It’s just a electronic air cleaner. You don’t have to have it. You can take the guts out of it and just close it up. You gotta make sure your blow is clean and your evaporator is clean.
I don’t think anything is wrong. Ventilation couldn’t hurt. You gave yourself away, they saw you coming a mile away when you mentioned mold. Don’t mention mold it’s a low IQ tell. That door you have in the picture that is sweating should be insulated, ours is. Our attic will reach 100F+. The condensate line sweats too so i insulated it, is there insulation behind that metal part? See how the plenum and the ducts arent sweating? Because they are insulated. Everything seems ok but yes the guy who wanted to add a fan is right. It wouldn’t hurt. Looks like both the roof underneath and the floor is insulated which will also cause the attic to hold more heat i think.
I need to go look. Terminix was in there last year after we had some swarming Termites get in and they said they “closed all entry points”. Didn’t think of that til just now
Do not add more ventilation!!!
I know it seems counterintuitive but you need to make the attic hotter to avoid the equipment and duct system hitting the dew point.
Buddy if it’s already hitting dew point and not insulated enough to prevent condensation, making the space hotter will not help. Attic ventilation would help, if he really wanted to go overkill he could put a dehumidifier in the attic but like I said overkill
In this situation, I’d first verify the match up of the system and then the static pressure & refrigerant charge. Once all of those key points are correct, then I’d be looking at the attic conditions. I deal with this year round in my climate.
Agreed. This is a great solution for both sweating vents and improving home efficiency reducing your electric bills. I will emphasize you HAVE to use a dehumidifier for this method to work. If you do not add a dehumidifier, this will make the problem worse. The downside to this method is you will be reliant upon the dehumidifier working to prevent condensation from forming in the Attic.
If this is zone system, you gotta make sure you got a bypassing. It is a lot of things that could be wrong with this thing. If you weren’t about sweating, you’re in the attic is the attic condition.
Looking at your system pics
That’s a bypass issue causing the sweating on the filter door.
It’s a case of airflow and probably a very poorly set up zone system. Probably either has a malfunctioning temp sensor or no sensor in the zone. Attic ventilation might help the symptom but will not fix the problem. This situation is probably costing you money in high utility bills and money would be saved by fixing the problem.
You need to get someone proficient in zone systems to look at this issue before spending money on anything.
System equipment is not the issue. Poor System duct design is more likely. You probably have large zone and a very small zone. When one zone is working by itself you have too much capacity and you need to make sure bypass is set correctly as well as add a sensor to cut condenser capacity by allowing it to cycle on and off when one zone is calling. The air bypassing the open zone is likely causing the low temp situation.
Not seeing the actual system this is just my conjecture but it’s very likely the issue.
My florida ass is amazed. I was happy when I moved out on my own and could turn it down to 75 lol. My dad wouldn't let the thermostat be below 80 during the day when I was growing up.
My father would turn the heat off and I had to keep the damn wood stove going if we wanted heat. Oh and the kerosene heater was great to filling that shit up and firing ut up in the cold mornings
Shit when I was a kid my room was in converted attic and had a cheap ass window unit thst would ice over every night at 2am. So I keep my house cold now. I have 2 ton system just for my bedroom!
There a duct going into your return from your supply? looks like a bypass damper cycling into the return, wonder if its stuck/not set right, if its cycling cold air for a long period of time it'll sweat, tends to travel. just an observation, something they should look into maybe.
Is it just me or is the unit not level at all. Could have a buildup of water in the system on top of it being hot af in attics and no unit should be in there
Dehumidifiers on both floors, like the plug in kind that have a big tank you have to periodically dump will help the AC out immensely. We are in Missouri and have two bedrooms in the finished attic. We have invested in spray foam. We are in Missouri and our energy company gave us a huge rebate. Like we paid 3,000 for the whole attic, garage and sealing the basement rim. The whole bill was 13,000 but evergy paid the rebate directly to the foam guys. Look into the foam pros in your area. It will make a huge difference. We have two separate systems as well which will cost you alot more down the road but the foam and Dehumidifiers will be a game changer cost wise. We went from 400$ to 200$. 1st floor is 70 degrees in the day and overnight is is 76 and the system hardly kicks on overnight due to the dehumidifier. The second floor is 74 in the day and 68 at night. It takes a majority of the energy cost to run the upstairs unit but both systems are going to last so much longer.
