The Best Way to Install an Evaporator Coil System in the Attic

Adhere to Building Codes

• After spending considerable amounts of time and energy installing an evaporator coil system in your attic, the last news you’ll want to receive is that you must now undo all of the work that you have just completed. To prevent this from happening, always check with municipal, state and federal building codes to ensure that the installation process you are using and the equipment you are using are in accordance with applicable regulations. Because the attic of a home is located above a living space, special building codes may apply.

Install in Supply Air, Not Return Air

• Within a home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) duct system, there are two primary sections: the supply air and the return air. The supply air is the section where a blower or air handler spreads conditioned air throughout your home for regulating temperatures. In contrast, the return air is the section where air from your home and/or outside enters into the duct work to undergo heating or cooling. When installing an evaporator coil system in the attic, you should always install the system in the supply air section. Otherwise, excessive condensation could result.

Provide an Auxiliary Drain Pan

• One of the most crucial steps in an attic evaporator coil system installation is providing an auxiliary drain pan. The drain pan of an evaporator coil, as its name implies, is responsible for collecting condensed moisture and draining that moisture to a suitable location: most commonly, outside. Because an attic is located above a living space, installing an auxiliary drain pan below the primary drain pan is essential. If an evaporator coil’s primary drain pan cracks, overflows or otherwise malfunctions, the moisture in the pan can spill onto the ceiling below. Rot, mold, mildew and other damaging effects to the ceiling could occur as a result of this spill. For these reasons, you should always install an auxiliary drain pan, with a separate drainage system that leads outside, when installing an evaporator coil system in the attic.

Insulate the Refrigerant Pipe

• While less crucial than providing an auxiliary drain pan, insulating the refrigerant pipe that connects to the evaporator coil system will optimize an attic installation. This insulation can help improve the energy efficiency of the coil. Over time, the insulation that surrounds the refrigerant pipe can deteriorate, so you should check it periodically.