# Soffit vents?



## Supe (Sep 4, 2012)

For most of the summer, I have had a continuous drip coming out the drain from one of my roof's soffit vents. It's not pouring/gushing water, but it has been a steady drip for some time now, enough that my patio and shingles above the window beneath it are perpetually wet.

Is it typical to have that much water coming from a soffit vent during the summer months, or may this be an indicator of a bigger problem? Humidity in the house otherwise seems fine, no ceiling damage anywhere, etc.


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## MA_PE (Sep 4, 2012)

I'd say no. The soffit vents are air vents and water should not be dripping out. Do you have an attic mounted A/C unit? Could it be that the condensate is not evaporating quick enough and the pan is over flowing?

I'd investigate the source of the water. Water at the perimeter can go into the walls without showing up on the ceilings.


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## roadwreck (Sep 4, 2012)

Yea, I've never seen water dripping from a soffit vent. I have seen water dripping from our A/C overflow pipe, which is cut through a portion of the soffit. I think i'd investigate the source of the water if I were you.


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## IlPadrino (Sep 4, 2012)

+1 on the previous responses... soffit vents are supposed to prevent moisture accumulation under the roof!


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## Supe (Sep 4, 2012)

Sorry guys, poor choice of wording. It's the drain line from the air handler that goes out through the soffit below the roofline. I just dragged the ladder up there, and the drip pan is pretty much full. Looks like I need to have the AC folks come out and take a look at it.


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## MA_PE (Sep 4, 2012)

that makes sense. Under typical constant use I believe it's normal to have a continuous drip from the HVAC condesate line. Do you have gutters and downspouts? One solution might be to run that drip line to a downspout and divert the water away from the side of the house and the patio.


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## goodal (Sep 4, 2012)

You can probably save yourself a service call by seeing if the main drain has some insulation or trash stuck somewhere.


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## Supe (Sep 4, 2012)

MA_PE said:


> that makes sense. Under typical constant use I believe it's normal to have a continuous drip from the HVAC condesate line. Do you have gutters and downspouts? One solution might be to run that drip line to a downspout and divert the water away from the side of the house and the patio.


Yes, and I've been thinking that the past few days. Only concern would be that there would be a fairly long run, so I'm worried about the aesthetics of it.

Badal - They're scheduled to come out under warranty anyways for my downstairs unit that crapped out a few months back, so may as well get my money's worth! I think part of it is that the upstairs unit is essentially cooling the entire house, and is being massively overworked.


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## Master slacker (Sep 4, 2012)

Mix a two cup, 50 / 50 solution of bleach and water. Pour down drain line at the AC unit. Do this every year. If this is neglected, the nasties can grow inside the drain pipe and block all flow.


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