What Is Causing My Air Conditioner to Leak?

Do you find yourself needing troubleshooting or problem solving ideas to deal with your air conditioning system? We’ve all been there, with our hands in the air or scratching our head, trying to figure out what to do! Glancing out the window to see a puddle of water around your air conditioning unit can be alarming. However, the truth is condensation from a unit can be normal. What you can expect depends on the thermostat setting, weather, and amount of water around the system.

When Does Troubleshooting a Leak Become Necessary?

Water that leaks for more than a day or leaks large quantities of water is cause for concern. A certified heating and cooling technician can take care of the hassle for you and can come straight to your home or business to troubleshoot the problem and make any necessary repairs.

If you would like to dig deeper and do a little problem solving on your own, consider these possible causes of air conditioner leaks:

• A crack in your condensate drain pan. This means water will leak out of the air conditioner through the crack.
• A dirty air filter. Filters that aren’t regularly cleaned become clogged. This causes restricted airflow to the coils in the evaporator. The coils can then freeze. This causes water to spill out of the system’s condensate drain pan.
• An obstruction or blockage. If there is an obstruction in the condensate drain pipe, water can be forced back up and out the drain pan. It then leaks all over the floor.

What to Do When You Need Help Troubleshooting a Leaking Air Conditioner

If you can identify the source of the problem, you can share this with your professional HVAC tech to help him/her save some time figuring out the issue. The tech will likely start the process by replacing your air filter and bleaching the condensate line. If these problem-solving tactics don’t work, the problem could be somewhere else in the system and bigger than expected. If the unit is leaking large amounts of water, the tech should take immediate action to prevent an even larger problem.

It’s not uncommon to have an air conditioner that leaks water. Still, these leaks can be a symptom of a more significant problem that needs to be addressed by a professional. If you are ready to book an appointment with an expert technician to help with troubleshooting and problem solving for your HVAC, contact Brummitt Heating and Cooling today.