Why Air Conditioners Leak Water
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Your air conditioner has one main function. It is designed to blow cool air into your house to keep you comfortable in the warm season. What happens if you find your AC leaking water while it blows? Does this mean it is broken? The answer is usually “Yes”.
How Air Conditioners Work
Your AC unit removes moisture from the air and forces the wet air through a series of cooling coils and channels. Some of the water is lifted up by fan blades and used to cool down coils that have become hot during the unit’s operation. Most of the water is is channeled to the rear of the unit where it exits the base and seeps into the ground outside.
If you find that your air conditioning unit is loosing water along the way, then you may have a serious problem.
Most Common Reasons Water Leakage Occurs with AC Units
1. Improperly Installed
2. Icing Up
3. Air Leakage
4. Drain Hole Blocked
5. Internal Drains Blocked
6. Outside Temperature Too Cold
If the unit is installed improperly it is most likely due to an imbalance. The front may be higher than the back and thus the water drips out instead of filters through.
If you see ice then you are dealing with an issue in the cooling system. If you find that air is leaking out around the base of the unit then you are looking at a crack or hole issue, which can easily be plugged with some foam insulation.
All blockages should be fixed by a professional because AC experts own the right kind of tools to do repairs. If you find leakage happening at night you are probably alright. That happens because the night air is cooler and you are seeing condensation. You just need to switch the unit to ‘fan only’.
Call A Professional Air Conditioning Repair Company
Most of these circumstances should be taken care of by a professional air conditioner repair expert. The best thing you can do is call a reputable company that can inspect the entire units operations, identify the problem, and give you a solution on repairs. If the dripping goes left unattended then a more serious issue may arise in the future.
