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I saw my central air conditioner leaking water – Should I care?

by | Jan 29, 2018 | Air Conditioning

I saw my central air conditioner leaking water – Should I care?

Your central air conditioner is probably one of the most essential appliances in your home, especially if you live in an unusually hot region of the Sunshine State. Most Californians can’t make it through a summer without a functional and well-maintained central air conditioner—not without losing their minds, anyway. However, any central air conditioner is a complex apparatus with diverse needs that you must meet if you want your AC to keep providing you with cool comfort. One of the most common problems we hear about is that a central air conditioner is leaking water, and the owner doesn’t know what to do.

central air conditioner leaking waterThe question most owners have when they see that their central air conditioner is leaking water is: “Should I care?” after all, a puddle or two of water is pretty harmless—at least, that’s a common assumption. Not every water leak should cause you to panic, but a central air conditioner that is leaking water can be cause for concern. In the following guide, we’ll tell you why air conditioners commonly spring leaks, what that could mean for you as an owner, and how you can take steps to prevent or solve this problem in the future.

First Things First: Why is My Central Air Conditioner Leaking Water?

There are several possible causes of the water leaking from your central air conditioning unit, so it’s important to know exactly what the root of the problem is before you proceed. Here are three common causes of water leakage from central AC units:

1) No air is making its way to the evaporator coil. Circulation issues in the system can make it impossible for sufficient air to reach the coil in the evaporator. Without warm air passing over the evaporator coil, it will soon freeze. However, the ice forming on the outside of the coil will eventually melt. When it does, it will travel down a path into your drain pan and eventually cause it to overflow, spilling out onto the floor near your indoor unit.

2) Your condensate drain pan is broken. The pan under your condensate drain is meant to collect water that naturally forms as the result of condensation while your air conditioner is running. However, if there is a hole or crack in the bottom of your drain pan, this water will leak onto the floor around your system.

3) A blockage in your condensate drain line. Even if your pan is in excellent condition, a blockage in your drain line itself can cause water to back up and collect in the pan, eventually spilling over the sides.

What Are the Consequences of Leaking Water?

The water leaking from your air conditioner may not constitute much of a hazard in and of itself unless it can reach electrical equipment or cause a viable slipping hazard. However, the problems that cause water to leak in the first place can have other consequences besides a few puddles. Here are a few:

1) If the evaporator coil is frozen, the compressor will be working harder to compensate. Left unchecked, this problem can cause your compressor to fail. Since new compressors typically cost up to $1800, you should always treat a frozen evaporator coil as a cause for concern.

2) A frozen coil itself will likely require replacement, primarily if you do not address it immediately. Evaporator coils start at $650, and high-quality components can cost as much as $1200.

3) Not all the water that leaks out of a broken or backed up condensate drain may be visible. In fact, some of it is likely to collect in tight places not easily noticed by the naked eye. If this occurs, there is a significant risk of mold growing in your home near where the leak occurs.

What to Do About a Water Leak?

If you notice water leaking from your air conditioner, it is best to stop using the unit and call for professional service as soon as possible. A licensed HVAC technician will be able to identify the cause of the leak and address it so that it doesn’t cause further damage to your system.
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How to Prevent Future Water Leaks?

There are several things you can do to minimize the risk of water leaking from your AC in the future. One of the easiest is to replace the filters once a month to ensure that air can keep circulating correctly throughout the system. Fresh filters help prevent blockages from occuring in your ductwork, which will ensure that air can always reach the evaporator coil. It is also worth having the ducts cleaned every 2-5 years by your service technician, to eliminate the possibility of blockages occurring through other means.

Finally, check the drain pan and drain lines every so often to ensure that they are functioning correctly. Doing so will keep you from being surprised by a nasty leak when you least expect it.

When your central air conditioner is leaking water, find out why. Use the knowledge in this guide to identify the causes of your leak, contact professionals who can help you solve it, and ensure that it never happens again.

