During these hot summer months, your AC has been blasting around the clock. Perhaps you were going about your day when you noticed that your inside AC unit was leaking water. You’re not sure if this is normal or if you should call your local HVAC contractor.
There are several reasons your air conditioning may be leaking water inside your house. Let’s review why your air conditioner produces water in the first place and how it can sometimes spring a leak.
How Your AC Makes Water
Your AC has an evaporator coil that cools warm air blowing over it to create your ideal indoor temperature. When hot air blows over this coil, condensation forms and drips into a drain pan that leads to the condensate drain line, which directs water from the AC unit to the outdoors.
If everything is working correctly, you shouldn’t see your indoor unit dripping water or forming pools of water. However, occasionally, something will clog or break, causing water to leak in your house.
Clogged Drain Line
Over time, your condensate drain line will collect dirt, mold, and dust, which will build up and create clogs. These clogs will prevent the drain line from moving condensation outside. The water has nowhere else to go when this happens but to come back and leak into your house. Call your local HVAC technician to clean the condensate drain line for you.
Damaged Drain Pan
If your unit is more than 15 years old, you may have a rusted or cracked drain pan that is causing your AC to drip water into your house. You’ll need to replace the drain pan, but note that there are two drain pans. One is underneath the evaporator coils, and the other is underneath the unit. Because the one under the evaporator coils is permanent, you’ll need to have a professional replace it for you. You can replace the pan under your air conditioning unit yourself if you wish.
Clogged Air Filter
You may be surprised, but a dirty air filter can also cause your air conditioner to leak water. The indoor unit needs proper airflow to function, and a restricted flow causes the evaporator coil to freeze. When the frozen evaporator coils thaw, they drip excess water.
Thankfully, a dirty air filter is an easy fix. Simply replace the air filter, and then change it every one to three months.
Low Refrigerant
If your air filters are not the source of your problem, it may be that your refrigerant is low. This causes the evaporator coil to freeze over, just like a dirty air filter. Once the coil can melt, it will flood the drain pan with extra water, causing it to overflow.
Your refrigerant levels become low when there’s a leak. It may require a simple repair, or you may have to replace the entire air conditioning unit.
New Unit and Still Leaking? Reinstall It!
Did you recently get a new AC unit, and you’re still having issues with water leaking into your house? Sometimes, your unit is improperly installed on the first attempt. If you don’t see any visible damage around your new unit, you should have it reinstalled by professionals to see if this fixes the problem.
Repairing and Preventing Leaking AC Units
If your air conditioner is leaking water, get in touch with your trusted HVAC technicians! We offer AC repairs around Lakewood, NJ, as well as AC maintenance and central AC installation near Toms River, NJ, so you don’t have to worry about leaks causing damage to your home. Reach out to us today for a FREE estimate on air conditioning repairs.