Taking the air conditioner out of hibernation can be a tough task, especially if you’re doing it for the first spring since you purchased it. You might be crossing your fingers hoping that it works flawlessly so you don’t have to start looking online for help. But, once the system starts dripping water or leaving a puddle behind, then you’ve got some serious problems.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with water. It’s everywhere, on the ground, in the atmosphere, and even in our bodies. But when water is leaking from something, that’s usually a bad sign. Stagnant water can warp your furniture, rot away at components in your home, and even cause mold to grow.
We’d like to talk about why leaking water is a good reason to call for AC repair in Melbourne, FL. Then we’ll discuss what the worst-case scenario might be.
Why Does an AC Leak?
Air conditioners cool the air in your home using lines of evaporating and condensing refrigerant. That’s a given. But they also dehumidify the air in your home as a byproduct of the cooling process.
You see, as the air cools, the humidity also condenses along the coils of the air conditioner. Condensation is when the water goes from being a gas to a liquid, turning into droplets that drip into a pan to be sent out of your system. This is what’s called a condensate drain, and it’s a vital component of the system. If the air conditioner starts to leak, it’s probably because this condensate drain is clogged.
What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
Well, a condensate drain can be clogged due to mold growth, which means your indoor air could have mold spores in it and be unhealthy. And, in severe cases, the leaking air conditioner can cause electrical shortages and other component failures as more and more water leaks from the system.
You could have a critter or some other object lodged in the condensate drain that’s causing the clog, which is another situation that calls for immediate help. None of these scenarios are good, but they’re bad for different reasons.
Repairs or Maintenance?
So, when you’ve encountered a leaking air conditioner, what should you do? Do you call for a routine maintenance appointment or schedule repairs with a professional? Well, you should ideally do both, but for different reasons.
Scheduling repairs will be necessary to alleviate the problem right now. A clogged condensate drain and leaking water are definitely problems and will hinder the functionality of the AC in the future. So, in other words, it needs to be fixed ASAP.
However, one of the reasons it got this bad is due to a lack of maintenance. A condensate drain does get cleaned during routine maintenance, which usually means that it shouldn’t clog and the AC shouldn’t leak if it’s well-maintained. So, schedule maintenance from here on out to ensure that this and other problems don’t occur again!
For fast and reliable AC repairs, contact Complete Air & Heat, Inc. Making families happy on the Space Coast since 1975.