stress points. I would highly recommend doing a thorough inspection on that heat exchanger.

Great Job! Yeah, todays "Tech's" really don't want to mess with units like yours as there is really no money in it for them. Kind of silly to quote you a "Compressor" which I suspect was a whole new system, both indoor and out to fix a simple drip problem. My neighbor had a blower fan go out on her indoor unit last week, and the tech came out, correctly found the variable speed motor was bad ( I diagnosed it for her in advance of his arrival and told her she had a bad fan motor). and then he proceed to tell her that her old R22 unit needed a fan motor for $1500 or he could stick in a generic fixed speed motor for $650. It's a little house with a 3 ton unit in it and the generic would have worked just fine on the single speed R22 condenser unit. Her husband opted for the variable speed solution for some unknown reason (I'm sure they used some crazy scare tactic on him to convince him that's what he needed), but that was before the sales guy showed up to sell them a new unit for $6800. Anyway, for some unknown reason, the "Tech" thought it was a good idea to inject the system with dye!!! WTF, there was no indication the unit was low on R22 as it has been running great all summer and was sweating and pulling heat out of the house just fine as expected. The condenser is protected and lives in the shade under a carport. There was no oil anywhere inside or outside, and nothing wrong with the condensing unit at all. Only the inside fan needed to be replaced. It kind of pissed me off when I heard they did that to that perfectly running unit for no reason other than to run the bill up on them... Anyway, they are getting a new cheap unit installed by this same company on Monday instead of installing a cheap fan motor. Makes no sense to me, but hey, it's not my money, but it irritates me when companies do this to people. I'm positive the could have gotten many more productive years out of this old unit and could have made the change to the new R32 based units or something similar after the big refrigerant changeover from R410 to the next generation refrigerant, but now they will be stuck with an R410 unit and will likely have to replace it sooner than expected due to the inability to get R410 in the future at a reasonable price should the new cheap unit start leaking which you know it will. Oh well, whatcha ya gonna do... Anyway, great job on your drain pan change out. I'm sure that old R22 unit will continue to work good for years to come as long as you keep it clean.

No idea how I found this but nice job and good work saying screw the 6k misdiagnosis

You did a great job. I noticed that you do not have a pee trap on your drain. Add that and you will improve performance and lower your humidity.

I think the 6000 price speaks to the repairmen telling you they just didn't want to replace the pan. They knew the pan could be replaced

Thank you I think you just saved me a bunch of money

I'm having a similar problem. Your video is greatly appreciated. My HVAC guy wants to do a bunch of work to correct things but is not initially checking the pan. I don't understand his thinking other than he can charge me a lot of money.

Its simply amazes me technicians or people would try and take advantage of someone when now days people only get youtube and find the content relating to there issue. At this moment and time my furance is leaking because of the AC coil's not draining off correctly.

Well done!!! This makes me happy!

Good job well done, good for you.

Very disappointing if they told you it was bad compressor when it’s just a leaky drain pan. I’m a certified HVAC technician and just want to say not all techs are just trying to steal your money but these guys were clearly just trying to make a quick buck. Be carful who you hire and great video 👍

Thanks for the video I think I'm having the same we'll be looking for parts

Get 2 no hub connectors for that 3 inch flue pipe . Cut the flue pipe and remove the coil straight out the front Like it’s suppose to be removed . Change pan then Slide back in. So much easier than you did it. As a owner we know customers don’t know how , but you definately got the job done and that’s all that matters

You are lucky there was a transition between the furnace and the coil, where I install that’s rare for a vertical installation

Same situation, but NO REPLACEMENT pan available,.....I MADE a pan out of sheet metal and a bending tool, then SEALED it all up with high temp drain pan spray from the HVAC supply house. it has been working for about 10 years now. wont rust because coated in high temp rubber coating.

Good for you! How's ac holding up today? Mine is 18 years old and I'm thinking to replace it with a heat pump when the time comes. Thanks for sharing.

Good Job! Bravisimo.

