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From A.B. May
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From A.B. May

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Reasons Your Central Air Conditioner Leaks Water

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Picture this: the temperature has reached 90 degrees. As you go to crank up the AC, you notice a pool of water forming around your inside unit. What should you do? Before you panic, educating yourself about some of the reasons your AC leaks water might give you a better understanding of what to do before you call in the professionals to tackle the issue.

AC Leaks Water: What Might Be Causing Them?

If your AC is leaking water, first look for these possible issues:

Drain Pipes

If any of the drain pipes funneling water through your AC rusts, erodes or is otherwise blocked, it could create a leak (or multiple ones). Drain lines can get clogged by dirt, insects, or even mold, and when that happens, the water has nowhere to go but back inside. Using a wet-dry vacuum can help suck out the debris and clear the obstruction.

Evaporator Coils

A dirty evaporator coil might also be the culprit in your clogged drain. If your evaporator coil is covered in ice, water can overflow from the drain pan onto the floor as it melts. What causes an evaporator coil to freeze? A dirty air filter or low refrigerant is to blame. Make sure to keep an eye on these to prevent potential leaking. To defrost the evaporator coil, turn off your air conditioner and then switch the blower from auto to on. The fan should melt the ice slowly, allowing the pan to handle all the water.

Installation

If the AC unit was installed incorrectly, it could cause a leak and should be re-installed first before being replaced. An A/C unit that was improperly installed can be related to your pesky water problem. A professional can determine if your condensate trap was accurately designed and perform a repair if not. Water that builds up in a drain pan overflows into your home and can cause severe water damage.

What You Can Do About AC Water Leaks

Your AC might also be leaking for minor issues you can fix yourself, like:

Dirty Air Filter

This could cause your evaporator coils to freeze because of the amount of energy your unit exerts to make it past the dirty filter. Change your filters out based on manufacturer guidelines.

Refrigerant

If it’s too low, the evaporator coils may freeze over, causing leakage from working too hard to keep your home cool. Your refrigerant should be checked annually as part of routine AC maintenance.

Condensation Pan

The erosion of this pan could indicate an older unit is leaking and where the leak is at. If you’ve never changed the condenser pan since you’ve had your AC unit, now’s the time to do it.

These three smaller issues could cause bigger issues down the line if they aren’t taken care of as soon as you notice them. They can lead to some of the bigger issues we outlined earlier in this post, costing you time, money, and frustration in repairing or replacing your AC unit.

When Should You Call a Professional About AC Water Leaks?

Anytime you notice something off with your air conditioning, you should visually inspect the unit inside and outdoors, then change the filter. If it’s still not working correctly or you see a water leak, it’s time to call Kansas City’s favorite HVAC company: A.B. May.

Our technicians will come out, troubleshoot the situation, and then give you the information you need to decide what to do next. We’ll ensure your AC water leaks are taken care of once and for all. Call us today.

Read More: Is Your AC Broken? Top 10 Reasons Why AC Isn’t Working

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