As soon as you notice AC water leakage in your attic, basement or closet, the first thing you’ll have to do is to stay calm and don’t panic. It’s one of the common problems that most homeowners face, and it can be fixed easily. However, you’ll have to act quickly and call a nearby heating and cooling technician ASAP. Because if you delay the AC water leakage repair, it can cause damages to your building’s structure and AC compressor, which will eventually lead to expensive repairs.
AC Water Leakage: Causes & How to Act
How to Act When You Have AC Water Leakage
As soon as you find out that your air conditioner unit is leaking water, check the evaporator coils of the AC unit. If the evaporator coils are covered with ice, you’ll have to turn off your cooling unit right away. Because ice on the evaporator coils can cause serious damages to your AC unit and lead to system failure.
After turning off the cooling unit, call a nearby heating and cooling service expert immediately. Most homeowners, when they notice ice on the evaporator coils, try to remove it with a sharp stick or object. But you should avoid doing this because it can damage the sensitive coil fins of the AC unit.
If your evaporator coils aren’t frozen, it’s still a good practice to turn off the unit completely. Wait for the HVAC technician to arrive and leave the repairing part to the expert.
4 Common Cause behind AC Water Leakage
1. Dirty AC Coils
If you haven’t done any air conditioner maintenance checkup in recent months and currently facing AC water leakage, chances are you have a dirty AC coil. However, consider yourself lucky if the dirty AC coil is the main culprit behind AC water leakage. Because to fix this water leakage problem, all you have to do is just clean the AC coils, and your AC problem will be fixed.
When you skip the regular AC duct maintenance checkups, dust and debris start to accumulate on the AC coils. These dust and debris block the pathway of the drain pan. As a result, the drain pan cannot collect water from the coil. When moisture cannot go to the drain pan, it gets trapped in the AC coils and starts dripping on the floor.
2. Damaged AC Coil Insulation
The main function of the AC coil insulation is to flow the moisture to the drain pan. But when there are holes or cracks in the insulation, moisture will start to leak the AC coils and cause AC water leakage problems.
As soon as you find the problem, you’ll have to replace or repair the AC coils. If the insulation of the AC coils is severely damaged, you’ll have to replace the whole AC coil.
3. Clogged Drain Pan and Line
When condensation or moisture travels through the drain line, it carries dust and debris with it. Over time, the drain line gets clogged with dust and debris, and when it happens, moisture or condensation cannot travel to the drain pan. As a result, water starts dripping from the AC coils.
Again, this same thing can happen with the drain pan and cause AC water leakage. To fix this problem, you’ll have to do regular HVAC maintenance checkups and cleaning services. When you do a regular air conditioner maintenance checkup, an HVAC professional will clean all the parts of your cooling unit, including AC coils, evaporator coils, drain pans, and drain line.
When there are dust and debris inside the air conditioner parts, it not only causes water leakage but also decreases the overall efficiency of the unit. Due to excessive dust and debris, the air conditioner cannot get enough air supply. As a result, the cooling unit will have to work harder and run longer, which eventually decreases the unit’s overall efficiency.
4. Disconnected Drain Line
If the drain line of the air conditioner unit gets disconnected, water can start leaking from the AC. Generally, this problem happens due to a poor air conditioner installation process. However, this problem can be fixed easily just by connecting the drain line to the air conditioner drain pan.
See the summary of this article here – 4 Reasons Behind AC Water Leakage [Infographic]
