How AC Maintenance Prevents Costly Water Damage in Your Home

From Condensation to Clogs: What Causes AC Water Leaks and How AC Maintenance Can Help?

There are a lot of construction configurations for air conditioning cabinet placement. The three most prominent are a utility space outside of the home (say, a garage or basement), a utility closet indoors, and an attic space. Where the cabinet is located determines the seriousness of a water leak. It can mean the difference between a calm summer and drywall or flooring repair project. The location of your HVAC system will also determine how easy AC maintenance tasks will be to conduct.

A further question is, does a water leak from an air conditioning cabinet signal a major problem with the air conditioning system? Let’s look at where the water comes from, how it is created, what can go wrong to create the leak, and how routine AC maintenance can prevent leaks in the first place.

Where does the water come from?

The air conditioning process does not use water, so water is not leaking from a tank or chamber. South Texas summers are both hot and humid. While the air conditioner is cooling the home, it is also removing humidity from the air. All water coming from an air conditioner is the result of condensation. On an average day, a residential air condition can remove 10 to 20 gallons of water from the home; the water is collected and allowed to drain away. When water leaks from the air conditioner cabinet, it is generally the result of a problem with the drainage equipment.

Understanding the process to understand the problem.

Air conditioning uses a process called heat transfer.

  • An engineered compound, called a refrigerant, will get hot when compressed and cold when pressure is released. The pressure is released inside of a closed network of tubes called an evaporator coil. The coil is housed in a chamber inside the air conditioner cabinet.
  • A blower motor pulls hot, moist air from the home and blows it across the cold coils. The refrigerant collects heat from the home (cooling the air) and the moisture condenses on the evaporator coil.
  • A pan is installed under the evaporator coil to collect the water that has condensed on the coil. Some systems have a second drain pan as an added safety measure to prevent leaks.
  • The pan is connected to a drain line. The water may drain outdoors, to a floor drain, or it may be pumped from the drain pan to ensure the pan does not overflow.

Plenty of things can go wrong without regular AC maintenance:

  • On new systems, improper installation might cause the problem. The drain pan(s) must be installed level to prevent them from overflowing. The drain line must also have an adequate slope to let gravity cause the water to drain properly.
  • The drain pan might rust from exposure to water. If rust flakes away, it can block the drain line or the entrance to the drain line
  • Algae and mold like to grow in cool, dark, wet spaces, the exact conditions found inside the drain line. A sludge can build up and block the free flow of water.
  • A leak might also stem from ice that develops on the evaporator coil. Ice develops when the refrigerant pressure is low or an inadequate amount of warm air enters the evaporator chamber, allowing the condensation to freeze and build up.
  • The loss of refrigerant indicates a leak in the closed network.
  • Inadequate air flow can be caused by a clogged air filter, a dirty evaporator coil, and/or a weak blower motor.

What should be done?

  • Check your air filter. That is something that you can do yourself.
  • Locate the exact place where the water is leaking from.
  • Depending on the weather conditions, it is usually best to shut the air conditioner off. If the temperature is extreme, it may be best to keep the system on and minimize the damage.
  • Call All Cool for a professional AC maintenance inspection and repair visit.

Most of the things that go wrong can be detected and corrected during preventative AC maintenance. Be sure to schedule your service before these problems develop.

Prevent Costly Water Damage with Professional AC Maintenance Today!

Don’t wait for a clogged drain or cracked pan to turn into expensive drywall and flooring repairs. Regular preventative care is the best way to catch frozen coils, algae buildup, and low refrigerant levels before they cause major leaks. Keep your home cool, dry, and damage-free all summer long—call All Cool AC & Heating at 281-238-9292 today to schedule your AC maintenance appointment!