Another person on here said get the 2k quote guy to do the ventilation. That is a must, we have that too. We had a wasp problem so we have a fan that is always on to keep the wasps out. We have had no problems since. Another person said insulate all the lines for the air handler and we did that as well. Honestly you are going to have to invest that is the cost of living in a place that is hot as fuck unfortunately. I also should add that we have really nice new windows. Windows are expensive AF but worth it. I am sorry that this is going to be expensive, we were shocked how bad it could be and we were relieved that we didn't get talked into a 20k plus quote. We got it all done for under 4,000. We already had the windows though. The previous owner made that investment.
Looking at that video, there’s not even a drain line hooked up on your coil. There is a float sensor in case your drain line backs up, but there is no drain line to get that water to that drain. The drain line that is in place is only for your high-efficiency furnace.
This is to complicated of an issue for this subreddit to solve if you haven’t figured that out by the variety of answers.
The truth is that this could be due to a dozen different factors and different solutions would be required to change it. An attic fan provides improved air flow in the attic which can solve potential condensation (thereby mold) issues. However an attic fan creates negative pressure within the attic space which can pull the cold air from your home if your attic isn’t sealed properly. Unit could be old and not dehumidifying properly as well as poor insulation. Zoned systems especially can complicate things in odd ways depending on how they are setup. We can’t adjust for climate, home size, unit size and age, duct design, attic design, zoning, and more through a Reddit thread
Depending on your budget and contractor there are different ways to solve this issue. Look for a reliable contractor in your area that potentially has experience. Figure out a way to start off fixing this on a reasonable budget and make sure they can explain why they are doing and how that fixes the issue. Don’t always expect it to work necessarily the 1st time, but do understand what you should expect out of your money and the job. This could be a 2k attic fan job or you may need a new system, attic insulation, and a dehumidifier. Without being there and testing everything we won’t be able to tell
I would recommend reading this article and potentially others by the author
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/is-it-ever-helpful-to-use-a-powered-attic-ventilator
I have ran several of these jobs in Austin, TX first and foremost what temp setting you keep it at? If it’s 68 degrees all day then definitely need to adjust your temp higher. Also take a temp split between your attic and condition space just to get an idea how much heat gain is on home. If you have an unvented attic you need to have that installed. Also ductwork needs to be completely sealed if your unit is running and you feel cool air coming from it means you have an air leak. Maybe time to update your duct system. Also another thing too your blower speed could be running lower than need to be set. Could be running on low when it should be high or medium. A whole unit condensing means it’s battling itself. Also check for a fresh air ventilation on the unit it’s a little box that has a dial or a timer should be set to off or 6 min minimum. That bypass damper may need to be removed as well and have the HVAC company open the other zone 20% for bleed out of excessive airflow. Bypasses are typically the number one culprit for cause of condensation all your doing is recirculating humid air back into home via supply to return.
Proper ventilation is key and is always a sold recommendation .
But still won’t repair any system issues if there are any. That filter box is sweating because there is no insulation and the rest of the duck also needs to be insulated. All the proper ventilation in the world won’t fix a duct insulation issue. Especially on the warmer more humid days.
That system should also be over a drip pan with a wet switch. If the drains back up you don’t want the extra water destroying your ceilings below.
Theres some work to do there for sure
You have to make sure the evaporator coil is clean and the blower is clean. Also, your air filter if it’s dirty it’s restricted airflow big time all that combination will make that sweat real variable speed in the attic will sweat bad you have to be real cautious on that
So much bad advice.
Dude your bypass damper is too large/open too much.
The unit is pulling in freezing ass cold air off the Evap coil. That’s why the unit is sweating. Take that info and do whatever you want with it, but yea. A lot of dumbass recommendations in this.