Check with us here at Valley Comfort Heating and Air, our customers love our attention to detail and our friendly, affordable service. (707) 539-4533

 

Why is my Air Conditioner Leaking Water?

by | Oct 26, 2017 | Air Conditioning, HVAC

Why is my Air Conditioner Leaking Water?

If you own an air conditioner, you probably spend periods of warm weather in a state of bliss. However, that state can occasionally be interrupted by periods of worry. Most of this anxiety is the cause of owners feeling as though they do not know enough about their air conditioners or how they operate. The less you know about your air conditioner, the more confused you can find yourself if something out of the ordinary occurs. For example, many air conditioner owners are puzzled when they notice water near their indoor units. Could the air conditioner be leaking water, and if so, then why?

As luck would have it, we can offer some guidance on the subject. We serve air conditioner owners throughout Santa Rosa and the surrounding regions, so we have become quite familiar with the causes of leaking water. Below are some of the most likely explanations for why water is forming near your air conditioner, and some ideas for what can be done to solve the problem if it does turn out to be a leak.

Is the Air Conditioner Leaking Water, or Is It Just a Puddle? Learn the Difference

One of the first things you should know is that water near your indoor unit does not necessarily indicate a leaking air conditioner. In fact, several factors may cause water to pool near your unit, and a leaky air conditioner is only one of them. Learning to tell the difference between an air conditioner that is leaking water and one that is producing moisture for a perfectly normal reason can save you the costs of an unnecessary service call. Of course, you should still have your home visited by a service technician at least once a year to clean your ducts, diagnose issues, and prevent emergencies.

Small Amounts of Water are Normal in Certain Places

If you only notice a small amount of water in the area near your condensate drain pipe, do not be alarmed. On unusually hot or humid days, your air conditioner must work hard to cool your space. In such cases, condensation is produced, and some of it may drip on the floor. However, substantial amounts of water should be treated as a cause for concern and dealt with as soon as possible.

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Three Common Types of Leaks

There are three common reasons why an air conditioner might be leaking water. Copious amounts of water forming near your indoor unit may be attributed to any of the following:

A) A blocked condensate drain line.

In many cases, leaks are merely the result of a blockage that prevents water from moving through your condensate drain line and out of the unit efficiently. If this occurs, water will back up in your drain pan and eventually overflow. Whether you need professional help to deal with a blocked drain line or not, will depend on where exactly the blockage occurs. You can often remove an obstruction near the opening of the drain line yourself, but blockages further in require special vacuums and other equipment more common to HVAC technicians.

B) A cracked condensate drain pan.

Cracks in your condensate drain pan prevent it from being able to hold the water that naturally develops as your air conditioner is running, and which is usually taken away through the condensate drain line. Even if your drain line has no blockages, a cracked pan can cause leaking. Instead of overflowing, it allows water to spill through the crack and onto the floor. If you have checked your line already, try replacing your drain pan and see if the problem stops.

C) Dirty air filters cutting off circulation to the evaporator coil.

One of the other common causes of air conditioner leakage is also one of the easiest to fix—provided you deal with it quickly. Dirty filters are easy enough to change without help, but many people neglect them until they cause more significant expensive problems. For example, a dirty filter can prevent air from reaching your evaporator coil until it reaches the point where the coil freezes. Once that happens, the melting ice can cause excess water to enter your drain pan and make it overflow. If you neglect to change the filters quickly, your evaporator coil may break down entirely and need replacement.

If the leak persists after you have checked your drain line for clogs, replaced your pan, and changed your filters, you will require a professional to diagnose and solve the problem. Contact a licensed pro who can solve the problem efficiently. Just make sure that you try all these strategies first so that you don’t end up paying for a service call you don’t need. Your air conditioner may be leaking water for many reasons, but not all of them are cause for alarm. Take a careful and methodical approach, so that you can be confident that you are calling your technician for a good reason.  For more information on our AC Service plan, please call us on 707-800-6287