Charlie:
Arnold in Sugarland says he saw water dripping from outside his AC secondary drain. He called the tech; the tech told him that he has a crack in his plenum, and if you’ve ever had a crack in your plenum, you know how painful that can be. Anyway, I could easily see water dripping into the pan. The tech says the only fix is to replace the plenum. That would cost about $3,200.
Tom:
I’ll do it for 22.
Charlie:
Well, yes, you can get into one of those contests. Is there any where to plug a crack in a plenum?
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Tom:
Wait. A plenum is not that expensive. It’s just five sheets of metal with insulation glued to it, so the whole idea of $3,200 is ridiculous. Now, there’s one of two things happening here, Charlie. Either I’m not getting the full story and it’s not just the plenum, or this guy is just taking him to the poor house on this plenum deal, because the fact of the matter is if it’s leaking, it’s the evaporator coil, and I have a feeling the evaporator coil is part of this estimate and all we’re getting is the plenum side. Evaporator coil, plenum, and all that, and the evaporator coil would have a crack in it, no, you can’t fix those. They have to be replaced, but the question just doesn’t sound right. If it is a plenum, he needs to find another contractor.
Charlie:
Okay, but what would be causing the drip?
Tom:
Usually it’s a crack in the evaporator coil, and it’s rusted or whatever, when it’s broken, you need a new evaporator coil or a very big pan.