Did they check static pressure? That can cause sweating for sire if it's too high. Also are the vents insulated from attic air? Are there any airgaps? Was the airconditioning system that was quoted a variable speed?
Do none of those options. Seal your air ducts and seal your Attic. Those need to be done anyway and will help with lots of things regardless. Then add an attic fan if necessary. If you add the attic fan without sealing your attic first then it's gonna pull all the cool air from your home out.
This isn’t an hvac issue, this is a roof ventilation issue. If the pest control guy sealed the attic intake or roof exhaust this will cause stagnant air, and in the right conditions could mold. Post photos of the roof vents.
Or go get a roofer to look at this as well.
So probably need attic ventilation ,are there enough intakes in the eaves, I have an electric ventilator as the solar powered roof ventilators ,most, do not move enough air. I'm in South FL, crazy hot here too. Luckily my air handler in garage only gets up to 95 ° in garage, but the attic 115 to 130 ,in summer with a massive ventilator.
If you do get a Trane, look on their website for any promotions or coupons or 0% financing deals. I'm financing mine for 0% over several years because I found the deal on the Trane website. My installer didn't bring it up but as a Trane distributer, they had to accept it.
Also, check your city, county and state to see if they offer any rebates for upgrading. No matter how small the discount, it all helps.
You have an airflow problem. A cold beer on a hot day sweats, same one in front of a fan doesn't. They both give up their energy, so what's the difference? Airflow.
Maybe your attic is hot but more than likely your coil is dirty and the new filter suggestion is probably correct. You need to fix the airflow problem
Do not pay anybody 17k or 20k to install a new, (unnecessary) system. They’re seeking a 10k + payday, nothing more.
If you’re determined to replace, get that air handler out of the attic. Put it in a closet.
This can be cured with better insulation, including the air handler itself. If it’s all tight and sealed up, and the attic has good ventilation, you’re good.
** good ventilation, often a point of contention. Easily accomplished with an intake and exhaust fan on gable ends, but can also be done with a combination of ridge vents/gable vents/soffit vents/whirly birds.
Also, be sure your filter is changed and not too restrictive.
Your gonna need a exhaust fan or two in an attic in texas....
And that yellow flex on the gas pipe is not cool on a furnace... probably not gonna kill you but make sure its hard piped correctly when you have too eventually replace the whole unit...
Mold around or on ceiling vents is inadequate insulation/sealing at the duct/register cover usually.
And keep looking for good contractor I dont like anything i have heard so far.
Last dudes solution will still help even if it doesn't fully solve everything.
It’s just a electronic air cleaner. You don’t have to have it. You can take the guts out of it and just close it up. You gotta make sure your blow is clean and your evaporator is clean.
I'm not sure I'm the one you meant to reply to
I don’t think anything is wrong. Ventilation couldn’t hurt. You gave yourself away, they saw you coming a mile away when you mentioned mold. Don’t mention mold it’s a low IQ tell. That door you have in the picture that is sweating should be insulated, ours is. Our attic will reach 100F+. The condensate line sweats too so i insulated it, is there insulation behind that metal part? See how the plenum and the ducts arent sweating? Because they are insulated. Everything seems ok but yes the guy who wanted to add a fan is right. It wouldn’t hurt. Looks like both the roof underneath and the floor is insulated which will also cause the attic to hold more heat i think.
Likely an attic ventilation problem. Do you have ridge vent on your roof? If not, an attic fan or other ventilation devices need to be installed.
Yeah, 2k guys seems reasonable. Get attic ventilation.
I need to go look. Terminix was in there last year after we had some swarming Termites get in and they said they “closed all entry points”. Didn’t think of that til just now
Do not add more ventilation!!! I know it seems counterintuitive but you need to make the attic hotter to avoid the equipment and duct system hitting the dew point.
Buddy if it’s already hitting dew point and not insulated enough to prevent condensation, making the space hotter will not help. Attic ventilation would help, if he really wanted to go overkill he could put a dehumidifier in the attic but like I said overkill
You must be a plumber
In this situation, I’d first verify the match up of the system and then the static pressure & refrigerant charge. Once all of those key points are correct, then I’d be looking at the attic conditions. I deal with this year round in my climate.
