A puddle of moisture just about anywhere in your home can often mean your detective work is just about to begin. Where could it have come from? Is it bad? What is nearby that could have caused this little puddle? Should you clean it up and ignore it as just a spill, or will it come back?
If you suspect your air conditioner may be leaking water in your home, here are the ways you can diagnose it and how a trusted AC repair technician can help fix the issue.
Where You Would See an AC Condensate Leak
Excess condensation is one of the most common reasons you would see water near or around your air conditioner. As your AC cools down the hot Oklahoma air, the moisture in that air condenses and turns into small liquid droplets. As these droplets collect, your AC is designed to drain them through a condensate drain line.
If your drain pipe becomes clogged, or the drain pan is full, that condensation will leak out somewhere near your indoor coil/air handler unit, and continue to do so until your drain pipe or pan are cleaned and emptied. You may have a small condensate pump that could be malfunctioning, in which case you will see water around the pump.
A Frozen AC Unit
There are times, especially during heavy use (like on a hot day) when your air conditioner will actually overwork itself and freeze (usually due to a low refrigerant charge or a dirty indoor coil or blocked resulting in low airflow). As the condensation accumulates on your evaporator coils, and the coil temperatures drop, that moisture will cause your evaporator coils to freeze and prevent them from properly cooling the air you need, making it feel like your air conditioner is not working.
The fix for a frozen AC unit is to reset your air conditioning by turning it off entirely, and allow it to fully thaw before turning back on again. However, as the coils thaw you will see water draining from your condenser coils, which can make it appear that your AC is leaking. In the scenarios, change out the blocked filter or call Pippin Brothers to check your refrigerant charge, clean a dirty coil, correct a low airflow problem or replace a failed condensate pump.
Issues from Poor Installation
Going back to the drain pan, poor installation of the drain pan or related pipes will also cause a leak, which will tend to be slow and seeming unrelated each time it happens. A drain pan issue can lead to property damage or mold growth. There are now fail-safe triple-safety drainage solutions to minimize the risk of property damage. Calling an air conditioning technician to resolve your drain pan issues is the best way to prevent future leaks.
Other AC Issues to Look Out For
While you’re in the process of inspecting your AC unit, what else do you notice about it? Have you been wondering why your air conditioning ducts are sweating? Is your AC working, but not blowing cold air? Or is your air conditioner running, but not blowing air at all? If you are noticing any of these problems, you are no doubt spending more money than you need to on an air conditioner that isn’t keeping you as comfortable as it should.
This is when an AC tune up is well worth your investment — to get your air conditioner back in fighting shape, and to diagnose any failing parts and replace them before it becomes an issue (and before it costs you an arm and a leg)! If you are concerned about your AC leaking, or are just looking to get your home cooling system ready for the upcoming summer here in Lawton, Fort Sills, and Duncan, OK, call the home cooling experts at Pippin Brothers Home Services.