When your air conditioner is working properly, your house will be cool and dry. A leaking air conditioner is annoying but isn’t necessarily harmful. It depends on whether it’s leaking water or refrigerant.
Water leaking from your air conditioner isn’t dangerous but can cause a lot of damage to your house. On the other hand, a coolant leak is harmful to you and the environment. In either situation, repairing a leak will require skilled air conditioning repair.
In most cases, you can prevent your air conditioner from leaking by scheduling yearly air conditioning maintenance. During your appointment, an HVAC technician will closely check your system for issues and clean it. This service helps ensure worry-free cooling and may even improve energy efficiency.
Learn more about why your air conditioner is leaking and how you can prevent it from happening in the future.
Why Is My Air Conditioner Leaking Water?
Water is a natural result of air conditioning. Your air conditioner has two units, one outside and one inside. The indoor unit has an evaporator coil that cools warm air as it moves over it. Condensation forms as the air cools, drips into a drain pan and drains out of your house through a condensate drain line.
Due to the condensation process, having water back up is a common problem. We often receive calls about an air conditioner leaking water inside or an air conditioner leaking water outside. Here’s why it occurs:
Drain Line Is Plugged
As time passes, mold can block the condensate drain line. This can result in water leaking inside your home. Our TopTec Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical professionals can eliminate clogs and get water flowing again smoothly. Reach us at 847-362-0262 for help.
Air Filter Needs to Be Changed
We recommend replace flat filters once a month and pleated filters every three months.
Replacing your air filter is critical for:
- Indoor air quality
- Energy efficiency
- Decreasing breakdowns
- Lengthening your air conditioner’s lifetime
A dirty air filter can reduce airflow, make the coil extremely cold and freeze it. As the coil defrosts, it can overwhelm the drain pan. We suggest inspecting your air filter if you haven’t replaced it lately and your air conditioner is leaking water indoors.
If this doesn’t fix the problem, your drain pan may be rusty or have a broken condensate pump. Getting a new pan or pump requires a pro, so call us at 847-362-0262 for help.
Why Is My Air Conditioner Leaking Freon?
Your air conditioner uses coolant to move heat. If your air conditioner was put in before 2011, it probably has R-22 Freon. Over time, chemicals in Freon can eat away at metal and create leaks.
It’s important to know about air conditioner Freon leak symptoms in case your system has one. They include:
- Air that seems hotter or more humid than usual
- Bubbling or hissing noises near the air conditioner
- Sweet odor by the air conditioner
- Frozen evaporator coil
Freon is bad for your health if handled improperly, so you’ll need an HVAC professional like TopTec Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical to fix an air conditioner coolant leak. In most instances, it may just be better to schedule air conditioning installation since Freon is costly. Production of this coolant was stopped in 2020 because of its harmful effects on the ozone layer. As a result, only reduced recycled quantities are available.
Trust TopTec Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical for Repairing Your Air Conditioner Leaks
When it comes to air conditioning repair in Libertyville, turn to the company your neighbors and friends depend on. We’ve been known for our fast, friendly and reasonable services since 1993. Call us at 847-362-0262 to request your appointment today!