Why Do I Have Water Leaking from My Air Handler?

Water leaking from your indoor air conditioner is never a good sign. It usually means something isn’t operating properly. On a properly functioning unit, all water should be draining outdoors. A/C units come with built-in condensate lines and pans to catch any water that may leak in your home. If you’re experiencing any water leaking inside from your A/C unit, here are some possible solutions.

Clogged Condensate Line

Most often when water leaks indoors it’s due to a faulty condensate line. A condensate line is piping that runs from your indoor air conditioner to outside your home. Its purpose is to expel and leaking water and ensure it makes its way outdoors. Attach a hose from a wet vacuum to the condensate line to see if the line is blocked. If there is a block it should release itself with the force of the vacuum. If this doesn’t work, calling in a professional from Charlie’s Tropic Heating and Air Conditioning to evaluate the situation may be the right choice.

Damaged Condensate Pan

A condensate pan is an attachment on your indoor air conditioner. The purpose of the condensate pan is to collect any indoor leaking water and prevent it from damaging your home. Often, a condensate pan can rust. When the pan rusts, it tends to leave holes letting water escape into your home. Most condensate pans aren’t easily accessible to the homeowner. A professional can get a good look at your condensate pan and determine if that’s the root of the issue. If so, simply replacing the pan usually does the trick.

Dirty Air Filter

Something as simple as a dirty air filter could be causing the problem. Changing your air filter regularly is always recommended. If it’s not changed regularly the filter will clog and not allow air to pass through freely. This will prevent air from flowing over the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil will then freeze. When it melts, water will drip from it and cause a water leak overflowing the condensate pan. Change the air filter to a new one to see if that was the problem.

Low Refrigerant

Low refrigerant levels can cause many different problems with your air conditioner. One of those problems is leaking water. If you’re low on refrigerant, the pressure in your A/C unit will lower. This can cause the evaporator coil to freeze. When it then unfreezes, water can drip and overflow the condensate pan. A professional can check the refrigerant levels and get your A/C unit back to perfect order.

Damaged Coil

If you have a damaged or dirty coil, water may not be draining properly from inside the system. Leaking water should collect in the condensate pan. Damaged or dirty coils may be preventing water from traveling to the pan like it’s supposed to. The result of this is water leaking out from places it shouldn’t.

If you’re experiencing water leaking from your indoor A/C system, please, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals at Charlie’s Tropic. It could be something simple that isn’t causing damage to the rest of your unit; or it might also be something more serious that could lead to bigger problems down the road.