6 Reasons Why Your Air Conditioner Is Leaking Water

Your home has multiple sinks, toilets, and a washing machine. In short, it has enough things that could leak already.

But your air conditioner can leak water as well. It does this because it cools down your home by blowing warm air over its evaporator coil, which coincidentally creates condensation. When an AC functions correctly, its condensate drain line sends all of that water outside where it won’t bother you. But when it doesn’t function correctly? That’s when it leaks.

There are six common reasons why your AC could be leaking water. As a matter of fact, we just touched on the most frequent problem!

The Condensate Drain Line Is Clogged

Your AC’s condensate drain line serves a simple yet important function: It lets the condensation which accumulates in the drain pan flow to the outside of your home. But this drain line may be as little as 3/4″ in diameter, so it’s able to easily clog up with dirt, dust, mold, and other debris (especially pollen during hay fever season).

A wet/dry vacuum often unclogs an AC drain line in no time at all, although unusually stubborn blockage may demand a professional’s heavy-duty vacuum. Fortunately, this is an easy fix for an HVAC specialist like PrairieSons, so you’ll be back to your regularly scheduled AC in no time.

As a side note, a broken condensate pump will also lead to leakage. Fast replacement is crucial in this case, as an AC which is unable to eliminate water can quickly begin to fail in other areas.

The Condensate Pan Is Damaged

Your AC’s condensate pan collects the water which normally accumulates inside the unit before the drain line can guide it away. If this essential component becomes cracked, rusted, or otherwise inoperable, it can let that water seep out before the drain line has a chance to do its job. Replacing the condensate pan can be as easy as ordering one online and installing it yourself, but in many cases, this is a job for a pro.

The Air Filter Is Dirty

Your AC’s air filter is also important: It cleans the air that circulates through the unit, and by extension your home. It is recommended that you replace the air filter every 30 days to six months depending on its type, how often you use it, and the quality of the air that it filters.

A dirty air filter won’t just fail to purify your air. It will prematurely age your AC as it forces the unit to work harder to draw in air. It may also allow air to stagnate where it’s supposed to flow past the evaporator coil, in which event the air may become so cold that the coil begins to accumulate ice. Your AC may leak whenever such ice is able to melt – but taking care to regularly change the air filter can prevent it from forming in the first place!

The Refrigerant Is Low

Your AC’s evaporator coil may also freeze over once the unit’s refrigerant level becomes too low. A low refrigerant level usually becomes detectable when the AC fails to cool the home as effectively as it once used to, but the AC unit may also hiss or make bubbling noises when this happens. If your AC is leaking because it hasn’t got enough refrigerant, then it is crucial to get it replaced. In time this problem will destroy the unit altogether!

The Air Conditioner Was Installed Incorrectly

Several mistakes during installation could cause an otherwise perfectly functional AC to leak water. Poor connections often allow excessive water to accumulate. So can a unit that is an altogether wrong size for the home in which it was installed! Reinstallation is of course the more appealing fix for this source of leaking, but occasionally a more appropriately sized unit must be installed to prevent future leakage.

The Humidity in Your Home Is Too High

Because moisture accumulates on your AC’s evaporator coil and eventually drains outside, your AC effectively dehumidifies your home. If the humidity level inside your home is too high, then more moisture can accumulate inside of your AC than it is able to eliminate on its own. In this case, lowering your home’s humidity with the aid of a dehumidifier alongside other techniques may be all your AC needs to cease its leakage problem.

Graciously, many of the problems that can cause an AC to leak are easy enough to fix on your own. But some are too technical for the layman to address. For these, you want the assistance of PrairieSons – the greater Sioux Falls area’s leading authority on HVAC systems! Please contact us today and we’ll have your AC leak-free and in peak operating condition in no time at all.