4 Reasons Your Home Air Conditioner is Leaking Water Inside

It can be concerning when you find water in those areas of your Bay Area house where it doesn’t belong. You may be worried where the leak is coming from and how to go about fixing it. The concern should be greater when the leak is coming from the air conditioner. You need to act fast if you want to prevent expensive air conditioner repair bills and water damage.

1. AC Dripping Water and Drain Line Problems

The most common cause of an air conditioner leaking water is issues with the condensate drain line. The air conditioner cools the inside of your house by removing water vapor from the air. When your air conditioner is working as it should, the system should collect condensate on evaporator coil and allow it to flow down the drain line.

A clogged drain line is usually the first suspect when it comes to water leaks. Backup of water can cause rupture of the line or leaks. There may be a problem with the installation which may cause water to leak. You should have properly trained professionals look at the drain line to avoid any future water leaks.

2. Pump and Pan Issues

Sometimes, the air handler or the inside air conditioning unit is located in the basement. In this case, the drain line will connect to a drain pan to pump out condensate using a condensate pump. Older drain pans may develop cracks and holes because of rust. Condensate pump may also break down, which can result in the pan overflowing. You should replace the rusted pan or call the pros to replace the pump.

3. AC Water Leaks and Frozen Coils

Are you seeing a layer of ice or frost on the evaporator coils? This can be a major cause for concern since your compressor may get damaged. The compressor is an expensive component to fix. You may need to replace the entire unit if the compressor gets fried which is expensive if the cost for everything else was not rising.

You can avoid a potential compressor failure by being proactive about water leaking inside the house. You should turn off the system immediately if this happens. There is a wide variety of reasons for frozen coils. These are the two most common ones:

• Refrigerant leaks
• Reduced airflow over the evaporator and condenser coil because of clogged air filter

4. Water Drip Because of Dirty and Damaged Coils

Your AC coils may be covered in a lot of grime and dust if you haven’t been maintaining your AC regularly. Insulation on the outside of the coil may be damaged or cracked as well. Condensate may not run down the coil into the drain line in both these cases. The condensate may get diverted by the accumulated debris and holes in the insulation. It may drip off the coil instead of running in the condensate line.

You should look for telltale drips if you are seeing small puddles and drips rather than large amounts of water. This can be fixed by replacing the insulation or getting a good coil cleaning. It is not too difficult to clean coils if you know how to do it. However, it is recommended that you leave the job to the professionals. The wrong cleaning technique or products may damage the sensitive coil fins.