We’ve written before about refrigerant leaks in an air conditioner. They’re one of the worst problems you can run into with an AC system since they not only put your household cooling in jeopardy, they can end up destroying the air conditioner’s compressor forcing the whole unit to be replaced.
Refrigerant leaks aren’t the only kind of leaks in an air conditioner. An AC can also leak water. This endangers your cooling, your AC system, and even your house. When you notice any water dripping from the air conditioner, call us for AC repair new Port Richey, FL—we have 24/7 emergency service available.
Why Would Water Drip From the Air Conditioner?
If you’re thinking that an air conditioner doesn’t use water to deliver cool air to the house, you are 100% correct. There is a different type of cooling system called the evaporative cooler that uses water, but they’re almost never installed in Florida. The standard air conditioner uses refrigerant to cool down the air. However, in the process of evaporating refrigerant in the indoor coil, water moisture condenses on the coil. That’s why you sometimes hear water dripping inside the AC.
So water is a byproduct of AC cooling. That water has to go somewhere, and an air conditioner is designed to safely transport this water out of the unit and out of the house. The water from the coils drips into a shallow condensate pan placed right beneath the coils, and then pumps moves the water through a condensate drain and into either the wastewater system or a PVC pipe outside.
If this condensate drainage system works as it’s supposed to, you’ll never see any water leaking from the AC. Of course, not everything works as it’s supposed to 100% of the time…
- Cracked condensate pan: The condensate pan is made from plastic, and after years of use it can crack. (If the AC shares the space with the furnace, furnace heat beneath the pan can speed this up.) The pan will need to be replaced if it cracks and water drips out.
- Clogged drain: Algael growths can start inside the drain because of the moisture, and if this blocks the drain, the water in the 1” pan will rapidly overflow and start to spill out. The AC will shut off when this happens because of a limit switch, so if you see water dripping from the unit and the AC won’t turn on—call for technicians to help right away.
- Loose drain: The drain can pull loose from the condensate pan, often because of corrosion. That will allow water to fall straight through the pan and out of the unit.
- Broken pump: Should the motor in the condensate pump break, it will slow down the drainage and soon lead to overflow.
Dripping water is a serious problem! It can damage the AC, it can cause water damage in your house, and it will encourage the growth of mold and mildew, both inside the air conditioner and outside it. Call our experts to help solve the problem of your AC That Dripped Water!
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