Why is my air conditioner leaking water? Can I repair it myself?

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

As with any home appliance, sometimes something goes wrong and for air conditioners, it is not uncommon for a problem to inhibit that water from going inside. Below are 3 common culprits that cause your air conditioner to leak water inside the home and steps 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 unit which means less air 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.

Your unit is AC on refrigerant

When your air conditioner turns on, the refrigerant is activated and the evaporator coils get very cold. If the refrigerant is low, there is less heat being absorbed and the coils get too cold and freeze. As mentioned above, an excess amount of water can cause an overflow and leak into your home.

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

Your condensate drain line is clogged

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

You can try to 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’re stumped or 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? CT Heating & Air has seen this many times and is here to help you solve the problem. Call us at 303-842-8362 or contact us online to schedule an AC repair in the Denver Metro Area today!