Air conditioners are essential, especially in a hot and humid country like Singapore. However, having air conditioning alone is insufficient. After installing an air conditioner, you must perform regular maintenance to ensure that it functions properly.
Recommendations: Service your aircon at least once every 3 months. This will ensure that it operates at maximum efficiency.
Neglecting regular air conditioning maintenance can result in various issues, one of which is the aircon leaking water. Even though it may appear insignificant, leaving your aircon constantly leaking water can hurt the quality of the air produced.
Failing to repair the water leakage in your aircon may result in your air conditioner blowing poor-quality air. If your family’s health is your concern, then you might want to address this issue immediately.
Keep on reading to find out more about aircon leaking water, its characteristics, and how to effectively repair it!
How Aircon Works
Before proceeding to the section on repairing air conditioners, you must first understand how they work. Understanding how air conditioning works will help you comprehend the underlying causes. Therefore, you can estimate which parts are likely to have issues. For a detailed overview, you can explore our guide on aircon parts to familiarize yourself with the components that make up your air conditioner.
For starters, air conditioners operate by removing warm air from a room, transporting it through pipes, and expelling it through the condenser.
The air conditioner will remove warm air and remove humidity and any airborne particles in the air. As a result, the device will provide cooler and cleaner air.
After you’ve grasped the fundamentals of how air conditioners work, it’s time to move on to the technical side.
Air conditioners have two connector coils, one inside the room and one outside. The coil inside the room is an evaporator, and the one outside the room is a condenser. If you want to ensure that it works correctly, keep the evaporator colder than the surrounding environment. On the contrary, bear in mind that the condenser coils must remain hotter than the surrounding air.
Moving forward, a compressor and expansion valve will aid in absorbing warm air and passing it through the condenser. A condenser will typically have a fan attached to it to help with the process of ejecting heat.
Every step of the process necessitates that all equipment work in synchronism. If the air conditioner is not maintained properly, some problems may arise. For example, the air conditioner may not deliver cool air or cause water leakage within the device.
Aircon leaking water is one of the common issues that you may experience from device failure. If you’re wondering why there’s water in your air conditioner, it’s because of evaporation from the process of absorbing heat.
The warm air condenses into water vapour as the air conditioner absorbs heat. The vapour will be expelled through the pipes by the air conditioner during normal circulation. If there is an equipment failure, the air conditioners may not properly remove the water, resulting in the aircon dripping water.
The Causes of Aircon Water Leaking
Aircon water leaking is usually the result of a device failure. Since there will be several pieces of equipment inside your air conditioner, there is a chance that if one of them fails, it will contribute to water leakage.
Here is a list of possible equipment failures that may contribute to water leaking in your air conditioner:
Damaged Drain Pan
A drain pan is a device that stays beneath the evaporator coils. This tool collects dripping water from the condenser. Without a drain pan, the evaporation water may drip directly into the system, causing severe damage to the aircon.
Your drain pan may become rusted over time, making it unable to collect dripping water from your aircon. Rusty drain pan is a common occurrence in old aircon (i.e., ten years or more) due to the heavy usage. However, it will again depend on how frequently you use the aircon.
Solution:
If your aircon is leaking water due to a damaged drain pan, you must replace it with a new one. You may need to contact an aircon technician to assist you in replacing it.
Clogged Drain Line
Clogged drain lines are another issue that could cause water to leak from your aircon. Dirt and dust accumulation from your air conditioner can clog the drain lines over time. As a result, your aircon cannot adequately expel water evaporation through the drain lines.
Once you turn on your air conditioner, there will be an exchange of warm air to cool air, and this process results in the evaporation of water. It will then expel the water drip through the drain lines, and if you happen to have clogged drain lines, the water drips may be discharged through your indoor air conditioner.
Solution:
If your air conditioner is leaking water because of clogged drain lines, the solution is to clean the drain lines. You can book an aircon servicing, and your technician can assist you in resolving this issue by removing the connecting pipes to your indoor air conditioner. After the tube’s removal, your technician will have to clean it with a hydro jet to cleanse all dirt and dust.
Broken Condensate Pump
Inside an air conditioner, a condensate pump functions to pump water from the air conditioner out through the drain lines and is accommodated by a drip pan that lies beneath the condenser.
However, when the condensate pump is damaged, the water is no longer expelled from the drip lines. Instead, it may come out of your indoor aircon, making your aircon dripping water.
Solution:
The solution to this problem is to replace the condensate pump. If you are unsure how to do it, you can contact the local technician who will bring the pump replacement and install it into your aircon.
Frozen Coil
Frozen coils arise from clogged drain lines from the evaporator or condenser. The issue can also occur due to failures of the expansion valve (i.e., tool that removes pressure from liquid freon and changes it into a vapour) and thermostat (i.e., device that detects temperature and maintains it at a constant level).
