If your washing machine left a puddle on the floor, or your water heater sprang a leak, you probably would not be confused by the development. Annoyed, yes. Aggravated, sure. It makes sense that these systems might develop such a leak at some point, though, because these systems use and contain water. Your air conditioning system does not, though, so the development of a water leak is something that catches many homeowners off guard.
While your air conditioner does not use water in its operation, and this water may not be the result of a “leak” in the way that you may be thinking of one, it is still entirely possible for your AC to be the source of the water on the floor surrounding it. Today we’ll look at a few potential problems that could be behind this perplexing symptom. Read on, and remember that we are here to assist you with any necessary AC services in Hanford, CA.
It May Not Be Anything too Serious
Any problem that is causing water to collect around your air conditioning system is a problem that should definitely be resolved as soon as possible. You don’t want your home to suffer water damage or for damp conditions to promote the growth of biological pollutants, after all. However, not every problem causing this system is necessarily going to do serious damage to your AC, or even require professional intervention.
One potential cause of the “leak” is a simple dirty air filter. As your AC evaporates refrigerant in order to draw heat out of the air passing over the evaporator coil, it also draws some moisture out of that air. That moisture collects on the evaporator coil as condensation. If the filter restricts airflow too much, the coil will get too cold, causing the condensation to freeze. When it all melts off, it can overwhelm the system’s drainage setup, running out onto the floor.
Of course, you could also have a problem with your drain pan and/or drain line. If the drain line is clogged with debris or algal growth, or even if the drain pan is simply misaligned, then water may back up and spill out. Keeping the drain line clean and keeping the pan in place can help you to avoid the problem.
But It Could Be
Okay, so those are your best case scenarios. There is one very serious problem that could have the same initial symptoms of a very dirty air filter in this case, though, and that is a refrigerant leak. If the refrigerant in your air conditioner is low, that too could cause condensation to freeze on the coil. The system simply won’t be removing a sufficient amount of heat due to the decreased level of refrigerant.
If this is the case, you really need to have the problem resolved as soon as possible. Low refrigerant means that there is a leak, and it will only result in less and less refrigerant. Running an air conditioner in such condition could result in potentially irreparable damage to the system.
Schedule your air conditioning services with Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We strive to provide honest answers and solutions to the problems our customers experience while remaining highly competitive in price, and offer the fastest turnaround you can find!