Trouble with AC Control board, since installing a large Aquarium

[ThePlummer]

I'm having a problem with my Air Conditioner now. I've managed to burn up 3 control boards on my air handler. The control board seems dry, however the bottom insulation on the air handler is always wet.

All three times, the control board failed in a way that causes the blower to not activate when the AC comes on, causing the AC coil to freeze up. I've had to pull the blower electric wires off the control board and plug them strait into the circuit breaker, which isn't a problem. It jsut means that the blower runs 24/7... AND my electric bill went up nearly $100.00 this month. The board is only $50.00 so I wasted money by not immediately replacing it... For the third time in a few months.

I've made sure the AC drain pan line is clear. I put bleach in the trap, as well as blew out the trap.... It did appear to have a bit of a plug when I blew it out last month when I replaced the board.... This board failed in less than 10 days... So I obviously have a issue here.

I removed the board and couldn't see any burned spots on the board, unlike the other two boards.

I'm thinking I need to rig some type of 'umbrella' over the control board, but that seems like a poor fix....

Anyone experience issues like this? And what did you do to fix it?

 

[jspuck25]

I'm having a problem with my Air Conditioner now. I've managed to burn up 3 control boards on my air handler. The control board seems dry, however the bottom insulation on the air handler is always wet.

All three times, the control board failed in a way that causes the blower to not activate when the AC comes on, causing the AC coil to freeze up. I've had to pull the blower electric wires off the control board and plug them strait into the circuit breaker, which isn't a problem. It jsut means that the blower runs 24/7... AND my electric bill went up nearly $100.00 this month. The board is only $50.00 so I wasted money by not immediately replacing it... For the third time in a few months.

I've made sure the AC drain pan line is clear. I put bleach in the trap, as well as blew out the trap.... It did appear to have a bit of a plug when I blew it out last month when I replaced the board.... This board failed in less than 10 days... So I obviously have a issue here.

I removed the board and couldn't see any burned spots on the board, unlike the other two boards.

I'm thinking I need to rig some type of 'umbrella' over the control board, but that seems like a poor fix....

Anyone experience issues like this? And what did you do to fix it?

 

[ThePlummer]

Why did you quote my post, then not add anything... Technological glich?

 

[jspuck25]

I would go after why is it wet at all times. That is going to lead to more problems than just the ac/fan being out.

its possible that you have a leak in your drain pan

also possible you could be low on charge or air flow. This causes the coil to freeze. Then on off cycle ice build up can fall off and melt in an undesirable area.

 

[ThePlummer]

I would go after why is it wet at all times. That is going to lead to more problems than just the ac/fan being out.

its possible that you have a leak in your drain pan

also possible you could be low on charge or air flow. This causes the coil to freeze. Then on off cycle ice build up can fall off and melt in an undesirable area.

Yeah, that's why I'm asking... If anyone has a fix (other than running a dehumidifier, as that's essentially what an AC unit is anyway).

No visible leak on the drain pan, and I'm not seeing water drip down into the electric area, which is what it was doing the last time I replaced the board. That's why I made sure the drain line was clear and that seemed to fix water actively dripping.

You have a good point, maybe low on Freon, but it doesn't seem to freeze up, unless the blower isn't blowing. Another good point and I'm going to check it when the new board shows up about dirty coil. The top of the coil seems very clean, almost new looking (it was installed in 2012). When the new board comes in, I'm going to check the underside too. The supply house suggested that there might be a 'slime' on the inside of the A coil and that may be causing the dripping of water, that would miss the drain pan totally....

 

[jspuck25]

Why did you quote my post, then not add anything... Technological glich?

Must have done that on accident

Yeah, that's why I'm asking... If anyone has a fix (other than running a dehumidifier, as that's essentially what an AC unit is anyway).

No visible leak on the drain pan, and I'm not seeing water drip down into the electric area, which is what it was doing the last time I replaced the board. That's why I made sure the drain line was clear and that seemed to fix water actively dripping.

You have a good point, maybe low on Freon, but it doesn't seem to freeze up, unless the blower isn't blowing. Another good point and I'm going to check it when the new board shows up about dirty coil. The top of the coil seems very clean, almost new looking (it was installed in 2012). When the new board comes in, I'm going to check the underside too. The supply house suggested that there might be a 'slime' on the inside of the A coil and that may be causing the dripping of water, that would miss the drain pan totally....

 

[jspuck25]

If your losing boards may want to throw an inline fuse in until your sure that you have found the issue. Much easier to replace fuse than board. Board should already be fused on 24 volt side. So fuse the 110 volt side.

 

[WVNed]

Why is the control board getting wet? Is it chilled and being exposed to room air so water condenses on it.

 

[ThePlummer]

Why is the control board getting wet? Is it chilled and being exposed to room air so water condenses on it.

I live in a house with a crawl space instead of a basement. So while the ductwork is under the floor, there is no room to put the handler in the crawl space.... So, the unit is in my laundry room, and turned upside down, which puts the electronics under the AC coil. My blower is actually mounted higher than the electric area.

It's odd because I live in a very high humidity climate anyway, but since adding these aquariums, my house is very humid now... I'm suspecting that the increased humidity is taxing the units ability to shed water properly.... Once I figure it out, it's probably going to have to be a regular maintenance type thing to keep it tuned up.

 

[anit77]

The insulation at the bottom of the unit should not be wet. This will also lead to mold forming there and spores being blown all over the house. The evaporator has it's own drain pan at the bottom which funnels the condensate to the drain line. My guess is the following. There is a blockage somewhere in the drain line, something is wrong with the evaporator pan or the connection to the drain line from that pan.

You can check outside to see that water is coming out of the condensate line when the unit is running. If there is nothing coming out there's a blockage. Now if there is water coming out of that drain line then you'll want to investigate the evaporator and make sure there's no water running out of it, even the smallest leak can fry things and lead to the wet insulation. Lastly it could be low on the coolant and needs to be recharged. If the system is low on coolant frosting can happen in very odd places. The happens because coolant starts evaporating before it actually enters the evaporator.

When was the last time the units were serviced?

 

[WVNed]

The electrical area of your unit should be as dry as anything else in your house unless

water is dripping on it.

It is being chilled by the AC and is condensing water on it. Then you need to see if you can seal it off from room air so new air doesnt keep carrying more moisture into the area where the controls are.

 

[ThePlummer]

The insulation at the bottom of the unit should not be wet. This will also lead to mold forming there and spores being blown all over the house. The evaporator has it's own drain pan at the bottom which funnels the condensate to the drain line. My guess is the following. There is a blockage somewhere in the drain line, something is wrong with the evaporator pan or the connection to the drain line from that pan.

You can check outside to see that water is coming out of the condensate line when the unit is running. If there is nothing coming out there's a blockage. Now if there is water coming out of that drain line then you'll want to investigate the evaporator and make sure there's no water running out of it, even the smallest leak can fry things and lead to the wet insulation. Lastly it could be low on the coolant and needs to be recharged. If the system is low on coolant frosting can happen in very odd places. The happens because coolant starts evaporating before it actually enters the evaporator.

When was the last time the units were serviced?

I know it shouldn't be wet... And yes the drain line is working... It was clogged last month, and I blew it out and put some bleach in the Pee trap, to kill any algae from growing, blocking it again.

It may need to be recharged... It's been a few years since it was serviced.

 

[WVNed]

If the insulation is wet is isnt insulating so water is condensing in places it shouldn't.

 

[jspuck25]

You said upside down. Is the pan beneath the coil? There are different style furnaces/air handlers. An up flow can not be substituted for a down flow.