Is Your Air Conditioner Leaking Water? What Can Cause This Annoyance

It’s a cry for help that we hear often at Scott’s Heating & Air Conditioning: “My air conditioner is leaking water! What’s going on?”

If you’ve never experienced this unsettling problem, it may help to realize that there are three main reasons why a central air conditioner leaks:

• The air filter is clogged with dirt, which causes ice to form on the evaporator coils. When the ice melts, it leaks water. This is a problem you can prevent yourself by checking the air conditioner filter every month during the summer and keeping a spare filter handy.
• A clogged condensate line—the main drain line—is by far the most common reason why air conditioners leak. When this line is clogged, the water has nowhere to go, so it backs up and floods the overflow pan.
• There’s a hole in the overflow pan, which catches condensation from the air conditioner. While small cracks and holes can sometimes be repaired with epoxy, it’s usually best to replace the pan to ensure that it functions properly.

Even a small amount of water can cause significant damage to floors, ceilings and walls, and it’s usually not cheap to repair. To ensure that your air conditioner doesn’t leak water, be proactive and:

• Make an annual air conditioner maintenance a high priority. Don’t reschedule the appointment just because your air conditioner is humming along, with no apparent problems. Burned contacts, dirty coils and low refrigerant pressure can conspire to release more water than the main drain (and emergency drain) can carry away. Only an annual inspection will bring these conditions to light.
• Request an algaecide treatment, which will deter the growth of algae in the drain lines.
• Ask that a safety float switch be installed to guard against an overflowing drain pain, which will turn off your air conditioner and thwart additional water buildup.

An A/C leaking water can be a messy problem, but also one that’s easily fixed. Call Scott’s Heating & Air Conditioning and we’ll respond to your cry for help ASAP.

Tags: air conditioner, air filter, algaecide treatment, hvac system, orlando florida, preventive maintenance

Categorised in: Thing You Should Know