Don’t Ignore an AC System That’s Leaking Water

One common issue with residential cooling systems occurs when water leaks from the AC or heat pump. This not only can damage the equipment; it can damage floors, walls and other home fixtures and possessions that get wet.

So what should you do if you discover a pool of water near the inside (evaporator) unit of your AC or heat pump? First of all, turn off the equipment, preferably at the electrical breaker box. (Make sure you’re not inadvertently just shutting down the outside unit.) Cutting off the electricity to the equipment will reduce the chance that the moisture will damage electronic components in the system, plus will eliminate the chance of an electrical shock to you or a family member.

Call in a Professional

Unless you are experienced at working on cooling systems, at this point it’s best to call in a professional HVAC technician to diagnose and repair the leaking problem. However, in order to possibly prevent this problem from happening again, it’s helpful to understand why your AC or heat pump is leaking water.

Why Is There a Pool of Water Next to Your AC?

In a typical split-system cooling system, a blower fan draws warm, humid air into the inside unit, where it passes over the evaporator coil. As the coolant or refrigerant inside the coil absorbs heat energy from the air, tiny droplets of water pulled from the air remain on the coil briefly before draining into a condensate pan underneath the AC. A condensate drain line removes the moisture from the home.

If something goes awry at any step in this process, your air conditioner may start leaking water. Here are some typical issues that could be causing this problem.

• If the drain line gets blocked by dirt, dust, algae or other materials, this will result in the water backing up in the home. If you get regular seasonal maintenance on your central air conditioning system, the HVAC technician should routinely inspect the condensate drain set-up.

• If the evaporator coil is dirty, this may result in dirt particles accompanying the drops of water as they drip into the condensate pan and flow through the drain. This will lead to clogging of the drain, and means that even if the drain is unclogged, the problem likely will present itself again until the evaporator coil has been cleaned. Cleaning a dirty evaporator coil should be part of routine professional maintenance.

• A condensate drain pan that has rusted through will result in leakage. It will need to be replaced.

• A leaky AC may also be the result of problems within the equipment itself or poor installation.

While still other reasons may explain why your central AC or heat pump is leaking water, such as a frozen evaporator coil, the aforementioned issues are among the most common. The best way to avoid a leaking AC is to schedule annual preventative maintenance on your system from a reliable and trusted local HVAC outfit.