When you turn your air conditioner on, you expect cool air to come out – what you certainly don’t expect is water!

Air conditioner leaks are a major problem, and a sign that you should immediately call for someone who specialises in air conditioning repairs in Brisbane.

It may be uncomfortable, but we strongly shutting off your cooling and sitting tight until your technician can turn up and fix the issue for you.

While you’re waiting however, you’ll need to find something to kill time with.

So why not read up on the causes of your air conditioning leak?

First thing’s first: why is there water in your air conditioner?

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes with your air conditioner. We’ve talked about this several times in the past – if you missed them, click here to learn about split systems and here to learn about ducted systems.

The long and the short of it however is that the majority of air conditioners use evaporative cooling principles. Additionally, many air conditioning systems also double as dehumidifiers.

Naturally, this will result in condensation.

Normally, this isn’t a problem:

Moisture is concentrated in the evaporator coil
It drips down to a drain pan that collects moisture
From there, it goes down a drainage line that leads away from your home.

When everything works well, none of this moisture and humidity ever enters your home, and homeowners continue using their air conditioning systems without ever considering the possibility that their system might be full of condensation.

That is, until something goes wrong and their system starts leaking!

The consequences of an air conditioning leak

Water is public enemy number one when it comes to your home. In particular, you may end up dealing with:

Stain marks on your ceiling
Broken plaster
Paint bubbles
Pools of water
Mould or mildew

While your home is unlikely to collapse, leaks can certainly make it less comfortable.

As such, it’s imperative that you call for air conditioning repairs the moment you notice unit is leaking in your home.

Why is my air conditioner leaking?

1) Drainage problems

Like we mentioned above, moisture build-up in your air conditioner leaves through a special drainage system. Naturally, problems with this system can result in leaks further down the line.

Say a drainage line gets blocked with dust, dirt, sludge, or mould. Water backs up as a result, and in many cases, can result in leaks either outside or in bad cases, within your home.

Another potential problem can be damaged or rusted drain pains. Holes in the drain pan can cause water to exit before it reaches the drain line, resulting in leaks.

2) Dirty air filters

Air filters do much more than simply keep your air clean – in some instances, dirty filters can even result in air conditioning leaks!

That’s because a dirty or clogged filter restricts airflow to the evaporator coil. This causes the temperature to drop, and can cause water in the evaporator to freeze (while Bribane weather mightn’t get that cold, refrigerant does need to be kept chilled).

When you shut your system off, this ice build-up melts, which can overwhelm your drainage system and result in leaks – just another reason to have your filters cleaned regularly!

3) High humidity

While not as bad as Cairns or Townsville, Brisbane’s climate is known for being more humid than the other capitals – especially if you live along the Brisbane River or near the shore.

As such, your system will have to deal with a lot of moisture.

Unless your air conditioner is designed with humid environments in mind, it may struggle to cope with all this moisture. This may result in leaks as your air conditioner’s drainage system is overwhelmed.

4) Leaks in your piping

Most air conditioning systems in Brisbane (nay, the world) are held together by an extensive system of pipes, tubes and ducts. These are what channel cool air between your indoor and outdoor units.

Naturally, a lot of humidity and moisture builds up here. And when you experience a leak in one of these crucial ducts, the natural consequence is a leak.

Not just water leaks you’ll need to worry about…

… you’ll also want to keep on top of potential coolant leaks too!

Refrigerant is key to effective air conditioning. Needless to say, any refrigerant leaks in your air conditioning system can result in:

A loss of cooling power
Strange hissing noises
Higher power usage (thanks to weaker cooling)
Expensive coolant replacement

Just like water leaks, the only way to properly address these problems is to engage a specialist in air conditioning repair. You can’t just top off your refrigerant and call it a day – you’ll need to identify the source of your coolant leak and fix it.

Call Tri-Tech for air conditioning repairs in Brisbane

While summer might be winding down, that doesn’t mean that you can afford to ignore your air conditioner. In fact, depending on your unit, you might find yourself continuing to rely on your air conditioning system for heating too.

As such, you’ll want to make sure your air conditioning system is well-looked after.

At Tri-Tech, we’re experts in air conditioning maintenance and service. Our mobile tech team services homes, businesses and builders with air conditioning repairs in Brisbane and beyond.

Equipped with high-quality tools and parts, as well as 30 years of experience, we’ll take a deep look at your air conditioning system.

We’ll highlight problems inside and out, including causes of air conditioning leaks. Even if yours isn’t leaking right now, we’ll help identify problems in-the-making and stop it with preventative maintenance.

Engage our specialists today – give us a call on (07) 3394 0222, or click here to ask us your questions.