Water dripping from your attic is definitely an unwelcome surprise. What should you do?
First, shut the system off. Next, clean up any water and be prepared for the possibility of more. Third, verify that your air filters are clean; if they aren’t, replace them immediately. Also check that nothing is obstructing your return vents. That might resolve the problem. But more than likely you will need to call for immediate professional HVAC assistance.
How does this happen? Below are several possible causes.
The drain pan. As your air conditioner works, condensation from the coils drips off into a drain pan. If the drain pan has rusted or otherwise been damaged, the water in the pan will leak. If the drain pan doesn’t have a float switch (to turn off the unit when the pan is full) or if the float switch isn’t working properly, the pan may overflow.
A condensate drain line clogged by accumulated dirt, debris, or algae. If the drain line is clogged, the condensation accumulates and eventually overflows the drain pan.
The evaporator coil. If you have reduced airflow (from dirty air filters or dirty evaporator coils because the filters weren’t changed) or a refrigerant leak, your evaporator coil can freeze. Once the system shuts down and the coil begins to melt, the drain pan can be completely overwhelmed.
When your air conditioning system leaks, call Prestige Heating & Air Conditioning. We can diagnose the root cause and get your system up and running again quickly.
