Did you just find a puddle of water forming under your AC or near your furnace? If you did, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Action Air Conditioning, we repair HVACs in the Tampa Bay area all year round, and one of the most common questions we are asked is: Why is my air conditioner leaking water?
So we would like to dedicate a blog post to this topic to help you understand exactly what is going on inside of your cooling system when your air conditioner leaks water, why it’s happening, and how you can prevent it from damaging your home.
The Science Simplified
Your refrigerant is the key to a working air conditioner. Its journey from liquid to gas and back to liquid again is responsible for sending cool air into your home.
- First, the adventure begins when hot air is pulled from your house between the evaporator coils. When the hot and humid air passes through, the heat is transferred from the air to the refrigerant creating cold air.
- Moisture condensation forms on the frigid evaporator coils, transforming the humidity into water droplets. This moisture drips into a pan and then down a “drip line” to be disposed of outdoors.
- When the heat is transferred from the air to the refrigerant, it turns the liquid into a gas. This gas travels to the compressor outside becoming even hotter. Then it floats along to the condenser where it is cooled again, returning to a liquid state.
This happens over and over again.
But when the drip line is clogged, anything from dust to algae could be in there blocking the water from flowing. Water cannot pass safely outdoors and instead collects inside and spills over the collection pan. This water ends up puddling until you spot it.
Understanding the Signs
When the temperature is hot, you depend on your air conditioner to provide you with cool, crisp air when you need it most. You can rely on your cooling system to deliver perfect temperature control in your living spaces.
Even when you have your HVAC system serviced annually, things can go wrong. Especially if your air conditioning unit is older, it will be prone to malfunctioning here and there.
But depending on where your air conditioner unit is, you might not notice water leakage right away. If the AC is nestled in your attic space, you will notice water spots on your ceiling under the equipment.
Besides the presence of water, other signs may include:
- Musty or moldy smell coming from the vents
- Musty or moldy smell around the AC unit
- Visible mold present around the unit
- Dripping sound or visible drip
- Water damage near the fan or on the floor
Prevention Techniques
Before we discuss how to fix a leaking air conditioner, it’s important to consider how we could avoid mold or devastating water damage in the first place.
When your air conditioner leaks water, it can cause immense damage to your walls, ceiling, and floor. Considering that you will experience at least one leaky air conditioner in your lifetime, it’s good to know that there are measures that can be taken to protect your home from water damage.
Leak safety features are required under code, but they are invaluable assets to your HVAC system.
These switches trigger the air conditioner to shut off when they detect too much water in the drain pan or water backing up in the drip line. Be sure to ask for these features when you discuss your new AC installation with Action Air Conditioning.
A mess and potentially devastating harm to your home can be entirely diverted.
How to Fix Your AC
The best way to solve your problem is to
- Shut off your cooling system.
- Clean up any water.
- Contact HVAC specialists like those at Action Air Conditioning to assess the situation and repair your unit the right way.
Replacing a line costs significantly more than simply unblocking one. However, if you try to DIY unclogging a drip line, you run the risk of damaging the line. Besides trying to run a little hot water down the PVC for minor clogs, we at Action Air Conditioning do not recommend that you try this yourself. It is recommended to add a cup of bleach or vinegar once a month to help keep the line clean.
In the case of severe blockages, an air compressor or wet vacuum may be used, but caution must be made. Air Conditioners are complicated machinery.
One ill working part can and will create a domino effect until the entire system fails. If you have any problems with your air conditioner and want it serviced by knowledgeable, expertly trained professionals, get in touch with Action Air Conditioning today!