Question about Carrier 38CKC036 Air Conditioner

Water in the drip pan- what is causing it?

I have a Carrier central ac unit and the drip pan has water in it. The unit is about 5 years old. what could be causing the water?

1 Answer

Brian Niten

Level 3:

An expert who has achieved level 3 by getting 1000 points

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Vice President:

An expert whose answer got voted for 100 times.
Master
674 Answers

I assume you are talking about the indoor unit. One function of the a/c system is to dehumidify the air. Condensation forms on the cooling coil and runs to the drip pan. There should be a drain line on the drip pan that drains the pan outside. These sometimes become clogged causing the water level in the pan to rise. Try some mild drain cleaner to open the line. Hope this helps. Let me know what you find.

Posted on May 22, 2010

Add Your Answer

Upload

Upload an image from your computer

Uploading: 0%

my-video-file.mp4

Complete. Click "Add" to insert your video. Add

Loading...

Include an image. It's worth a thousand words.

prev next

Related Questions:

1 Answer

My window ac was leaking water and ran down wall and got the plug wet. we have tried drying it out with hairdryer but when we plug it in the reset button keeps switching. do i need a new ac or can i buy a...

It's hard to know which one needs replacing, without testing the outlet first. Unplug the AC unit and outlet in a lamp or some other electrical appliance to see if the outlet works as it should. If does function correctly, then the problem is in the AC unit. But, buying a new power cord will probably not solve the problem. More than likely, one of the circuits or sensors in the control panel got fried, when the water got into the outlet and shorted it out. That's why the reset button n the cord won't reset.
Depending on the age of the uni, you may want to consider having it repaired, rather than replacing it. But, if it's 5 years old or older, I'd opt for replacement.

Now, lets address what caused the problem. Either the drain hole in the drip pan was clogged and or the rear of the AC unit did have enough downward tilt. The general rule of thumb is 1/4" to 1/2" rear downward tilt. This allows the water collected in the drip pan to flow to the rear of the unit and drain away thru the drain hole. Whether you repair or replace the unit, keep this in mind.

I hope I was able to help you and thanks for choosing FixYa.

Aug 22, 2011 | Heating & Cooling

1 Answer

I have a seven year old Infinity Carrier Heat pump & I am having a problem with a condensate leak that is causing water to run all over the floor. The unit is in my hall closet. I have checked the...

you could use a little food die and trace where the water is going to there seems to be a hole somewhere

Jun 11, 2011 | Carrier 38CKC042 Air Conditioner

1 Answer

I have a Carrier central air unit in the attic. There is water dripping through the ceiling. There is a problem with the internal drain pan, as the unit drips a LOT of water into the emergency pan. There...

The internal catch pan is very time consuming to replace, especially since it is located in the attic. But before you try that, have you checked to see if the drain line is clogged with algae and that it has the one inch to one foot drop you need for proper drainage? Has you house settled throwing the slope off?

If you live in the South algae growth can clog you drain line. I would disconnect the drain line (have a bucket handy) and see if it is clogged. If you have algai growth then you need to treat with bleach to kill it off. You might also want to run a drain snake through the rest of the line to make sure that it is clear.

Good luck!

Jun 05, 2011 | Carrier 38CKC060 Air Conditioner

1 Answer

The ac is dripping inside the room

Hello.
You need to clean out the drain pan.Also unit shold be tilted back a little so water will run outside.

Remove the front grill and using an old tooth brush clean out the bottom pan where water is laying.Also be sure the drian hole outside the unit is clear.

May 27, 2010 | Panasonic CW-C100AU Air Conditioner

2 Answers

Intertherm Air Handler Coil leaking water

replace it it's junk - going to do that this time because this is the fourth year of the same problem on the hottest days this intertherm junk downflow ac unit condensates where it will not and con not be captured by the pan - built by relatives of the guy who designed the titanic -

Apr 07, 2010 | Intertherm P3RA-024K Air Conditioner

1 Answer

PUMP WILL NOT STOP WHEN YOU PUT POWER ON . PUMP STARTS AS SOON AS YOU PUT THE POWER ON TO PICK A WASH PROGRAM EVEN BEFORE THE DOOR HAS BEEN CLOSED.

I have seen this on my unit. There was water in the drip pan under the dishwasher. Water in the drip pan comes from a leak. In my case, the water valve was getting so old that it was letting too much water into the unit when it was trying to fill. This cause the filling station to over flow into the drip pan.
A quick fix - I removed the water from the drip pan under the unit and I was able to turn down on the supply valve in the basement to limit how much water could come in. This allowed the unit to run without overflowing. I will replace the water valve soon.

Other possibilities, the float device used to detect too much water in the drip pan or too much water in the unit is stuck in the too full position. Or the pump out pump is stuck and not moving water.

Dec 17, 2009 | Bosch 24 in. SHU43 Built-in Dishwasher

1 Answer

Ice maker leaks

soundslike the water valve is notcompletly shutting off, causing a slow drip try replacing the water inlet valve behind hte unit where the water installs to the refrig

Nov 20, 2008 | Amana ACD2232HR Side by Side Refrigerator

1 Answer

Carrier weathermaker 8000 central air conditioner

It sounds like your drain line may be partially plugged. Some times a small insect will get in there and cause a partial obstruction. IF the line is clear and the water continues to drip over the sides then make sure the unit is balanced So that the water will flow to the drain and not out the back.

Jun 18, 2008 | Carrier XHB123D X/Y Series Heat/Cool Air...

1 Answer

1 1/2 years old 5 tons leaking yellow rusty water

Most likely yours has a scroll compressor which are notorious for being quite loud on start they will start for years, just a liitle noisy. Is the water from the pvc drain or from the base of the outdoor unit??

Oct 02, 2007 | Carrier 38CKC036 Air Conditioner