Thread: trane 20i air conditioners problems!!

just had 2 new 20 i state of art variable speed ac units with air handlers installed..all trane equipment...the technician cannot stop the air handlers from sweating. he has been adjusting them for 4 weeks now and just yesterday the upstairs unit is now dripping thru the ceiling...these units replaced amana 4 ton units that were 15 yrs old...why do we now have this problem and what needs to be done to correct it..

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Did he insulate the duct work?

Air handlers located in the attic?

Air handlers possibly not insulated sufficiently for the heat and humidity combination - those may only be insulated and sealed for use within the conditioned space/

If they are in the conditioned space - is the insulation wet? If so, the insulation is basically useless and will likely need to be replaced.

Isn't there a drain pan under the air handler unit? Should be.

Originally Posted by louisbabst

just had 2 new 20 i state of art variable speed ac units with air handlers installed..all trane equipment...the technician cannot stop the air handlers from sweating. he has been adjusting them for 4 weeks now and just yesterday the upstairs unit is now dripping thru the ceiling...these units replaced amana 4 ton units that were 15 yrs old...why do we now have this problem and what needs to be done to correct it..

As Jerry noted, you need to make sure that the unit installed is designed and insulated for use in an attic area. Now with that being said, just about any AC coil is going to sweat some in an attic, especially one in N.O.
Any unit in an attic should also have a drain pan under them to prevent them from leaking condensation on the ceiling below, like you discovered.

You said that your old system never sweat. Was it a high efficiency like the new Trane 20i? I think that the 20i is also a heat pump, was the old system a heat pump? You really can't compare the old 15 year old system to a modern system.

If the service technician can't figure it out then you should call Trane' s service desk and ask for some help. Better yet, get the technician to admit he does not know and to call Trane. You can even email them and they will try to help.

It could be many things causing it, but some condensation is going to be normal when it is hot and humid.

Originally Posted by louisbabst

just had 2 new 20 i state of art variable speed ac units with air handlers installed..all trane equipment...the technician cannot stop the air handlers from sweating. he has been adjusting them for 4 weeks now and just yesterday the upstairs unit is now dripping thru the ceiling...these units replaced amana 4 ton units that were 15 yrs old...why do we now have this problem and what needs to be done to correct it..

It sounds like those units have negative pressure at the condensate exit point like many Trane units have. If the installer did not prime the p-trap on the condensate line the condensate will not drain and blow back all over the coil and leak at every joint in the cabinet. Simple matter of installing the right size p-traps and pouring water into them before operating.

If a drip/drain pan is installed beneath the unit, maybe the secondary condensate discharge line is blocked, causing the pan to flood over the rim. Did the HVAC tech guy install a new pan? - perhaps it's the old one and has rusted through.

Originally Posted by louisbabst

just had 2 new 20 i state of art variable speed ac units with air handlers installed..all trane equipment...the technician cannot stop the air handlers from sweating. he has been adjusting them for 4 weeks now and just yesterday the upstairs unit is now dripping thru the ceiling...these units replaced amana 4 ton units that were 15 yrs old...why do we now have this problem and what needs to be done to correct it..

The cooling design temperature in NO is 95 degrees. How many hours a day does your system run when it's 95 outside? It should run about constantly.

Everyone is taking a swing in the dark because we do not have enough information. Can you take a picture of what is leaking? Is it the underside of the air-handler cabinet or is it the main trunk duct work or plenum?

My swing in the dark would be at the old duct work. Metal duct with insulation glued to the inside surface. The glue fails and the insulation pulls away from the metal, due to the movement caused by installation of the new air-handler, causing the metal to sweat.