In Venice, Florida the summers get very hot and steamy. Consequently, the air conditioning system in the home or business is under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform well and keep the occupants in the building cool and comfortable. However, problems pop up all the time. The air conditioner is not performing well and is not able to remove that humid air out of the building. Often, this is due to an improper air conditioner maintenance program. This leads to a sweaty cooling unit. Leaks form, resulting in water damage to the property.
Investigating Leaks
Just about everyone that owns an air conditioner notices that the unit leaks at certain times. Perhaps, you’ve noticed that the unit is leaking a bit more than usual. Certainly, this might be due to running the unit for a long time or other problems might be present. Your unit keeps your building or home cool by removing the humid moisture out of the place. Therefore, it is perfectly normal for the air conditioner to sweat just a bit on a very hot and humid day.
Leaks Cause Damage
Of course, as the property owner, its vital to investigate the cause of the leak. Those leaks might lead to major water damage that destroys the rugs, floors, and building structure. The fact is that those leaks might happen to a window unit or central air conditioning equally. Of course, you could contact a HVAC company to perform air conditioning maintenance and repair the leak. However, it’s still a good idea to do a bit of investigative research on your own, before the professionals arrive. Give them the results of your investigation to help zero in on the cause. It’s vital to get to the source of the problem because a leak might cause major water damage on the property.
Is Leaking Normal
Leaking is a normal occurrence during an exceptionally hot summer that required constant cooling. However, other circumstances might also exist. One of the top reasons that the unit is leaking might be due to a clogged condensate drainage. The water is collected in the condensate drain and carried into the plumbing system or outside of the building. Now, if the drain is clogged, the process is interrupted. You will probably notice that there is very apparent leaking on the floor, walls, and even outside of the building. It’s clearly apparent that the potential for damage is very high. Clogged drains require, the services of a professional HVAC company to remove the clog. They will use professional vacuuming techniques to flush out all the dirt and debris that is causing the clog.
Check For Leaky Pipes
Perhaps, the unit is old and the pipes are starting to leak in the unit. Surprisingly, this is a very common occurrence in older model units. Call in the HVAC team to quickly replace the pipes and your unit will be up and running at maximum capacity promptly.
Frozen Coils
You’ve probably noticed that your central air unit starts to form ice or freeze over, when it is working extremely hard on a very hot day. The ice forms on the coils, the melting ice causes leaks. If you suspect that this is the problem that is causing the leak, turn off the unit immediately. Let the ice melt. Wipe up any water that drains onto the area, to avoid damage. If this happens on a regular basis, contact the professionals for further diagnosis of the problem and a permanent solution.
Window Units
Most people buy the popular window units because they are very inexpensive. It’s easy to buy several units and place them in various areas around the house. However, leaks are fairly common with the window units, which might be due to improper air conditioner maintenance or incorrect installation. It’s important to realize that a leak might occur, if the unit is not level. For example, installing the unit with the front tilting in toward the room, might cause the condensation to leak into the room. This is a very curable problem. Simply level off the unit or tilt the unit back, toward the window. This will make it possible for the water to flow outside of the window, instead of the inside of the room.
The majority of minor leakage problems are easily fixed, by the owner. However, major problems require the services of a HVAC team.