7 Possible Reasons Why Your AC Is Leaking

Air conditioning accounts for about 12% of your home’s energy expenditure. During hot-humid conditions, most American households spend more than 27% of their incomes on home cooling. The EIA notes that more than 87% of American homes have air-conditioning equipment. 

With such high costs of cooling, incurring additional expenses on AC repairs is not something you would look forward to, right? The bad news is every piece of equipment eventually malfunctions. But the good news is, most of the time, such failures are repairable.

A leaking AC is a common concern in most homes. If your AC is leaking, there may be a myriad of causes behind this concern. Read on to find out reasons AC leaks are common in most homes.

1. It Starts at the Installation Stage

Most homeowners assume that the installation of an Air-conditioning system takes a one-size-fits-all kind of approach. An AC system that seems to work correctly in another home setting may not automatically give you the same service if set up in your home. Most AC installation specialists consider the process of setting up an air-conditioning system to be on a need-basis.

As such, you must get it right the first time during the installation phase. This will ensure that you can confidently rule out the poor installation as the cause of AC leaks in the future. Once you’re sure that the issue is not related to installation, it’s time to assess other probable reasons.

2. Little or No Insulation

Insulation is an important factor when assessing the possibility of AC leaks. If your installation has been torn away over time due to wear and tear, it would be imperative to consider reinstallation. By design, the insulation is supposed to hold back the condensate that runs through the roof.

But if the insulation has been torn away over time, such dripping eventually ends up on your ceiling. Such watermarks may end up destroying your roof and cause direct leaks into your home. If you suspect that there might be a problem with the insulation, it will help to call in a heating and air conditioning specialist.

3. Humid Weather

If your AC is leaking and you don’t seem to find any mechanical or technical faults, then the issue maybe with the underlying climatic conditions. If the weather conditions around your home are incredibly humid, you may end up experiencing instances of AC leaks. You’ll often tend to observe more cases of leaks during hot summer conditions than during winter.

Such increases in the levels of humidity also escalate the rates of condensation. Your home structure is set out in a way that the ducted air conditioning removes extra moisture from the air. It’s this mechanical design that leads to the dripping out of excess moisture during instances of humid temperature.

4. Dirty Air Filters May Be the Reason Your AC Is Leaking

Air filters play a critical role in the functionality of your air-conditioning system. If there’s a problem with the functionality of the air filters, then the system may end up being clogged with dirt and dust. This means that the return air grille is not able to sieve the incoming air.

If there’s excess dirt around the air filter, it is also likely that your ACs evaporator coil will be blocked or restricted. This causes the system to gradually lower the temperatures causing the evaporator coils to become too cold. It’s at this point that the air conditioning system begins to ice up.

If the formation of the ice becomes too high, the unit door is unable to keep drawing the air. This situation causes the unit to warm up, eventually causing the ice to melt. The melting of the ice is what causes the visible leaks around your ceiling.

5. Blocked Drains

Your air conditioning system has drain pipes that run into the roof gutter to ensure adequate drainage of excess moisture. But in some cases, the channels and the drain pipes may be blocked by dirt or other foreign materials. The excess moisture and the water may be unable to exit, causing a buildup of water inside the unit.

If your home cooling system does not have a safety drip to allow the outflow of such excess water, then your home is likely to leak. You may need to call in a specialist to assess the extent of the issues and unblock the drains. The technician should also install the safety drip to allow for such excess water to find a way out.

6. Rusted Drain Pans

Most homes have drain pans that help to keep the air conditioning system functioning. Drain pans are made from quality customized sheet metal that suits your specific AC unit. Most times, drain pans last for years due to their durable nature. But when they eventually begin to deteriorate, concerns related to rust begin to manifest.

Depending on how large your AC unit may have been in operation, the rusty drain pan may begin to leak. It would help if you considered assessing the rusted drains to check for any possible drips in your home. But this issue can be rectified by calling in a heating and cooling specialist to install a new drain pan.

7. Low Refrigerant

Most times, the pressure inside your AC unit may be lower when the refrigerant levels fall below the set limit. In such cases, the result may be the freezing of the evaporator coil. However, when the coil eventually melts, you may end up experiencing notable dripping of water from the system.

Visual detection can help you determine if the refrigerant is low. You may also perform a soap test to confirm the possibility that the issue may be a result of low refrigerant.

If you have noticed any of these signs and symptoms affecting your ACs functionality, you should schedule an appointment with a heating and cooling technician to decide on lasting remedial interventions.

Don’t Let a Leaking AC Be the Cause of Your Frustrations

A well air-conditioned house adds to that homely ambiance everyone hopes to come home to every day. Nevertheless, if your AC is leaking, such comfort may quickly turn into a nightmare. But don’t flinch.

There’re reliable cooling and heating technicians who can resolve all your AC needs in a jiffy.

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