EG4 minisplit heat pump grounding question

[Quattrohead]

The mini split I temporarily set up in the house I am building definitely drains a lot of water outside but it does also drip inside where I have not very well wrapped pipes. Sounds to me like your drain pan is either disconnected not installed correctly or broken.

 

[Madcodger]

Electrical tape very likely doesn't give you sufficient insulation. Think about a glass of ice water that you bring outside on a hot, humid day. Condensation firms on the outside of the glass within just a minute or two. That's what's happening, I strongly suspect. Electrical tape would get almost as cold as the exterior of tue pipe, so you still have the same problem. AC lines are almost always wrapped in foam insulation. People think it's to avoid losing heat from the refrigerant line, but it's also to prevent the very issue you are experiencing: condensation. You need to keep warm moist air away from ANY cold surface (including, I suspect, a refrigerant line wrapped in electrical tape), or condensation will form. Unless you have a leak in your drain line, I'd suspect condensation.

 

[Cptx]

The drain lines came with thick insulation around them. All I did was double wrap electrical tape all over that thick insulation so the line set would pass through the home better.

That being said, I will unwrap them and reward with insulation tape

 

[Cptx]

Great news; It was an easy fix.

Waaaay back in the drain hole on the left there was a black piece of plastic plugging the drain hole inside the unit.

I had to take a drill bit and drill it out.

Drains perfectly now with just gravity without the condensation pump.

This was either a manufacturing defect, or I suppose it was possible that when I removed the plug on the left side of the unit to switch it to the right and removed the condensation drain from the right and switched it to where the plug was, a little piece of that black plug tore off and got stuck…..it does not look like this was the case as the plug I removed in the left to switch to the right is intact.

Regardless, I’d recommend EG4 assemble and ship the units with the condensation drain attached and locked in place on the same side as the line set (the left side) so you don’t have to do the switcheroo first step (unnecessarily introduces too many potential problems)………and include a template.

 

[Cptx]

Thank you all for your help as I now feel very confident performing maintenance and replacing parts on the unit if needed.

 

[Plum Crazy Rob]

I had to take a drill bit and drill it out.

Great news (in the end! ) . For reference, getting at this with front disassembled or pulling unit off wall again from the back?

 

[Cptx]

I disassembled from the front (as I didn’t want to lift it off the wall for the tenth time) to inspect the drain pan expecting to see the drain pan either misaligned from the factory, or an unexplainable crack. When I got to the drain pan, it was clear as day that that the drain hole in the far reaches of the unit was completely plugged with a piece of black plastic level with the top of the drain hole. As I was unable to gain purchase on it with pliers or fingers to pull it out backwards, I delightfully drilled a big hole in the middle of it and picked it clean off with pliers.

Drains like a charm (gushing out) with just gravity.
I removed the condensation pump as now I don’t need it. I’ll hold onto it just incase (maybe) or ship it back….but I’m so relieved it ended up being a relatively simple fix, and I did learn a lot lifting it off the wall mount and problem solving everything.

Thanks again for all your help.

I think it was a manufacturing defect as the plug I switched to the other side was completely intact.

 

[timselectric]

Glad you figured it out.