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How to Fix A Leaking Air Conditioner

flooding

This is a common problem during Florida summers so we put together a quick guide to hopefully help you get your AC back to running smoothly. In this Florida heat, when your air conditioner isn’t working properly, it’s an emergency! Your comfort is our number one priority. If you decide it’s time to contact professionals, please contact us! We can get your air conditioner running smoothly again 7 days a week – even on holidays.

Table of Contents

  1. If Your Leaking Air Conditioner is Leaking Inside
  2. Clean Up the Water
  3. Check the Air Handler
  4. Determine If You Need to Replace the Pan
  5. Check for Frost or Ice
  6. How to Avoid Air Conditioner Problems
  7. Time to Call in the Professionals?

 

1. If Your Leaking Air Conditioner is Leaking Inside

First turn off the AC system to stop the water flow and protect your system and home from further damage!

 

2. Clean Up the Water

Clean up the water that leaked to prevent damage to your home. You may need to use a shop vac if you have a lot of standing water.

 

3. Check the Air Handler

You want to take a look at your air handler next which is the AC unit that’s inside the house (most likely in the attic, garage or a closet). The most common cause of an air conditioner leaking water inside the house is a clogged condensate drain line. When your system is working as it should, the condensate collects on the evaporator coil and flows down through the drain line.
 
If the drain line gets clogged the backup can cause leaks or a rupture of the line. Use a shop vac to suck out the drain line. Leave it on the line for a bit. You will eventually see sludge, dirt and/or algae in the water inside the shop vac. If it’s too clogged you will need to contact us. We use a special vacuum to suck out the blockage.

 

4. Determine If You Need to Replace the Pan

If you have an old air conditioner (12-15 years) the drain pan may be damaged or rusted through. If that’s the case water just falls right through. You will need to replace the pan but you may also need to consider that it’s time to replace the whole unit. Twelve to fifteen years is the lifespan of an air conditioner in Florida. Home-Tech not only repairs air conditioners, we also replace them. If you are ready for a FREE evaluation for a new air conditioner, contact us today.

 

5. Check for Frost or Ice

Check to see if there is a layer of frost or ice on the evaporator coils. If yes, it’s definitely important to shut down the system immediately if you haven’t already. If your unit runs too long in this condition you can end up damaging the compressor and possibly having to replace the entire unit.
dirty ac filter

There are 3 common reasons for frozen coils:
• Clogged air filter causing reduced airflow over the coils.
• A refrigerant leak.
• Damaged blower fan.

If you think your air filter was causing the problem, leave the AC turned off long enough to melt all of the ice. Replace the clogged and dirty air filter with a new one and turn our AC back on. If you see ice build up again, turn off your AC and contact us. We will check to see if you have a refrigerant leak. If you do not hear the fan running while the unit is on, you probably have a damaged blower fan and need to contact us.

If you haven’t been doing your yearly AC maintenance, your AC coils are probably getting covered with a lot of dust and grime. When that happens, the condensate cannot run down the coils into the drain line. It gets diverted by the debris and drips off the coil rather than running into the condensate line. So if you are seeing small drips rather than a large amount of water, this is potentially the cause. In this case you need a good coil cleaning. If you know what you are doing it’s not that difficult but if not, we recommend leaving this job to the pros. You can damage sensitive coil fins if you use the wrong cleaning products or technique.

How to Avoid Air Conditioner Problems

Maintaining your air conditioning system is very important. We recommend you change your filter at least once a month and schedule regular maintenance. Whether it’s a leaking air conditioner or something else, Home-Tech offers the most professional Clean and Check in SW Florida. And, if you are a GOLD or Silver Service Agreement Member, an annual Clean and Check is part of your coverage.

Time to Call in the Professionals?

If you still have a leaking air conditioner, contact us! Your comfort is our number one priority. We can get your air conditioner up and running again 7 days a week – even on holidays.

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