Heres another perspective coming from an Hvac tech.. the reason they quoted you 6k to replace is due to callbacks. For example, if we did that same repair you did, and something completely unrelated happened to condensate drain. There are alot of customers out there that will try to sue and blame us even when we try to do them a favor. It's not always us trying to make a comission.

As a retired HVAC contractor we'll done. Sorry to say more contractors are more into pushing installs than making a repair that will work for less. Guess it comes down to greed. Even if they pumped freon into condenser and cut away freon lines pulled coil out would have been alot less than 6000. Seeing makes me ashamed of what my profession has come. Have a blessed day

Apparently, your condensation catch pan was broken by mishandling during the original installation. You should have considered installing the new catch pan inside the top of the plenum below the coil. You'll need to install a new drain line for that. Your video didn't include any maintenance of the drain lines. The next time that you service it, you'll find it filled with crud, and if it was like mine, the P-trap was clogged with little stone balls. You should consider replacing the simple PVC elbows with three-way couplings that could allow access to clear the line with a flexible drain sweep or wire. Use a PVC plug for the third hole when not being serviced.

Nice....You should put a float switch on that secondary drain port.

I remember the day in the worst of the heat, when the AC cycled off, I was wondering why I could hear what sounded like a waterfall coming from the other side of the garage wall. Yeap clogged and rusty pan.

If you have to cut the fron lines take an allen wrench shut off the liquid line close the suctio line down and back it off turn the ac on and pump all the freon in the compressor due your repair re braze it go to harbor freight buy a vacuum pump run it for two hours and then releases the freon should be fine

Are you a seasoned DIY guy? I have a cracked pan for a hvac in a closet so space is very limited. Do you have any suggestions for lifting the coils up when I can’t access the back or around the unit?

I had to replace my A-coil’s drip pan last year. Water leaked all over basement. Edit: WOW! That coil is HUGE.

Could I just use epoxy putty to glue the back together again?

You are lucky that nail holding your coil up didn't bend/break or your coil would have fallen twisting those freon lines and you'd lose it all. Recently a guy estimated he would charge me $2K to do a freon recharge with mandatory leak find/fix. Fortunately before paying for a freon recharge, I checked everything else and the problem was a compressor capacitor failed. Wish I had that space between my furnace and coil you have, cause my metal drip pan has rust all over and I'm trying to treat it chemically so it will last another 5 years. Be a lot safer just to replace it, but without the space between the furnace an coil, I can't get a new one in, if I could even buy one for a 42 yo system.

I’ve been running r134 in my r22 system for 2 months now. My compressor is fine. $9 a can at Walmart.

We’re you able to use the AC overnight with the plastic container under the coil? Great job.

Is it R22 system? If yes, then that maybe why they recommended for new system.

Good job! Are you sure the $6000 wasn't for a complete new system (outside unit and evaporator coils? It would be interesting to see what your HVAC guy would have said after changing out just your outside unit because clearly the cracked evaporator pan would continue to leak. Your pan was breaking apart, but if it was just a small crack, I think you could use some JB Weld Steelstik epoxy putty to patch the crack for $5.

This is what really pisses me off about the HVAC industry. Their knee-jerk reaction is almost always to replace major components of an AC system if it is a unit older than 5 years. You can almost see them salivating over the potential to nail you for a gigantic bill because of all the profits they make in overcharging you for their parts (which they get at cheap wholesale prices) and for their ridiculous labor charges. They've been after me for 25 years to replace my original Goodman unit, and I've simply had very specific work done as needed, with a lot of DIY as well and individual components ordered and replaced (usually by me) and that's kept the system going. And with new regulations, you are technically supposed to redo your whole airflow calculations. And they'll tell you "well, if you're going to replace both of my AC systems (evap & condenser), then you probably should replace your old ducting as well, yadda yadda yadda. All told, it would be something like 16-20K for me to do all that work. Nope. Been happily cooling my house without any of that nonsense for 25 years and going, all with cheap parts and occasional refrigerant recharges. (And... I live in S FL which is brutal on AC systems running all year round).