Air conditioner leakage accompanied by weak wind gusts can imply a frozen coil. You can detect a leakage by listening to the engine noise of the air conditioner. If the engine makes a loud noise, but the wind does not blow, usually it could be a frozen coil.
Solution:
It isn’t delightful to experience an air conditioner that drips water due to frozen coils. But don’t worry, you can overcome this by turning off the air conditioner for some time, then turning it on again at the maximum level. However, this step only provides a temporary solution.
To repair frozen coils in your aircon, you may want to contact an air conditioner technician nearby. That way, you can rest easy knowing that an expert will handle and repair your aircon.
Dirty Air Filter
One of the most common causes of aircon leakage is a dirty air filter due to the accumulation of dust and other tiny particles on the drain lines. Due to the dirt and other particles clogging the pipes, water evaporation will find its way to be expelled, often resulting in water dripping from your air conditioner.
Typically, the air filter will get dirty after six months of usage. Thus, you may need to change the air filter periodically. However, some habits can speed up the dirtying of the air filter, for example, smoking in an air-conditioned room. If there are smokers in your home, you need to change the air filter more often.
Solution:
Using an aircon with a dirty air filter causes water leakage and pollutes the air produced by the aircon. As a result, you can endanger the respiratory health of your family.
It’s essential for you to change the air filter regularly. If you doubt what to do, then don’t hesitate to contact the air conditioner repairman in the area where you live. They will replace the air filter to restore the excellent performance of your air conditioner.
Lack of Refrigerant
Leaked refrigerant can result in a lack of refrigerant. A refrigerant, also known as freon, is a chemical gas used as a fluid. The refrigerant in air conditioners is crucial because it helps the device absorb heat from the room and exchange it for cooler air.
However, if the refrigerant leaks, the air conditioner will feel warm rather than cool. Neglecting this issue may cause damage to the air in the room as the freon gas becomes poisonous over time.
Solution:
Repairing the lack of refrigerant will need gas top-up servicing. Your technician will inspect the refrigerant pipes and the refrigerant level inside the outdoor air conditioner.
If your technician finds out that your aircon is leaking refrigerant, you can choose to do a gas top-up, consisting of two types: R410A and R22. If you are unsure which one to choose, then we will explain it.
R410A is the most recent and environmentally friendly type of gas. However, it may not be suitable for older types of air conditioning that still use R22 gas.
R22, on the other hand, is a refrigerant commonly referred to as freon. Older aircon may still use R22 gas. As a result, you should consult with your technician to determine what type of gas is best for your air conditioner before proceeding with the refrigerant replacement.
If you’re concerned about issues like refrigerant leaks, you might want to explore our guide on aircon gas leaks to understand the potential risks and solutions.
How to Stop Aircon Dripping Water
Quick Fix For Aircon Dripping Water
If you are confident to stop the aircon dripping water by repairing it yourself, you can surely prepare the equipment and start working on it. However, it can often be troublesome, especially if you have no time to spare to fix your aircon.
Besides, improper handling can lead to more severe damage during the repair process. Hence, if you are unsure how to repair your aircon by yourself, you may want to consider contacting a maintenance specialist who will fix your air conditioner.
Get Professional Help
Getting professional help to repair your air conditioner will undoubtedly be beneficial. The experts who understand the complications of air conditioning issues will certainly handle your aircon unit. They will also know which treatment is best for repairing your air conditioner.
If you are still unclear about scheduling your air conditioning service, you should read this guide that will help you out.
Cost for Aircon Servicing
The cost for servicing your aircon will depend on the damage’s severity. In some cases, your aircon might need minor repairs, which typically cost cheaper than major repairs. On the other hand, the number of aircon units you repair may also affect the pricing; the more units you fix, the cheaper the deals you may receive.
It’s important to be aware of the signs your aircon needs servicing so you can address issues early and avoid more costly repairs down the line.
At Helpling, our aircon servicing starts from $21/unit for 1 – 2 year subscription plans. However, if you want hassle-free and no-commitment servicing, one-time servicing at $30/unit can also be an option.
Besides, we offer our clients who want to book subscription plans the option of paying after each service. Clients will not have to worry about paying a lump sum to subscribe to servicing plans in this manner.
Aircon Maintenance Tips
Previously, we explained aircon leaking water, its common characteristics, and how you can effectively solve the issue. This part will help you understand the problem more by providing aircon maintenance tips.
The following is the tips on how you can maintain your aircon:
- Remove debris from your aircon unit, preventing accumulated specks of dust and dirt
- Clean your aircon coils, both the evaporator and the condenser coils
- Frequently change the air filter, making the airflow clean
- Straighten the coil fins, ensuring proper airflow
- Tighten the electrical connections, making the aircon works properly
- Check refrigerant level, preparing for any potential leaks
