Why Is Water Coming From My AC Unit?

Air conditioners work by condensing a coolant liquid and allowing the surrounding air to be cooled down. Many times when the air cools down water droplets will form. These water droplets are perfectly normal and actually help the air conditioner to function properly. Excess water droplets are funnelled into a drainage pan and get transferred outside. If you find that your air conditioners outside unit is spitting water, do not be alarmed. The fan blades on the outside unit have a mechanism that catches the water and shoots it back to the coils to cool them down. Without this, the coils would overheat and your air conditioner would not function. During this process, it is not uncommon to see some water come out or be spat out of the unit. However, if your air conditioner is leaking or spitting fluid indoors, you have a problem. Water should never be entering your home from the air conditioner. However, have no fear, as water entering from the air conditioner is generally not the biggest problem and generally has an easy solution. The most likely problem if your air conditioner is spraying water is that the drainage pan is blocked. When the drainage pan is blocked, the water has nowhere to drain to and will just collect until it overflows. What you see when your air conditioner leaks are the pan overflowing. To solve this problem you simply must open your air conditioner and clean out anything in the drainage pan. Another common problem for leaking fluid is your air conditioner is sloped the incorrect way. The correct orientation of an air conditioner should be away from the inside of your home. This allows and water to naturally flow away from your home and towards the outside. If your air conditioner is somehow tilted towards your home you will naturally get water flowing out of the air conditioner. You can tell if your air conditioner is sloped properly by setting a level on it and correcting it accordingly.