Water Leakage From Your HVAC Inside Your Home? Here are the Possible Causes

Leakages, anywhere in the house are a cause for concern. These are not just cumbersome to clean up and repair but are also expensive. And if the leakage is caused due to a malfunctioning HVAC system, Bay Area homeowners will face more problems, as the HVAC system will also have to be inspected and repaired.

Water leakage in the house can spoil your walls, flooring, or furniture and the moisture collecting in the house may be bad for the health of residents as well. So, it’s vital to take care of any leakages as soon as possible.

Here are some of the possible causes of water leaking from your HVAC system. This can help you understand the problem and get the right person to resolve the issue.

1. Issues in the drain line

Air conditioners are designed to remove moisture from indoor air. This water vapor condenses (it is also known as the condensate), collects on the evaporator coil and then runs into the drain line.

As you can see, any issue in the drain line can cause water leakage. If the drain pipe is clogged or filled with dirt, for example, the condensate may remain in the pipe, get pushed back into the system or even cause a rupture in the pipeline. This can cause a major water leak.

Another possibility is that during installation, the drain lines were not fit properly and eventually become loose due to the system vibrations, resulting in water leakage inside your house.

2. Frozen evaporator coils

There are a couple of reasons why the evaporator coils in your system may have ice collecting on them. It is usually because of clogged air filters, which hamper air flow over the coil or due to a refrigerant leak. In either case, water will collect on the coil and freeze. This water melts when the system is not running and ends up leaking into your house.

Frozen evaporator coils or water leaking inside the house is actually a way of recognizing that the system has a problem. If you notice this quickly, you will be able to shut down the system and get the issue repaired soon. If the system keeps running with a malfunctioning coil, the pressure could cause the compressor to fail. That would be a very expensive replacement.

3. Damaged coils

Lack of proper cleaning and regular maintenance can cause parts of the HVAC system to get dirty, rusty, or have leaks due to extensive wear and tear. Unclean components that have dirt and grime collecting on them cause a number of serious issues that hamper cooling. For example, insulation on the interior or exterior of coils can crack. The condensate will then not be able to run into the drain line as it is supposed to and end up leaking into the house.

4. Condensate pump not functioning

The condensate that gets collected in the drain pan is pumped out by the condensate pump. If this pump is malfunctioning, the drain pan may overflow.