Its summer finally and time for possible air conditioner leaks.  It is not normal to have water in the air conditioning drain pan.  If you have water in the drain pan or evidence there has been a lot of water in it before, then your Air Conditioner probably has a problem.  All air conditioners have a built in drain to collect that water and transport it outside the house.  Evidence that water is building up in the drain pan could be a serious issue with your A/C.

Drain Line is Backed up – and the drain pan is overflowing. Most of the time the drain line gets clogged with dirt and the water has nowhere else to go except back into the pan. The pan can only hold a certain amount of water, so once the pan gets filled it overflows.

Rusted or Cracked Drain Pan – Another slightly less common cause of water overflow is the rusted out or cracked drain pan.  The drain pans that initially catch the water are typically made of metal or plastic.  As you know, metal rusts and plastic gets brittle, especially when it is in a 140° attic for extended periods of time.  When a hole develops in the bottom of the pan, the water is going to go through that hole instead of down the drain like it’s supposed to.

A Dirty Air Filter – This causes restricted airflow to the evaporator’s coils. The coils can freeze, causing water to spill out of the condensate drain pan.

Have regular preventive maintenance – The technician will blow out the drain line, by doing so they will clear the drain line from any dirt that may be building up.

Change your filters on a regular basis – We recommend once a month.

Invest in an overflow shut off device that is installed on the drain line – These devices will turn off your air conditioner if the drain line backs up.  Most of the time, these will completely prevent any water from overflowing the pan.