It’s a strange site to encounter. You’re passing by the indoor unit of your home cooling system, and you notice that it is surrounded by a puddle of what appears to be water. Oh, great, you think, now my AC is leaking water. 

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What you may fail to realize, though, is that your air conditioner does not contain any water, nor does it use any as a part of the cooling cycle. So where is this water coming from? Well, your air conditioner in Miami, FL may leak water, but not in the way you are probably thinking.

It May Be Melting Ice

Melting ice? In an air conditioner? No, you shouldn’t have to thaw out your AC the way you might a freezer, and any ice on your air conditioner is definitely not a sign that the system is over-performing. Instead, it means that something has gone wrong with your air conditioner. There are a few reasons why ice may develop. The evaporator coil is the component in which refrigerant is evaporated in order to remove heat from the air surrounding it. If you have a refrigerant leak in your system, or if your air filter is very dirty and restricting airflow, then the coil may get too cold. This can cause condensation to freeze on it.

Moisture is removed from the air as your AC cools it. It forms condensation on the coil. When the coil gets too cold, that condensation can freeze, and it can then melt off once things warm up, leading to the water surrounding your system.

It May Be a Backup

The condensation that forms on the coil drips into a condensate drain pan. If the drain pan backs up because the line is clogged, or if the array is just misaligned, you may experience water backing up into your home. This can do damage and promote the growth of biological pollutants, so it is important to have the problem resolved ASAP.

Let One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating® of Miami handle your air conditioning services.