My AC Unit Is Leaking
There’s not much worse than the sight of your AC unit leaking outside underneath your system’s condenser unit. A leaking air conditioner unit means that there’s a serious issue going on. Learning how to deal with that issue or what to do if it happens to you is critical. The first thing to note is that sometimes a leaking air conditioning unit doesn’t mean anything at all. It could merely be a part of your AC system’s normal functioning. Other times, however, a leaking air conditioning unit could signal a severe problem. Read on as USA Air Conditioning Services, your local South Florida AC specialist, takes a closer look at this common concern.
When Is Leaking Water a Normal Thing?
As mentioned, there are times when a leaking air conditioner unit is entirely normal. Several things will determine how much condensation you should see from your air conditioner at any given time.
The weather has a significant impact on how much your air conditioner should be leaking. If you live in a sweltering and humid area, it’s more likely that your unit will drip with condensation during the day. It may even pool onto the ground, which is totally normal. It usually isn’t a cause for concern. This type of water often evaporates as the day goes on.
If you find a small puddle of water directly underneath your air conditioning unit’s condenser, that’s completely normal as well. This means that your condenser is working hard and doing what it needs to do.
How Much Water Signifies That There’s a Bigger Issue Going On?
Sometimes water under an air conditioning unit is just that. But other times it may mean there’s a severe problem going on. At first, you may assume that the water that you see underneath your air conditioning unit is normal. Remember, that water will evaporate after a day if it’s due to normal functioning and weather conditions. If water remains no matter how the temperature changes or however much time has passed, you may have a serious leakage issue going on.
Why Is My Air Conditioner Leaking?
Several situations could cause your air conditioner to leak, including the following:
Your condensation pan is broken
The condensation pan is the part of your AC that collects the condensation and moisture that drips from the unit. Over time, this pan can become damaged, cracked or ruptured. This could then cause your air conditioner unit to leak.
Your unit may have been installed incorrectly
Sometimes a leaky air conditioning unit can all boil down to the unit not having been installed correctly. You could be dealing with a drainage can that wasn’t installed properly. Either way, you can end up with a leak. You have to install the cooling unit so that the front end of the unit is a little higher than the back end of the unit. You should look to get about an inch difference between the two ends. If the difference is less than an inch, leakage can happen.
You may have a dirty air filter
Sometimes the reason behind a leaking air conditioner is as simple as a dirty air filter. Dirty air filters are usually just a little blocked or completely blocked off. When this happens, your AC’s evaporator coils will freeze up. Once they freeze, the excess water is going to drip over from the drain pan, causing a leak.
There could be something blocking the drainpipe
Water has to wind its way through a web of drainpipes to get to the drain. When those pipes are blocked, the water will have nowhere to go and leak out of the unit. Your AC drainpipe dripping water is a significant cause of leakage.
Extreme weather conditions could cause leaks
If the weather is too cold outside, your air conditioning unit May weaken. The problem comes in when you’re trying to run a unit when the weather outside is freezing. When that happens, the coils freeze up which then causes the unit to leak.