Mine is in a tight closet but the vent is next to it. I'll see if I can access it. I glued an area in the front but of course it didn't stop leaking. My total estimate is about 7000. I see no tax so I assume there's another 700 on that. Nope!

now a days a/c guys just want to r and r not actually fix anything.. alot more profit that way.

have the ref. pressure / temp. checked is possible the coil froze and caused the crack. if Ref. is ok than you should be fine. just my 2 cents

Its so sad to see how the service and handyman industry has gone down the drain... Everyone trying to rip people off

Is your intake for the furnace just open?

As an HVAC Technician id say the only thing id do differently is insulate the transition between furnace and coil and add a secondary safty switch tothe upper stub out.

I've never heard of anyone charging $6,000 for a drain pan, anyone charging that is clearly ripping people off.

Good job bro. I love keeping money in my pocket just sucks you couldn’t find a good hvac person that would have just replaced the bad pan at a reasonable cost instead of them trying to pad their pockets with a new sale.

Not a bad fix, these ac techs always pick the easy way out with money in their pockets instead of saving owner money

What was causing the water to leak into the pan you replaced?

Hopefully you caught it in time, because leaking water will rust out the furnace below the coil. You probably realize it was more than the cost that made you pause, but the complete misdiagnosis that would not have fixed anything. Unless … the $6K included a new coil box, which makes more sense. Most HVAC guys are installers, not repairmen.

Nice.

That is a very odd thing to happen. I’ve been doing hvac for over 20 years and I’ve only seen maybe 2 evaporator coil pans fail.

What site did you use to find the drain pan? I have the exact same issue. Thanks!

It’s called JB weld.

Just bought a house 8 months ago and now mines cracked and leaking and I got a 3000 quote to fix it and damn I wish I knew how to do anything diy like this cuz 3k seems insane.

Im in schools now for hvac and yes those technicians were in fact cheating you😐 a drain pan leak has nothing to do with a compressor , but you would have a job of replacing the pan which is costly

I patched mine with jb weld and some scrap tin pieces

Should be a canvas in the plenum

What’s Freon? I’ve been doing HVAC work for 5 years and I’ve only worked with r22, and 410a.

Where did you order the pan from?

6 grand for a compressor? Bullshit! They were trying to sell you a condenser. Which is still too much.. I'm a tech

Any idea how old the tray was that was falling apart?

Please do a co test the pan may have overheated due to a crack in the heat exchanger if this is the case you could be slowly poising your self make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector

Then the coil developes a refrigerant leak... Just replace the coil...

I don't know where you get your prices from... but a repair will never cost six grand.... installation of a new one isn't even six grand.

👍

I think their mostly all crooks.

Ok , that's good. , but you forgot a couple key things . If you ever worked in the field you would know that there are times where you walk up to this and not only has the data platebeen removed so has the inner tag. And the evap is connected to a goodman condsner. Now you have no way of knowing model or serial or even the maker so yes you can get the dimensions but without those 3 things your guessing now. And I notice that you said tommorrow you wi finish that part up How many hours did this whole thing take you? Guessing 8 to 12 hours we kready know you recorded 2 different days. See thats the thing so.e people see this and it takes 14 minutes to watch and then the viewer not knowing and or the king that every set is different so can not really compare to this. And those HVAC guys could have installed you a new system in the same amount of time. And if they was to do what you did and they charge by the hour us any .arterial then it would be a highball not 6 gut difibetalky a couple thousand.so be sure to give the over looked detailed ok thank yku

plastic does not corrode lol

How to be a hack tutorial

Also - why the hell you doing it the hard way!!! Such a waste

Next dont do this you mess it up n your screwed 2 times leave it to the experts.. i hate working behind diy homeowners

WRONG WRONG WRONG IN SO MANY WAYS I DONT KNOW WHERE TO START 😨

That pan don’t cost 6k you fool!!!

Cannot understand what the hell you are talking about. your audio and video both are craps. Camera moving too fast here and there. watch 1000 videos and then put yours. Lousy works get thumbs down here. I disliked your video.

thanks for posting this, if you can do it so can i 🥲

Are you a seasoned DIY guy? I have cracked pan in a closet so space is very limited. Do you have any suggestions for lifting the coils up when I can’t access the back or around the unit?