When your air conditioner is working properly, your home will be cool and dry. A leaking air conditioner is annoying but isn’t necessarily dangerous. It depends on whether it’s leaking water or refrigerant.

Water leaking from your air conditioner isn’t dangerous but can cause a lot of damage to your house. In contrast, a coolant leak is dangerous for you and the environment. In either case, repairing a leak will require professional air conditioning repair.

In most cases, you can prevent your air conditioner from leaking by scheduling yearly air conditioning maintenance. During your appointment, an HVAC tech will closely check your system for problems and clean it. This service helps provide worry-free performance and may even improve energy efficiency.

Learn more about why your air conditioner is leaking and how you can stop it from happening in the future.

Why Is the Air Conditioning Leaking Water?

Water is a natural byproduct of air conditioning. Your air conditioner has two units, one outside and one inside. The indoor unit has an evaporator coil that cools warm air as it blows over it. Condensation occurs as the air cools, drips into a drain pan and drains out of your house through a condensate drain line.

Because of the condensation process, having water leak is a common problem. We regularly receive calls about an air conditioner leaking water inside or an air conditioner leaking water outside. Here’s why it happens:

Drain Line Is Plugged

As time passes, mold can clog the condensate drain line. This can result in water backing up inside your home. Our Enertek Air Conditioning & Heating professionals can break up clogs and get water draining again smoothly. Reach us at (818) 727-9993 for help.

Air Filter Needs to Be Changed

We recommend replace flat filters once a month and pleated filters every three months.

Replacing your air filter is critical for:

  • Indoor air quality
  • Energy efficiency
  • Reducing breakdowns
  • Extending your air conditioner’s life span

A dirty air filter can reduce airflow, make the coil extremely cold and freeze it. As the coil melts, it can overwhelm the drain pan. We recommend inspecting your air filter if you haven’t changed it lately and your air conditioner is leaking water indoors.

If this doesn’t resolve the problem, your drain pan might be rusty or have a broken condensate pump. Replacing your pan or pump requires a professional, so contact us at (818) 727-9993 for help.

Why Does My AC Unit Leak Freon?

Your air conditioner needs coolant to transfer heat. If your air conditioner was put in before 2011, it likely uses R-22 Freon. As time passes, chemicals in Freon can eat away at metal and create leaks.

It’s good to know about air conditioner Freon leak symptoms in the event your system develops one. They include:

  • Air that seems hotter or more humid than normal
  • Bubbling or hissing sounds by the air conditioner
  • Sweet odor by the air conditioner
  • Frozen evaporator coil

Freon is hazardous to your health if handled improperly, so you’ll need an HVAC pro like Enertek Air Conditioning & Heating to fix an air conditioner coolant leak. In most instances, it may just be better to schedule air conditioning installation since Freon is expensive. Production of this coolant was stopped in 2020 because of its harmful effects on the ozone layer. As a result, only reduced recycled quantities are available.

Trust Enertek Air Conditioning & Heating to Repair Your Leaky Air Conditioner

When it comes to air conditioning repair in Northridge, turn to the company your neighbors and friends trust. We’ve been known for our quick, friendly and affordable services since {year}. Call us at (818) 727-9993 to schedule your appointment today!