A/C dripping from condensation?

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by rkleypas

Greg,

What did they do to remedy the problem? I didn't get around to my proposed repair today and may want to hold off on my "engineering" until I find out how they fixed the problem. Thanks

I wish I knew - because I could share with you, but I have no clue what they did.

[69hugger]

Greg,
Any chance you can find out from Brizio?
Did they perhaps...
Re-engineer the drain port (maybe drill & tap a new one in a different location in the case)? Or maybe add another drain on the other side of the case & T them together?
Or make an adjustment in the controls so it doesn't operate as cold when turned to the coldest setting?
Or, add or remove R-134 so the evap level is different?
Or, have to remove & open the unit to ???

I hope not the latter.


Thanks to all for their feedback.


Bill

[GregWeld]

I've sent an email asking if he cares to share.....

Originally Posted by 69hugger

Greg,
Any chance you can find out from Brizio?
Did they perhaps...
Re-engineer the drain port (maybe drill & tap a new one in a different location in the case)? Or maybe add another drain on the other side of the case & T them together?
Or make an adjustment in the controls so it doesn't operate as cold when turned to the coldest setting?
Or, add or remove R-134 so the evap level is different?
Or, have to remove & open the unit to ???

I hope not the latter.


Thanks to all for their feedback.


Bill

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by 69hugger

Greg,
Any chance you can find out from Brizio?
Did they perhaps...
Re-engineer the drain port (maybe drill & tap a new one in a different location in the case)? Or maybe add another drain on the other side of the case & T them together?
Or make an adjustment in the controls so it doesn't operate as cold when turned to the coldest setting?
Or, add or remove R-134 so the evap level is different?
Or, have to remove & open the unit to ???

I hope not the latter.


Thanks to all for their feedback.


Bill

There are three outlets on top of you’re a/c unit. For one we did not have a hose in the center one and it was blowing cold air straight out so we added the hose. Second we had to add more insulation to the brass fittings on the side of the unit, they get so cold they frost up a lot. Hope this helps him.

[69hugger]

Thanks for checking, Greg. I will add the fittings to my check list.


Bill

[rkleypas]

Thanks Greg. I have one of my ports duct taped closed. I'm adding one of the lap vents on the passenger side of the car so maybe that will help get rid of some of the condensation. I'll let you all know if any of my "engineering" works.

[KUL FIR CHICK N]

Originally Posted by dhutton

I sent the engineering manager of VA a PM with a link to this thread over on the other forum. Let's see if he replies.

Don

Hi Guys,

Sorry for my delay in seeing this post. Don sent the PM to me over on PT.com and I didn't have it set to email me when I received a new PM, so I didn't see it until I went on there this morning. It's fixed now so I should be able to respond to PMs in a timely manner.

There are several different issues being discussed on this thread, so I'll work to address them all one at a time.

First, Bill’s issue, as I understand it, is excessive condensation dripping from the EXTERIOR surfaces of the case, duct hoses, and possibly the refrigerant hoses. If, in fact, the condensate is dripping from the exterior of the system, this is not a system-related or defective-system issue. I wouldn't say it's necessarily "normal" either. It's just physics, and it's correctable. If I were troubleshooting your car in person, I'd start by looking for body leakage. The sweating issue you describe is the result of a constant supply of humid, outside air entering the vehicle while you drive. If the cabin is well sealed, with no outside air leakage, the A/C system will quickly dehumidify the air within the cabin, lowering the dew point to a level where there will be little to no condensation observed. I took some quick measurements this morning on one of our test cars so that I could describe this in detail. The ambient temperature this morning in San Antonio was about 85 degrees, and the dew point outside was about 70 degrees. With a dew point of 70 degrees, any surface that has a temperature of less than 70 degrees has the potential to condense water from the air. The further away from 70 the surface is (to the cold side), the faster condensate will form on the surface, just like it does on a soda can, as was described earlier in the thread.

Now, if I step into my vehicle, which has been sitting for several hours with the doors open, the dew point and temperature inside the car will be similar to the outside conditions. I close the doors, start the engine, and run the A/C on full power with the windows up. The dew point inside the car will immediately start to drop, and within about five minutes, the dew point inside the car will be around 45-50 degrees. The temperature of the air exiting the vents will be in the neighborhood of 40 degrees, and the exterior surfaces of the case and ducts will be in the neighborhood of 45-50 degrees. In this case, I would not expect to see any condensate form on the case and duct surfaces, no matter how long I wait. If I open the windows, the dew point inside the car will immediately start to rise, and condensation will begin to form on the cold duct and case surfaces. The air leaving the A/C vents is 40 degrees and has a dew point of 35 degrees, but the constant supply of humid outside air is mixing with the conditioned cabin air, raising both the temperature and the humidity in the cabin.

The fix for Bill, 69hugger’s condensation problem is probably going to be sealing up the kick panel vents, door and window seals, any holes in the firewall, sealing the shifter boot, and even the trunk seals. If the trunk seals are leaking, the low pressure at the rear of the car will draw air out through the trunk, which will cause negative pressure in the cabin, and draw outside air in through every crack and crevice in the body. The aforementioned insulation of the ducts and case would help, but it is more of a Band-Aid, masking the root problem. One thing that MUST be insulated is the suction line inside the cabin. All exposed metal surfaces of the suction line should be wrapped with "press tape" as supplied with all of our kits. The suction line can often run at or below freezing, and exposed portions of it will sweat profusely.

Please feel free to PM me, and I’ll do my best to help you correct this issue.

Respectfully,

Ryan Zwicker
Director of Engineering
Vintage Air, Inc.

[GregWeld]

NEW cars never have these condensation issues... or dripping.

[KUL FIR CHICK N]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

NEW cars never have these condensation issues... or dripping.

Nope, they're sealed. Drive for an hour or two in your new car with the windows cracked on a humid day and it'll be dripping too. But who wants to be driving their new car? That's why we're all here, right?

[KUL FIR CHICK N]

Originally Posted by 69hugger

Mine is a Gen 2. Maybe it isn't as advanced as the gen 4 systems?
I asked the tech at V/A about using heat as a method to control it & he said it wouldn't help, and would just counteract the A/C, making it less effective.
But, yes, my heat works fine.

Bill

The Gen II ComPac uses an adjustable mechanical thermostat. On its max cold setting, it will cycle the compressor when the probe, positioned in the coldest part of the evaporator coil, reads 28 degrees. If you run the system for an extended period of time at max cold, it will eventually freeze up the evaporator. VA recommends moving the thermostat about 1/8 of its travel off of the coldest position. If you're in Phoenix, you can probably get away with running it max cold, but if you are in Houston, back off a bit.

The Gen IV systems that most of VA's SureFit systems are based on have a thermistor probe and the controller is programmed to cycle the compressor when the probe senses 34 degrees.

Ryan