Air Conditioner Drip Tray Repair: Take 2

While I love my condo there are a few things that have been regular issues over the past 11 years that I have called it home.  The air conditioning/heating system being the biggest of those annoyances.

My building uses a forced Hot/Cold water system to provide heat and air conditioning to the 88 units. One of the disadvantages of such a system is that when its humid the air conditioner creates a fair amount of condensation. That condensation drips into a condensate pan and drains outside.

Built in 1963 and now 50 years old somethings are begining to require attention. Particularly the condensate pans. They are galvinized steel and have tabs cut out of them to allow them to be attached to the air handlers. To prevent leaks they were filled with a rubberized tar and over time that tar has dried and cracked leaving the pan no longer water tight.

Sadly you discover this is the case when you find water on your floor. With parquet floors that isn't a fun thing to discover and often the floor fights back. I repaired one of my condensate pans almost a year ago so its time for take 2. It created a significant problem and required the rebuilding of the entire enclosure surrounding it.

Thankfully I work for a manufacturing company and have tools and resources to help me repair my drippy pans. A freind of mine at work is a mirical worker and devised a plan to make blanks that would cover the holes at the bottom and when pressed together with a peice of rubber between them make a water tight seal.

I plan to reseal the whole pan with a new rubberized spary but since the disruption has halted the use of my air conditioner in the bedroom. Since it takes a few days for the rubber spray to dry thoroughly, I am going to install it as is and when the fall weather arrives I will reassemble after coating the pan.

Thankfully this time the damage was far less and really I only needed to give the floor a little attention after repairing the drip pan.