In order to prevent damage to your home, the most important thing to do when dealing with a leaking air conditioner is to turn it off as soon as possible. This way, you can stop any damage from occurring while you or someone providing you air conditioner service in Chicago, Illinois, is fixing the problem.
The next most important thing to do, of course, is to figure out what’s causing the leak so it can be fixed as quickly as possible. In order to know what’s causing the leak and find the right air conditioner service in Chicago, Illinois, you’ll need to know a little bit about how an AC unit works. Here is some more information from our team at Deljo Heating & Cooling.
Where Moisture Comes from in an AC Unit
Even more advanced AC units are manufactured in similar ways to old ones, so it’s safe to say that—regardless of age—AC units generally have an evaporator coil, a drain pan, and a condensate drain line. Each one of these components may be the source of your leak, but our team will be able to pinpoint the source for you.
The evaporator coil cools down hot air as that air blows over the coil itself. Just as a can of pop will “sweat” with droplets of water running down the can on a hot day, so too will your AC’s evaporator coil. This in itself is not an issue because when everything is working correctly, that moisture will be captured by the drain pan and sent down the condensate drain line. Knowing this information, we can dive into the causes of a leaking air conditioner
1. Low Airflow
Often times, if the air filter on your AC unit is dirty, this will restrict the flow of hot air over the evaporator coil. Because there’s no warm air to cool it down, the evaporator coil freezes and as it melts, it produces more water than the drain pan has capacity for.
2. Blocked Drain Line
In the event the condensate line is blocked, which is often the result of dirt, mold, or dust clogging the line, water will leak out. When this happens, you’ll need professional air conditioner service in Chicago, Illinois, unless you can remove the blockage yourself.
3. An Old Drain Pan
A simple, but quite common problem is that the AC’s drain pan is damaged due to age. Due to this, water from the evaporator coil drips out with no pan to catch it. This one is a simple fix and all you’ll need is a new drain pan.
Contact Deljo Heating & Cooling Today
Fixing a leaking air conditioner on your own can be difficult and complicated. It’s best to leave this task to our skilled team. If you’re in need of our services due to a malfunctioning air conditioner, we are happy to help. Call us at 773-829-4295 to get started.
