Have you ever noticed the condenser unit of your air conditioner leaking water? Maybe you noticed a puddle of water inside your home after your air conditioner ran for an extended period. Whatever the case is, if your air conditioner leaks water, it’s important to schedule AC repair immediately.
It’s normal for your air conditioner to drop some water when it runs. But it’s also important to understand the difference between an expected amount of water and when your air conditioner is leaking too much. Your air conditioner is responsible for taking the warm outdoor air and cooling as it passes into your home. Studies have shown that warm air holds more water vapor than cool air. As the warm air passes through the evaporator coil and transforms to a cooler temperature, the air molecules begin to shed this excess water.
While it might not seem like the air can hold too much water, modern air conditioners can produce up to 20 gallons of water a day. This number depends on the volume of air your system produces, the humidity outdoors, and the temperature’s setting.
Thankfully, your air conditioner is designed to effectively drain this water and release it back outdoors. However, when it’s not properly functioning, it can cause water leaks.
So you may be asking yourself, “Why is my wall mounted air conditioner leaking water?” Water leakage is one of the many issues you might encounter from having an air conditioner. It is the most prevalent issue in air conditioners and can be the hardest one to solve.
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Possible causes of your wall-mounted air conditioner leaking water
1. A clogged condensate drain can cause AC water leaks
From time to time, your condensate drain may become partially blocked or completely clogged due to a buildup of dirt, rust, algae, and other debris.
2. Disconnected drain line in your air conditioner
If your air conditioner was improperly installed, its drain line can loosen over time and cause the pipe to disconnect from its connection within your air conditioner. A disconnected drain line may cause your air conditioner to leak water.
3. Cracked condensate drain inside your AC
As time goes on, your condensate pan may rust or crack. When this happens, your drain pan is no longer sealed and could cause water leakage from your wall mounted air conditioner.
4. Your air conditioner’s air filters are dirty
A dirty air filter restricts airflow over the evaporator coils. Because of this, the coils can get too cold and freeze over. When the coils melt, excess moisture from them drips into the condensate pan and causes it to overflow.
5. The AC’s refrigerant levels are low
Similar to a dirty air filter, low refrigerant levels result in a low amount of pressure in your air conditioning unit, causing the evaporator coils to freeze over. And when the frozen evaporator coils melt, this situation can cause the drain pan to overflow and leak water.
How Much Water Should an Air Conditioner Leak?
During operation, your air conditioner will produce small amounts of condensation. However, how much water leaks from your air conditioner depends on a couple of factors, including the thermostat setting and the temperature outside.
Small amounts of condensation near your AC’s drain pipe is normal and to be expected. During the extremely hot and humid days, your air conditioner works hard, so you can expect to see more water-dropping than average.
A small puddle underneath the air conditioner’s condensing unit is most likely the result of normal operation. Call an expert air conditioning contractor to inspect your unit if you notice excess water leakage from your air conditioner.