Water leaking -Trouble shoot

Where does the water coming out of my aircon come from?

When you have an aircon, as with any other appliances in the home, you need to know how it works to ensure correct operation.

In this case, your air conditioner unit contains an evaporator coil that cools the warm air blown over it. The sudden change in temperature can cause condensation. Condensation is essentially a change in water state, from a vapour to a liquid state.

Condensation forms on the coil in much the same way as water droplets form on a cold bottle or glass of water on a sunny day. The same happens in air conditioners.

Inside the indoor unit of an air conditioner, there is the evaporator heat exchange coil (a.k.a. cooling coil). When the appliance is switched on, the coil fills with low-pressure liquid refrigerant. Liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the hot and humid air blown over the coil. As a result, the refrigerant boils into a vapour/gas, causing the temperature of the air blown out of the unit to be cold.

During this process, water vapor in the air (humidity) condenses on the cooling coil and condensation appears. These visible water droplets fall into the drain pan of the air conditioner. The water that you might see dripping from the air conditioner should be going outside via a drain pipe. More on this later.

The aircon filters are dirty

One of the main reasons why air conditioners malfunction or leak water is because of accumulated dirt and matter on the air filters.

Lack of cleaning of the air filters can cause a reduction in the aircon lifespan and even the complete system breakdown. For this reason, you need to perform routine cleaning of the air conditioner filters and AC unit as a whole.

The air conditioner drain is clogged

Condensed water passes through the drain to the outdoors, where it should suitably drain away. This is a normal process, but sometimes the air conditioner drain can collect dirt, matter, and even insects, and eventually become clogged.

Water can’t properly flow if the drain is clogged. This can cause an AC unit malfunction.

The solution is relatively simple. The drain pipe needs to located and blown or sucked out so the accumulation of dirt and blocked water gets cleared out. Also, to prevent other problems from occurring, the air conditioning drain pan should be cleaned. These tasks are best left to a professional to avoid damage to the drain, pan, unit, and/or yourself.

The AC unit may have a broken condensate pump

If your air conditioner unit is installed on an internal wall or lower than the outdoor unit then there is possibly a condensate pump installed to pump water outside.

However, if the pump is broken then water will not be able to be pumped outside anymore. The pump may need a clean, repair, or replacement. To attend to the pump you will most likely need to call an expert.

Keep in mind that if the air conditioner unit is installed on an external wall, with the outdoor unit at the same height or lower, chances are you have a gravity-driven drain line carrying condensate outside. In this instance, you will not have to worry about any condensate pump issues.