Air conditioning is one luxury you can’t afford to do without. So when you see a large puddle of water forming around the base of your central A/C unit or if you notice it’s not cooling as well as it should, have an HVAC professional take a close look at your system. Evaporator leaks don’t happen often, but when they do, it can be a headache to deal with. The following highlights the most common causes of evaporator coil leaks and what you can do to fix them for good. There are two types of leaks you’ll likely deal with when it comes to your A/C: Let’s talk about the first type of leak – the refrigerant leak. One of the most common ways for a copper evaporator coil to lose its cool is through formicary corrosion. This happens when volatile organic compounds (VOC) from ordinary household chemicals react with the copper metal, especially under the particularly humid climate conditions known throughout Mobile and the rest of the Deep South. The end result is formic acid, which promotes formicary corrosion of the copper coils.

This can cause microscopic leaks that allow A/C refrigerant to slowly escape. Tell-tale signs of a refrigerant leak often include: The other type of leak doesn't come from inside the evaporator coil, as is the case with refrigerant. It's leakage that results from coil operation, with the condensate that’s generated as the evaporator coil pulls moisture out of the hot, humid air from the return vent. As it condenses into liquid form, the moisture falls into a sloped condensate pan connected to a drain line that runs to the outside of your home or into an indoor drain. Mold and mildew growth as well as debris can become clogged in the drain line, causing the water in the pan to overflow. A cracked or rusted condensate pan can also allow water to escape the pan. Frost can also play a prominent role in evaporator coil leaks. If the coil freezes over and is subsequently left to defrost, there may be enough melted ice to overwhelm the condensate pan and spill over onto the floor.

If you're dealing with a condensate leak around your evaporator coil, you can address it this way: If you’re dealing with a refrigerant leak, the first thing you should do is take a look at the evaporator coil. Signs of corrosion on the copper lines or around joints and fittings often indicate ideal conditions for a leak. If you want to be certain, you can perform a “soap test” by applying a mix of water and mild detergent around potentially leaky areas. If there’s a leak, bubbles will form in the presence of escaping refrigerant. At this point, you’ll want to call on your HVAC technician, who can safely remove and store your A/C system’s refrigerant while the coil undergoes replacement or repair. Here are a few ways you can eliminate the causes of evaporator coil leaks and prevent them from happening in the future: When it comes to tracking down the causes of evaporator coil leaks, you can always count on Air Specialty to get the job done. Contact us at Air Specialty whenever you need air conditioning service for your Mobile, Saraland, or Lucedale area home.