Don’t Ignore a Leaking AC System

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 cause significant damage to floors, walls and other home fixtures and possessions that get wet.

Some homeowners (especially those who grew up in homes with older AC systems) think this is normal, and just something that happens with an air conditioning system. It’s not! With modern AC units, any kind of water (or other liquid) leaking out of or collecting around the unit requires action. So, what should you do if you discover a pool of water near the inside (evaporator) unit of your AC or heat pump? First, 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. Next, give your trusted, local HVAC company a call to come and check things out.

Call in an HVAC 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 air conditioner. But even if you’re going to leave the AC repair to the pros, it can be helpful to understand why your AC or heat pump is leaking, and what you might be able to do in the future to prevent it from happening again.

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 unit and drains it out of the house.

If something goes awry at any step in this process, your air conditioner may start leaking water. There 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 not being able to drain properly, causing it to back up into the condensate pan, eventually overflowing that and leaking into your home. If you get regular, seasonal maintenance on your air conditioning system, the HVAC technician should routinely inspect the condensate drain setup and make sure the drain line is clear.
  • 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 cleared, 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 and should be done at least once per year.
  • A condensate drain pan that has cracked, degraded, or 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 factors 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 (and luckily, they’re also simple to handle). But even better than having a problem that’s easy to deal with is to take action that prevents it from happening in the first place: avoid a leaking AC by scheduling annual preventative maintenance on your system from a reliable and trusted local HVAC company, like Jansen Heating & Cooling here in Cincinnati. We’ve got the decades of experience to set your mind at ease about the condition of your heating and cooling systems. We handle regular maintenance all the time, and we can help you avoid ever having to worry about a leaking AC unit.