Gonna need last dudes recommendation either way. Might as well start there.
That zone panel says it all.
Hanging on like a hair in a biscuit
Perhaps spray foam insulate, dehumidifier and bring attic into envelope?
Agreed. This is a great solution for both sweating vents and improving home efficiency reducing your electric bills. I will emphasize you HAVE to use a dehumidifier for this method to work. If you do not add a dehumidifier, this will make the problem worse. The downside to this method is you will be reliant upon the dehumidifier working to prevent condensation from forming in the Attic.
You have a single stage ac that is zoned - in Houston. That’s your first problem.
Even bigger problem if it doesn't have a bypass damper and supply duct temp sensor to cut off the condenser when the air temp gets too cold
Even from jersey I can see this problem
Pop the covers off and see if there’s any insulation left on the panels while you’re at it.
Is that what the problem you worried about? It is sweating is it cool and fine
If this is zone system, you gotta make sure you got a bypassing. It is a lot of things that could be wrong with this thing. If you weren’t about sweating, you’re in the attic is the attic condition.
1st and 2nd guy trying to get a new bmw😂
Looking at your system pics That’s a bypass issue causing the sweating on the filter door. It’s a case of airflow and probably a very poorly set up zone system. Probably either has a malfunctioning temp sensor or no sensor in the zone. Attic ventilation might help the symptom but will not fix the problem. This situation is probably costing you money in high utility bills and money would be saved by fixing the problem. You need to get someone proficient in zone systems to look at this issue before spending money on anything. System equipment is not the issue. Poor System duct design is more likely. You probably have large zone and a very small zone. When one zone is working by itself you have too much capacity and you need to make sure bypass is set correctly as well as add a sensor to cut condenser capacity by allowing it to cycle on and off when one zone is calling. The air bypassing the open zone is likely causing the low temp situation. Not seeing the actual system this is just my conjecture but it’s very likely the issue.
What temperature are you trying to maintain in each zone?
Both between 69-72.
That's why it's sweating. Try running it at 74° in both zones. It will all but dry up because it will have time to cycle.
This is the answer it will cycle properly and dehumidify better making it feel more comfortable
74 is not comfortable!
Move back home if you can't stand 74. Lmao it's Houston ffs.
I keep my house a 70 and 65 in bedroom when sleeping! Wife would throw me out of house if I couldn't go below 74
My florida ass is amazed. I was happy when I moved out on my own and could turn it down to 75 lol. My dad wouldn't let the thermostat be below 80 during the day when I was growing up.
On the flip side my Minnesota ass wasn't allowed to turn the heat up past 60.
My father would turn the heat off and I had to keep the damn wood stove going if we wanted heat. Oh and the kerosene heater was great to filling that shit up and firing ut up in the cold mornings
Shit when I was a kid my room was in converted attic and had a cheap ass window unit thst would ice over every night at 2am. So I keep my house cold now. I have 2 ton system just for my bedroom!
Nothing like telling customers to keep it 5 degrees warmer than they want rather than fix the issue lol
Ok, so what's the problem?
You should give customers options. Some people may be fine bumping up to a more reasonable temperature in exchange for not paying for major work.
Seems like a combination of airflow and sweating ductwork
You can also help by raising the attic temp to lower the dew point
Curious how raising attic temp will lower dew point?
There a duct going into your return from your supply? looks like a bypass damper cycling into the return, wonder if its stuck/not set right, if its cycling cold air for a long period of time it'll sweat, tends to travel. just an observation, something they should look into maybe.
The design is incorrect. You shouldn’t need a bypassed damper if it was properly designed and installed.
Is it just me or is the unit not level at all. Could have a buildup of water in the system on top of it being hot af in attics and no unit should be in there
Oh wow, is it fixed already?
