There is nothing worse than waking up or coming home after a long day of work only to spot a water leak on your ceiling, wall, or even puddling on your floor. Your first feeling is panic, especially if you are the homeowner.
Where is this water coming from?
It only takes a moment to realize the problem is your air conditioning unit.
If you are reading this because your AC is leaking, before you read any further, please go switch your thermostat to the OFF setting to prevent any further damage.
AC water leaks are one of the most common problems with HVAC that we see here at All Day Air Cooling and Heating. Thankfully, they are often also one of the easier ones to address and fix without great expense to you, the homeowner.
Let’s take a look at the possibilities for what may be causing your leak.
Possibility #1 – Your condensation drain line is clogged
This is your most likely suspect. When the drain line gets blocked up with dirt, sludge, dust, or even mold you will need to manually unclog the line. A household shop vac (wet/dry vacuum) works wonders if you are handy and care to attempt it. If you would prefer a professional our techs are more than happy to make a house call to clear, drain, and clean the line for you.
Possibility #2 – Cracked Drain Pan
If you see a leak? Hope for this option. Drain pans are made of metal. They rust and corrode over time. When this happens water can easily seep through and cause a leak. Mop up and let the area dry and then replace the drain pan with a new one. If that was the issue, the problem should now be solved. It is also possible that over time the drain pan has just filled up and is now at the brim of what it can handle. Simply shop vac out the pan or dump the water out and you may just be good to go!
Possibility #4 – Clogged air filter (leading to frozen evaporator coils)
It is recommended that air filters should be changed every month to three months tops. It isn’t uncommon for people to forget about them and go months or even a full year without swapping the filter out. This leads to a dirt-caked filter. When there is too much debris on the filtration area no air can get through. This will cause your evaporator coil to get too cold and eventually freeze. It then melts and drips into the drip pan. When the drip pan fills up? You guessed it! Overflow.
Possibility #5 – Lack of Refrigerant
If your unit is operating on a low level of refrigerant you may notice that your AC isn’t cooling your home down very well and you may also hear an audible bubbling noise (which indicates a leak). This will also cause the evaporator coil to freeze over, melt, and flood.
Depending on how big of a leak there is you may be given the choice to repair the crack itself or you may, unfortunately, need to replace the entire unit.
So while you may wonder, Why is my AC leaking water? There really are only a few possibilities all of which can be easily remedied by our professionally trained HVAC technicians at All Day Air Cooling and Heating conveniently located in the Southwest Florida area. We want to be your go-to company for all of your heating and cooling needs.
Our HVAC techs are on call 24/7 so we are here any time you need us. Just dial (239) 357-0727or you may visit us on the web to learn more by going to www.alldayaircooling.com.
