Have you ever been outside during a hot Decatur, AL summer day and seen water dripping off your outer AC unit? This is a normal occurrence as your AC unit removes humidity from inside your home, but if you spot water around your indoor ductwork, or around your indoor HVAC unit, you’ve got a problem.
Condensation appearing in the wrong place can lead to mold growth, damage, and other issues. So, if you find condensation around your indoor AC unit or in your ductwork, you’ll want to get to the bottom of it quickly.
What Are the Causes of Condensation?
Your AC unit pulls hot, humid air out of your home, cools it, and collects condensation. Normally, this condensation falls into a pan and then follows a drain line outside. There are a few main causes of condensation in your system:
- A clogged condensate drain can occur over time as your unit collects dust, mildew, and other debris. This can prevent moisture from draining out of your system, and you may find a puddle near your indoor AC unit. Or worse—you could find mold. To solve this issue, your drain line will need to be cleaned. You can often clean or unclog your condensate drain line yourself, or you can hire your local HVAC company to help with such a task.
- A broken drain pan. Before moisture gets sent down through the condensate drain, it’ll get collected in a drain pan—under normal circumstances. A broken pan can obviously leak water and cause mold growth and damage, but this is more common in older systems and systems that use metal pans, because they can rust. If this is the cause of your condensation issue, you’ll need to get this part replaced.
- A dirty AC filter does more damage than simply making your HVAC system work harder. By restricting the airflow in your system, it can cause your evaporator coils to freeze, which in turn can cause water to form in your system. Your drain pan may not be able to keep up, leading to water leaks around your indoor unit. Change your filter if it’s dirty.
- If your AC unit is located below ground level, you could have a mechanical issue or need a drain pump. After all, water needs gravity or mechanical force to end up outside, and if your system is in a basement and a pump fails, it can’t flow upward. This can lead to leaks. If you have a basement unit, you’ll want to contact your HVAC company to get the issue fixed.
- Mechanical issues can extend to low refrigerant, which can also lead to condensation and ice buildup. This is an issue that will need a professional to fix since you cannot purchase and replace refrigerant yourself. You may also notice performance issues with your system. Alternatively, you could also have your thermostat set too low, so be sure to rule out simple explanations before calling out a pro.
If you’ve tried simple fixes and have not been able to stop that annoying puddle from forming around your indoor AC unit, reach out to us at Southeastern Mechanical Services. You can count on us to get your system running properly again.