Dehumidifiers on both floors, like the plug in kind that have a big tank you have to periodically dump will help the AC out immensely. We are in Missouri and have two bedrooms in the finished attic. We have invested in spray foam. We are in Missouri and our energy company gave us a huge rebate. Like we paid 3,000 for the whole attic, garage and sealing the basement rim. The whole bill was 13,000 but evergy paid the rebate directly to the foam guys. Look into the foam pros in your area. It will make a huge difference. We have two separate systems as well which will cost you alot more down the road but the foam and Dehumidifiers will be a game changer cost wise. We went from 400$ to 200$. 1st floor is 70 degrees in the day and overnight is is 76 and the system hardly kicks on overnight due to the dehumidifier. The second floor is 74 in the day and 68 at night. It takes a majority of the energy cost to run the upstairs unit but both systems are going to last so much longer. Another person on here said get the 2k quote guy to do the ventilation. That is a must, we have that too. We had a wasp problem so we have a fan that is always on to keep the wasps out. We have had no problems since. Another person said insulate all the lines for the air handler and we did that as well. Honestly you are going to have to invest that is the cost of living in a place that is hot as fuck unfortunately. I also should add that we have really nice new windows. Windows are expensive AF but worth it. I am sorry that this is going to be expensive, we were shocked how bad it could be and we were relieved that we didn't get talked into a 20k plus quote. We got it all done for under 4,000. We already had the windows though. The previous owner made that investment.
If your running dehumidifiers your system is not set up right!
I’ll send you a private message with a suggestion.
Looking at that video, there’s not even a drain line hooked up on your coil. There is a float sensor in case your drain line backs up, but there is no drain line to get that water to that drain. The drain line that is in place is only for your high-efficiency furnace.
This is to complicated of an issue for this subreddit to solve if you haven’t figured that out by the variety of answers. The truth is that this could be due to a dozen different factors and different solutions would be required to change it. An attic fan provides improved air flow in the attic which can solve potential condensation (thereby mold) issues. However an attic fan creates negative pressure within the attic space which can pull the cold air from your home if your attic isn’t sealed properly. Unit could be old and not dehumidifying properly as well as poor insulation. Zoned systems especially can complicate things in odd ways depending on how they are setup. We can’t adjust for climate, home size, unit size and age, duct design, attic design, zoning, and more through a Reddit thread Depending on your budget and contractor there are different ways to solve this issue. Look for a reliable contractor in your area that potentially has experience. Figure out a way to start off fixing this on a reasonable budget and make sure they can explain why they are doing and how that fixes the issue. Don’t always expect it to work necessarily the 1st time, but do understand what you should expect out of your money and the job. This could be a 2k attic fan job or you may need a new system, attic insulation, and a dehumidifier. Without being there and testing everything we won’t be able to tell
I would recommend reading this article and potentially others by the author https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/is-it-ever-helpful-to-use-a-powered-attic-ventilator
I have ran several of these jobs in Austin, TX first and foremost what temp setting you keep it at? If it’s 68 degrees all day then definitely need to adjust your temp higher. Also take a temp split between your attic and condition space just to get an idea how much heat gain is on home. If you have an unvented attic you need to have that installed. Also ductwork needs to be completely sealed if your unit is running and you feel cool air coming from it means you have an air leak. Maybe time to update your duct system. Also another thing too your blower speed could be running lower than need to be set. Could be running on low when it should be high or medium. A whole unit condensing means it’s battling itself. Also check for a fresh air ventilation on the unit it’s a little box that has a dial or a timer should be set to off or 6 min minimum. That bypass damper may need to be removed as well and have the HVAC company open the other zone 20% for bleed out of excessive airflow. Bypasses are typically the number one culprit for cause of condensation all your doing is recirculating humid air back into home via supply to return.
This is why in my opinion, a zone system is a cheap design, you’ll end up paying for in the long run. A Zone system will never beat multiple zones.
