Heat Pump Leaking Water Inside & Coils Iced

[Michael Redman]

I'm a complete novice in the Heating/AC world, so maybe this is very elementary...

Our Rheem Heat Pump has begun leaking water onto the basement floor. We turned it off and later turned it back on and let it run for a while. Looking in the enclosed area under the unit, I saw water dripping down. Opening the side, I could see water dripping off the coils, but didn't see what looked to be a drain pan under it.

We had some minimal work done on this last winter (replaced the drain pipe to create a better angle for the water to flow) and it's possible something funky happened -- like they forgot to put back the drain pan. Or it's possible that this thing doesn't have a conventional drain pan -- or I'm not seeing it.

Turned it off again. Later turned it on and let it run for a couple of hours. No water, but when I opened the side again, the coils are iced up.

Not sure how old this thing is. The house was built in the mid-70s although many appliances have been upgraded since then. We just moved in a year ago. This problem didn't exist last year.

Any guesses or any place to send me to look?

Thanks

-- Michael Redman

[CBHvac]

Its there....Rheems are a pain..

Umm..if it had a S pipe in the line, or a P trap, and the drain was below the pan..well...no matter...you had some work done..

You can stop now, and call a tech in. One, Most of the newer Ruud/Rheem units have plastic pans, with female fittings, so if your condensate drain is connected to the unit, your pan is there... Second, if the coils are iced, this could be a refrigerant problem, or an airflow issue...and your drain problem could be related...and if its rrefrigerant related, and you have an EPA card, know what superheat is, how to check it, and if you have a flowrater or a TEV, then you can charge it, IF needed..

Your local yellow pages....really...look under Rheem/Ruud dealers....

[CBHvac]

First, did you see the SCALE that he MUST have to tell you how much he added?

HE added refrigerant, but didnt look for a leak obviously...

No...its not...it could be several issues, and obviously hes not got a clue...

Honestly...sounds like you got a bad tech...and it happens. I might be looking for another one, one thats willing to examine the possibilities and get you working again..it could be as simple as a retriction in the line, or a blower thats not running at full speed due to a bad cap....