Why Water May Be Pooling Around Your Air Conditioner

Air conditioners across the Front Range work hard to keep people cool and comfortable during the hottest months of the year. For a gas-powered air conditioning unit, the system has both indoor and outdoor components to ensure it operates efficiently. 

An evaporator coil is located inside the unit, and is used to cool warmed air as it passes through. You control how cool the air gets by selecting your ideal temperature. 

As warm air moves across the coil, condensation occurs. You can notice this anytime you fill a glass of room-temperature water with ice – condensation starts to appear on the surface of the glass. 

This moisture evaporates and drips into a drain pan that is serviced by a condensation drain pipe. This pipe feeds outside of your home, to prevent drainage issues from leaking and pooling inside your home. 

However, there may be times when your air conditioner unit drips or pools near the indoor unit, which can cause alarm. If this is the case, it’s almost always due to a clogged condensation drain pipe. If this line becomes clogged with dust, dirt, or mold, the water inside your house fails to travel outside, and leaks into your home. A wet-dry vac can easily clear this line of debris, or call your HVAC technician to assess the problem and get to the root of the problem. 

While a clogged condensation line is one of the most common problems, it isn’t always the only reason. Other problems include:

Low coolant – your conditioner operates by using refrigerant to help cool the temperature. If you notice your air conditioner not keeping up with demand, taking longer to cool your home, it might be because of low refrigerant levels. If refrigerant levels get too low, it can also lead to the evaporator coil freezing, so fixing the problem sooner rather than later will reduce your chances of a higher repair bill. 

Pipe damage – if your air conditioner unit is older, it could also be leaking water because of wear and tear from old age. Because condensation lines constantly deal with water, age can allow them to rust or wear down. Older units may need a new drain pain, or need repairs to the line itself. 

Water is never a good thing when you notice it around your HVAC unit. If you can’t get to the root cause quickly, or it seems to be increasing in the amount of water pooling, it’s time to call an HVAC technician in quickly. They can diagnose the cause of the water, and get your air conditioner back to working well once again.