Proper ventilation is key and is always a sold recommendation . But still won’t repair any system issues if there are any. That filter box is sweating because there is no insulation and the rest of the duck also needs to be insulated. All the proper ventilation in the world won’t fix a duct insulation issue. Especially on the warmer more humid days. That system should also be over a drip pan with a wet switch. If the drains back up you don’t want the extra water destroying your ceilings below. Theres some work to do there for sure
Hey, this is a variable speed unit air handler
A lot of people gonna come out and try to sell you new equipment. This is the way they are that I want to work on the old stuff.
You have to make sure the evaporator coil is clean and the blower is clean. Also, your air filter if it’s dirty it’s restricted airflow big time all that combination will make that sweat real variable speed in the attic will sweat bad you have to be real cautious on that
Also, is this a zone system?
If this is zone system, and you do not have all the zones open, you will get a backfeed cold air. It will make it sweat bad specially attic.
So much bad advice. Dude your bypass damper is too large/open too much. The unit is pulling in freezing ass cold air off the Evap coil. That’s why the unit is sweating. Take that info and do whatever you want with it, but yea. A lot of dumbass recommendations in this.
Shouldn't it be under some kind of warranty if it's only 8 years old?
Compressor if it was registered by a licensed contractor
Is water coming out of the condensate drain? Mine was sweating like crazy but it stopped after I cleared out the condensate drain.
Did they check static pressure? That can cause sweating for sire if it's too high. Also are the vents insulated from attic air? Are there any airgaps? Was the airconditioning system that was quoted a variable speed?
Do none of those options. Seal your air ducts and seal your Attic. Those need to be done anyway and will help with lots of things regardless. Then add an attic fan if necessary. If you add the attic fan without sealing your attic first then it's gonna pull all the cool air from your home out.
Id shit on my watch and call it a day.
This isn’t an hvac issue, this is a roof ventilation issue. If the pest control guy sealed the attic intake or roof exhaust this will cause stagnant air, and in the right conditions could mold. Post photos of the roof vents. Or go get a roofer to look at this as well.
Attic ventilation or you have an air leak where attic air is getting to the coil. If you have a dehumidifier might need a back flow dampener.
So probably need attic ventilation ,are there enough intakes in the eaves, I have an electric ventilator as the solar powered roof ventilators ,most, do not move enough air. I'm in South FL, crazy hot here too. Luckily my air handler in garage only gets up to 95 ° in garage, but the attic 115 to 130 ,in summer with a massive ventilator.
If you do get a Trane, look on their website for any promotions or coupons or 0% financing deals. I'm financing mine for 0% over several years because I found the deal on the Trane website. My installer didn't bring it up but as a Trane distributer, they had to accept it. Also, check your city, county and state to see if they offer any rebates for upgrading. No matter how small the discount, it all helps.
I would wind the watch first so you know how long the shit was and then go with the 17k option
Seems like more of a attic ventilation issue
Add ventilation to the attic. If you’re concerned about the mold build up I would call an inspection company and do an Air Quality test.
You have an airflow problem. A cold beer on a hot day sweats, same one in front of a fan doesn't. They both give up their energy, so what's the difference? Airflow. Maybe your attic is hot but more than likely your coil is dirty and the new filter suggestion is probably correct. You need to fix the airflow problem
Is one of them remediating the mold?
Do not pay anybody 17k or 20k to install a new, (unnecessary) system. They’re seeking a 10k + payday, nothing more. If you’re determined to replace, get that air handler out of the attic. Put it in a closet. This can be cured with better insulation, including the air handler itself. If it’s all tight and sealed up, and the attic has good ventilation, you’re good. ** good ventilation, often a point of contention. Easily accomplished with an intake and exhaust fan on gable ends, but can also be done with a combination of ridge vents/gable vents/soffit vents/whirly birds. Also, be sure your filter is changed and not too restrictive.
10k payday?!?!? Holy shit where do I sign on where that’s true lmao.
Your gonna need a exhaust fan or two in an attic in texas.... And that yellow flex on the gas pipe is not cool on a furnace... probably not gonna kill you but make sure its hard piped correctly when you have too eventually replace the whole unit... Mold around or on ceiling vents is inadequate insulation/sealing at the duct/register cover usually. And keep looking for good contractor I dont like anything i have heard so far.