Climate Control System with Improved Leak Detector

A method for installing an air handler unit at a location, the air handler unit including a housing including a fan configured to circulate a conditioned airflow through a heat exchanger and into a conditioned space, the heat exchanger coupled to a closed circuit of a climate control system for routing a refrigerant fluid, one or more drain pans configured to collect condensate produced at a heat exchanger, and a refrigerant leak sensor configured to detect refrigerant located outside the closed circuit, the method comprising:

• orienting the air handler unit at the location in one of a plurality of orientation such that the fan is in fluid communication with a return air path and a supply air path associated with the conditioned space;
• locating at least one of the one or more drain pans to collect condensate produced at the heat exchanger, the at least one drain pan including a bottom surface and one or more drains configured to route condensate out of the at least one drain pan, the bottom surface defining a first plane tangent to a lowest point along the bottom surface, the one or more drains defining a second plane tangent to a highest point along the one or more drains and parallel to the first plane;
• positioning the refrigerant leak sensor a first distance along an axis normal to the first and second planes, the first distance measured as the distance from the refrigerant leak sensor to the first plane and sized such that the first distance is greater than or equal to a second distance measured along the axis from the first plane to the second plane;
• coupling the refrigerant leak sensor to the at least one drain pan;
• and
• connecting the refrigerant leak sensor to control circuitry.