Why is my air conditioner leaking water?

Why is your air conditioner leaking water, and what are you supposed to do? Water leaking from your AC unit can cause a lot of damage, so it’s important you address the issue and fix it as soon as possible.

When your air conditioner cools warm air, condensation builds on the evaporator coils and drips into a drip pan. This drip pan leads to a condensate drain line that drains the water outside of your home, so you should not have any water leaking inside.

As with any home appliance, sometimes something goes wrong. For air conditioners, it is not uncommon for water to be leaking from the unit. Below are 3 common culprits that cause your air conditioner to leak water inside the home and what you should do to resolve the problem.

Your filter is dirty

If your air filter is very dirty, your air conditioner will have trouble pulling air through the filter and into the unit which means less air is moving over the evaporator coils. As a result, the coils become too cold and freeze. As these frozen coils defrost, the ice melts and an unusually large amount of water drips into the pan causing it to overflow and leak into your home. Make sure to replace your filter as often as the AC unit’s manufacturer recommends.

Your unit is low on refrigerant

When your air conditioner turns on, the refrigerant starts running through the evaporator coils making them very cold. If the refrigerant is low, there is less heat being absorbed and the coils get too cold and freeze. The refrigerant runs through a closed system, so if your refrigerant is low, this means there is a leak.

This is not something you can repair yourself. You should turn off the AC unit and call for a repair immediately. If you see that the coils are frozen, keep an eye out for leaking water while it defrosts.

Your condensate drain line is clogged

As your air conditioner creates condensation during the cooling process, it drains through the condensate drain line. If this drain line gets clogged, the water has nowhere to go and will leak from the unit inside your home. A clogged drain line can be caused by a dirty filter, debris in the drain line or lack of maintenance to the unit.

You can unclog the drain line yourself by turning off the unit and using a thin wire brush to break up the clog. You can also use your wet/dry vacuum to suck out any debris or flush the drain line with distilled vinegar. If you can’t get the drain line unclogged yourself, always call an HVAC professional!

Denver Air Conditioner leaking water?

Is your Denver air conditioner leaking water? Grand Home Services has seen this problem before and is here to help you solve the problem. We are located in Aurora and provide air conditioner cleaning, repair and replacement services throughout the Denver Metro Area. Call us at 720-365-1187 or contact us online to schedule an AC repair in the Denver Metro Area today!