Central Air Conditioner Coil Drain Pan

The unit s evaporator coils are located here and directly underneath those coils is the drain pan.

Central air conditioner coil drain pan.

There are two types of drain pans. Drip pans also called condensate pans are placed under the air conditioner coils to catch any condensation that forms. The coil is frozen standing water in your ac drain pan can also occur due to a frozen evaporator coil. The drip pan is usually located just under the evaporator coils.

The moisture that the unit removes from the humid interior air condenses on the evaporator coils and drips into the pan. The condensate drain pan is meant to collect water that results from the air conditioning process. The drain line attached to the drip pan pours all the water in the drip pan outdoors. The primary pan usually cannot be easily replaced because it is welded to the coil.

The drain pipe is clogged. This humidity is left behind in the form of condensation on the coils. If you aren t getting your ac unit checked or tuned up regularly or if you re not implementing regular filter changes then the coils could freeze. As air passes over the evaporator coils in your air conditioner it cools down and loses some of its humidity.

Because the condensate drain pan is located right by the furnace either on top of below it is in the path of hot air with each heating cycle. A central air conditioner is normally mounted in a chamber of the furnace above the furnace blower and combustion chamber. There is two or one condensate drain pan in central air units the number of drain pan in central air units are depending on the location of the air handler unit. When the air conditioner blower pulls warm household air through the frigid passages of the evaporator coil the cooling effect causes water vapor to condense out of the air rapidly.

When homeowners do not use air conditioning they opt for heating in the colder months. A primary pan that is installed on the coil and an auxiliary pan that is either installed inside the unit below the primary pan or under the unit. A clogged drain pipe is the most common cause of standing water in the drain pan. Frozen coils most likely occur due to a lack of system maintenance.

Air handler unit in the attic when the evaporator coil and drain are located in the attic it is recommended or required by local code to have two condensate drains.