Why Is My Air Conditioner Spitting Water?

Water damage is one of the most harmful and frustrating problems you can experience in your Texas home. But while we might expect to deal with a leak from a plumbing appliance or a bad storm, most homeowners don’t expect it from the air conditioner! Is your cooling system spitting, dripping, or spouting water?

Don’t worry! The AC repair team at Total Air & Heat is here, and we’ve seen this all before. Follow along to learn the common causes of a water leak from your central AC or heat pump.

Where Does the Water Come From?

While a cooling system doesn’t generate water exactly, it does siphon moisture from the air in your home as part of the refrigeration process. In order to cool your home, an air conditioner has to first dehumidify the air, which it does by collecting moisture on the condenser coils.

Normally, this water drips off safely into the condensate drain system and is harmlessly carried out of the home, where it’s drained. But if something goes wrong with that system, you can deal with a lot of excess water, which can add up pretty fast; so call for air conditioner repair by an expert.

Most Common Causes of AC Units Leaking Water in Plano

When an air conditioner is producing or leaking excessive water, one of the following is happening:

• The condensate line is clogged. This is one of the most common causes and something many homeowners can check for on their own. In most cases, the condensate drain line is simply a hose that carries moisture that the AC creates out of the home. If this gets clogged by dust or debris, it will make the drain system fill up until, eventually, it will spill out.
• The drain pan is damaged. If the line is clean and unobstructed, the next thing to check is the drain pan. This is where generated moisture drips from your evaporator system and collects before it’s pumped into or flows into the drain line. If the pan is cracked or otherwise damaged, water will simply spill rather than collect.
• The air filter needs to be changed. A clogged air filter will choke the airflow in your cooling system, which will create a drop in pressure. When the pressure falls too low in an air conditioner, it’ll begin to frost over or freeze, and this will eventually trigger an overheat. When the unit shuts down, the frost will melt, creating the water you’re seeing.
• You have a refrigerant leak. A worse problem to have, but the results are similar to the clogged air filter. If your AC experiences a refrigerant leak, it most likely will continue to try to operate, but without effective refrigerant, the cycle won’t perform correctly, potentially resulting in frost and ice.

Window-Mounted Units

If you’re using a window-mounted air conditioner, then water actually does spit out of the unit. But this should only be happening from the back or the part protruding from your home. If it’s spitting water, then the most common cause is that the window unit is tilting inward too much or that the sling fan has been damaged.

Leaking Air Conditioner Repair in Texas

Tired of your air conditioner kicking puddles all over your floor? Call on Plano’s most trusted air conditioner repair team! The experts at Total Air & Heat are available 24/7.

Contact us online or give Total Air & Heat a call at (866) 442-2821 for superior air conditioning repairs!