Water has started to pool around your central air conditioner’s inside unit and you have no idea why. First, you should turn off your air conditioner because this water could harm the electronic parts of your AC and cause water damage to your home. Then you should contact a professional AC repair person for help. If you want to understand the cause of this problem before calling a professional, read this article. Why water forms in a central air conditioner indoor unit Part of your air conditioner’s job is to pull humidity from the air. The inside unit’s blower pulls in hot, humid air through the return grille and over the inside unit’s cold evaporator coil (pictured above) to cool the air down. When that happens, condensation/droplets form on the evaporator coil. It’s just like when water droplets bead up on a glass of ice cold water on a hot summer day in Georgia. That water on the evaporator coil falls into a sloped drain pan and down a condensate drain line like a slip n’slide.

That drain line (usually a PVC pipe) either exits out the home (usually near the outside unit) or into your plumbing. OK, so now you have a general idea of how the water forms and the parts involved. If there’s an issue with any of these parts, that’s why the water is forming around the inside unit. Here are a few common problems that are causing the issue you’re having. Clogged condensate drain line or rusted condensate drain pan If the drain line gets clogged by dirt, insects, mold, or anything else, the water has nowhere to go but back into the home. (Some home’s have a secondary drain line but that may also be become clogged.) Use wet-dry vacuum to suck out the obstruction from the outdoor PVC condensate pipe. Also the root of the problem may be a dirty evaporator coil. The dirt will mix with the water and fall down into the pan, clogging the drain. Have a professional clean this coil annually as part of an annual AC maintenance visit. Also, the drain pan may be rusted through and is falling onto the floor and causing  damage to your home.

So you’ll need to replace that. Note: Your air conditioner may have a secondary drain pan to catch the water. This pan has a float switch that turns off your air conditioner to prevent water damage.Cabins With Hot Tubs In Yosemite If you have a newer air conditioner, the problem may be installation related. Got Piff T ShirtAn improperly designed condensate trap will stop the condensate from draining. Costco Tire Shop South San FranciscoSo all that water builds up in the drain pan and overflows into your home, causing water damage. You’ll need a professional to examine the condensate trap to see if it has been designed properly and fix it if necessary. Open the blower door of your inside AC unit. Is the evaporator coil covered in ice?

When that frozen evaporator coil melts there may be so much water that it flows over the drain pan and then onto the floor. There are 2 common causes of a frozen evaporator coil: To defrost the evaporator coil, turn the air conditioner off. Then turn the blower from “auto” to “on.” The fan should melt the ice slowly enough for the drain pan to handle all the water. In the meantime, you should call a professional AC repairman to check your air conditioner to make sure it’s is working properly and ensure nothing was damaged. Just a few of many issues… There are other causes of water pooling around an inside air conditioning unit, but these are some of the most common.Contact us online or call us at (770) 443-1821. Did you like this article? Sign up for our newsletter to get more DIY how-to articles and money-saving tips sent to your straight to your inbox. Ragsdale Heating, Plumbing and Air has been serving Dallas, Powder Springs, Acworth, Douglasville, Rockmart and the metro Atlanta area for over 20 years.

Contact us online for more information on how we can help you.Central Ac Units Condensate Drain Pan Question We installed a York central air system about 19 years ago. Never a problem until this spring when we noticed water dripping out of our soffit in front of a bedroom window. Went to the attic to see if the drip pan drain was backed up and noticed that the secondary drain pan/back-up pan was full. Had the HVAC installer come out and look at the central air conditioner and was advised that the primary drip pan rusted through and could NOT be replaced. Was told that we now needed a NEW central air conditioning unit and was quoted roughly $10,000 installed.We currently have to use a wet/dry vac daily to empty the secondary / back-up drip pan. Since the central air unit has run perfectly for 19+ years. I'm not really happy about spending $10k at this time because the drip pan can't be replaced. Is it feasible to replace the secondary / back-up drip pan with a more substantial pan with a better drain?

Dadan here: Here are some of the questions I pull from my spring cleaning! Is it normal to have water in the drain pan of the evaporator?No, it is NOT normal to have 1.5 inch of water level in the drain pan or more. The water supposed to flow outside, it NOT supposed to stay in the drain pan. Above answer is kind of confusing - If the water is moving, it is normal. If the water stay in the drain pan, it is NOT normal. It does not matter the level of water, but it have to move outside.If it not moving outside, it is leaking inside.Evaporator drain pan cracksI was informed that the pan is cracked in the fan coil. Is it true that I will to replace the entire unit? Or can the drain pan itself just be replaced? Can we fix it?Answer:No – it not necessary to replace entire unit for a cracking pan, yea the drain pan can be replace. Fixing a crack is waste time and money. What is the source of water collecting in the pan under my central ac unit?The water came from the evaporator. The evaporator turns moisture air into water.

This is the entire process of cooling the room and making the air feels comfortable. If it raining outside and we turn on the central air conditioner, the evaporator coil will produce a lot condensing water from the heavy moisture air. My central ac pan is overflowing and leaking water – whyWhy the water not moving? If it overflowing in the attic, it serious problem. We need to ask ourselves, why the water is not flowing outside. It could be the drain line is clog or (if it has condensate pump, why is it not working). If the area air is heavily moisture, it best to clean the condensate drain line once a year or every 6 month. If the air handler is in the attic, we need to take this serious. What do we use to clean the condensate drain line?I have had my central ac unit on about 2 hours, yet there is not water is draining from the tube outside?If the central air unit only runs a short time there might not be any draining, but 2 hours should probably have some drainage. I would suggest you look inside your return for the water.