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tgrapent · Jan 2, 2009, 07:51 AM

I have a central air unit that was installed about 6 years ago. Just this winter we started to get a drip out of one of the vents. It is close to, but not in the bathroom where the main shower is. I have the vents closed for the winter as I have a separate baseboard heating system. This has never happened before this year.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

hvac1000 · Jan 2, 2009, 10:40 AM

The vent is located in a high moisture area. This causes condensation and the vent drips.

tgrapent · Jan 2, 2009, 11:23 AM

Why, after 6 years, is this now happening. AND, what can I do to prevent it?

THANKS!!

hvac1000 · Jan 2, 2009, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by tgrapent

Why, after 6 years, is this now happening. AND, what can I do to prevent it?

THANKS!!!!!

What has changed in 6 years?
Are you now closing the vents instead of leaving them open?
Has the humidity level changed in the home this year for some reason like more indoor plants etc?

What I have told you is why the vent is dripping but since I do not live there I have no idea where the excess moisture is from except to guess. I also assume the vents are in the ceiling since you did not state that fact but you did say that water was dripping so I had to figure that with gravity being what it is the vent must be in the ceiling since I feel water would not drip up and go against gravity.

Now if you want to supply more information or take pictures and post them here I might be able to see something else that is causing the problem that might make you happier but in the mean time I feel that when you closed the vents you stopped the air from circulating freely and now you have trapped the moisture laden air against a cold surface which in turn has caused moisture to form on the metal and periodically this moisture accumulates enough to cause a drip from that surface downward following the gravitational laws our world.

Hopefully this explanation will make you happy and in the mean time just put a bucket under the vent that is dripping. Or open all vents and see if the problem goes away in a day or two.

If this does not work I suggest you seek out the services of an On Site Engineer so they can look over your situation in person and come to a conclusion that you should open the vents to eliminate the problem. Or another option is to run a dehumidifier in your home to remove the excess moisture. Or another option is to use the bath fan you have or have one installed to help eliminate the excess water possibly generated by the use of the bathroom shower.

If you feel that my guess to your problem is in error then the only other thing I can think of is that you have a leak in your roof so you might get that checked also.

I used to work for peanuts but have now switched to carrots. Have a nice day.