0

I have no drip pan at the bottom of the AC unit installed in 2018 and located in a utility closet in my living room. It was installed by the same company does my yearly check up. This year they noticed they forgot to put a drip pan in 2018. They said they are going to install it but have not yet. The job will take two people to remove the furnace (on top), then the AC, put the pan in, then reinstall everything.

I want to know if this can wait or is urgent?

Improve this question
3
  • 4
    I would have to guess that if you haven't had puddles and flooding in the summers the condensate is going to a drain, and the pan is "a backup arrangement if that drain plugs" rather than being the primary drain method...should not be an issue until A/C season, this year, at least.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Feb 18, 2022 at 3:12
  • 2
    You don't want your furnace down for day(s) in the middle of winter. You tell them it can wait, which is better for everybody; spring is down time. Drip pan /= condensate drain. We didn't even put these in 20y ago. They prevent water damage from when your coil freezes. And with a company like that I'd feel confident that the refrigerant levels are where they're supposed to be, and so that can't happen.
    – Mazura
    Commented Feb 18, 2022 at 7:58
  • Urgency is always a subjective thing. This questio is entirely a matter of opinion (risk tolerance, scheduling, etc.).
    – isherwood
    Commented Feb 18, 2022 at 14:19

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

You need to do it before Summer but since the installers are aware of it now, it wouldn't hurt to have them do it now before they get booked up for the summer. When the AC is operating, condensate will be forming and it should drop into a drip pan and then down a drain pipe in the drip pan routed to the outside or a drain. Without the drip pan, the condensate will just leak all over the place, promote rusting and dampen the filter.

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    Urgent, maybe, in the middle of a heat wave. However, it's winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, and by the word usage, the question seems to come from the US where a large portion of the country is enveloped in some rather chilly weather. I don't think it's all that urgent. Additionally, the OP has been through 3 cooling seasons and hasn't had any issues yet. I'd go with "Important but not urgent", since the drip pan seems to be for overflow protection and not the primary means of draining.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Feb 18, 2022 at 13:24
  • 1
    @FreeMan I clarified it a bit. Didn't know where the OP was at. I had my AC on yesterday and again today. glad I have a drip pan, :-).
    – JACK
    Commented Feb 18, 2022 at 17:20
  • Fair enough, JACK. Again, I'm just guessing based on wording and terminology, so I could be totally off.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Feb 18, 2022 at 17:22

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.