During the summer months one of the most frequent calls we get is:
“There’s water leaking from my AC.”
This common issue has a variety of causes. Most of them can be resolved without too much fuss, but more importantly, they can be prevented with regularly-scheduled maintenance.
The following are four reasons that your AC could be leaking.
4 Reasons Your AC Could Be Leaking Water
Your AC will naturally pull water vapor from the air as it condenses on the evaporator coil, which is the part of your AC unit that makes the air cold. From there the water will drip off and fall onto the aptly-named drip pan and then through a PVC drain pipe to the outside somewhere. Naturally, during the start of the summer as temperatures and humidity rise, you will start to use your AC more, which will pull more water from the humid air and exacerbate any existing issues with leakage.
1. Clogged Drain Lines And Drip Pans
The first and most common reason why your AC unit will leak water is a clogged drain line. Dust, dirt, mold, insects, insulation, or anything else that can make its way into the line can lead to it being clogged. The pan can only hold so much water and then it will overflow. When you have regularly scheduled preventative maintenance performed, the technicians will generally blow the drain line out to prevent that. They will also add special acid tablets to the drain pan that will help stop any clogs from forming in the line. The pan itself must also be installed on a slope towards the drain plug so that the water will flow that way. If it’s not, then water can easily overflow. It is possible that the pan could have rusted through as well, which clearly would cause leaks.
2. Installation Issues
The line itself can also be the cause of the issue if the PVC wasn’t cemented together when it was installed. Another improper ac installation cause is not having a p-trap or air vent installed on the drain line, which will allow the water to drain in the negative pressure created when the unit is running. If those weren’t installed the water will be pulled back into the pan until it overflows. (Caveat being that not all systems need to have a p-trap or air vent installed on the line.)
3. Ice Formation
Another reason why your AC unit will leak is from the formation and melting of ice on the components, which can happen for several reasons. The first is a low charge pressure. When the pressure is low the temperature inside the evaporator coil can actually drop in temperature and cause the humidity pulled from the air to freeze on the coil and then drip off later onto the walls or ceiling.
4. Low Air Flow
The fourth reason is the low air flow. Not having enough air flowing over the evaporator coil can cause ice to form, like the above reason. This can be problematic for an AC unit because forming ice insulates the coil from the air blowing over it, causing it to stay cold, and causes more ice to form – creating a cycle. Things like dirty filters are the most common cause of this (so change your filters regularly), less common issues are fan related.
Have A Leak Or Need Preventative Maintenance? Call The Air Conditioning Experts Today!
The good news about a residential and commercial air conditioning leaking water is that most of the time it can be fixed without too much fuss. However, you can avoid an emergency call simply by having regularly scheduled maintenance performed. Now that monsoon season is here and the humidity has increased, air conditioning leakage is more common. So before the next big storm hits the valley, and you need AC repair, give us a call now or click on the button below to learn more about our maintenance services, which could prevent this issue from happening. One of our expert air conditioning technicians will effectively and quickly service your unit.
