Over flow switch help please

Originally Posted By: tschwalbe
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Is a over flow shut off switch required on a a/c unit in a fifth floor condo in Florida


It has a single drain and no catch pan with secondary drain. I been having problems getting through to an intellegent life form at the building department.

Thanks for any help.


Originally Posted By: wdecker
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Don’t know if they are required (from a code POV), but I defect them as inferior workmanship if they are not there (pans).


As to overflow switches, I don't. I have the client get a water detector alarm and put it in the pan.


--
Will Decker
Decker Home Services
Skokie, IL 60076
wjd@DeckerHomeServices.com

Originally Posted By: lewens
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Todd


I hate to point out the obvious, but, the problem is trying in the first place to talk to an intelligent life form at the building department.



Just my usual 12.5 cents


From The Great White North Eh?
NACHI-CAN
www.aciss-brant.com
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Originally Posted By: Darrin Forquer
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Are Home Inspectors required to test the over flow switch?


Originally Posted By: wdecker
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Most pans, that I see, are equipped with two condesate drains. In this technique, if one gets clogged, the other takes over.


But this is a triple backup. The condensate drain (from directly under the coil) should nt fail under proper use and if the owner rets an HVAC guy in annually. If it does, there is the pan, where the condensate water should evaporate before it gets high enough to overflow (like the drain pan under a refrigerator). If this does not work, the pan should have its own drain, but this can get clogged and needs a backup.

This is quadruple redundancy. But seeing as how there are more attic units being put in and an owner would not regularly check the unit in the attic, it seems a good thing to have.

Or maybe it's just plain overkill.

How many actually test the pan drain, or do you just look to make sure its in place?


--
Will Decker
Decker Home Services
Skokie, IL 60076
wjd@DeckerHomeServices.com

Originally Posted By: dandersen
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There are numerous reasons for condensate problems beyond the obvious blocked drain.


Drain pans with drains often get clogged up by either pests entering from the outside or blown insulation into the pan from the inside. A heavy wind (especially in the Windy City) can blow this insulation at any time into the pan which will clog up the drain when needed.

Condensate drain pans only cost six dollars (however cost $75 for installation)!
Regardless, this is much cheaper than replacing a finished ceiling below!

As for testing the pans switch, if the unit is running in air-conditioning while you're in the attic, place something like a screwdriver under the switch for a minute while you check the rest of the furnace. You can hear of feel the refrigerant flow stop. When you remove the screwdriver, the lights should blink when the compressor turns back on. Or, run back outside and make sure the condenser is off when you activate the switch. You can often see the fan from the interior by way of a window tp shorten the trip.

Pan switches are wired in different configurations and it is possible for them to be miswired and never tested, so I would recommend testing.
A non-heat pump system should be wired into the two wire thermostat wire that goes to the outside condensing unit.

A heat pump will commonly drop the 24 V power supply to the control circuit.

It is not recommended that you drop the 24 V power supply to the thermostat on a non-heat pump system as any switch defect will shut off the heat as well. We don't want the house to freeze. No heat is much more serious than no cooling.