why is there water around my ac unit

Quality ProsGuaranteeContact UsWhy is My Air Conditioner Leaking Water?Leaking water from an air conditioner can be confusing. The dehumidifying process of the air conditioner often causes some condensation, but pooling or leaking water is different. There are a few things that can cause such a leak and most of them need to be addressed in order for your unit to run more efficiently. The EPA site can help you determine what might be causing problems for your air conditioner. There are also great suggestions on how to make your home more energy efficient. If you look at your unit and run a few tests, you might be able to find the source of the leak. Sometimes it is necessary to consult a professional to correct the problem, while other times you can fix it yourself. First and foremost, your condenser pump may be broken. You can test this by pouring water in the condenser pan to see if it can properly pump out the excess. If it cannot, first check the power to the pump.
If the power is good, then it is likely the motor or the condenser itself. You should consult a professional to determine what the specific source of the problem is.When air conditioning units are improperly installed they can leak water. If the unit is not level or if there is too much pressure, water may begin to pool. When air conditioning units are improperly installed they can leak water. Check to see if the unit is level first. If that is not the source of the problem, look for any closed vents in the house. The added pressure can sometimes cause the valves to leak.Drain Hole is Blocked There is a drain hole for the removed water on your unit. Sometimes this can get blocked with dirt or other debris. Check the tubing to see if this is the case. Clear the blockage if there is one, as it will allow the water to properly exit the condenser pan and you should see the pooling stop. Outside Temperature is Too Cold When the temperature starts to change you can actually end up with extra water build-up due to the outside temperature being too cold.
It causes more water to build around the unit and then you get the pooling, as it doesn’t evaporate as it normally does. If it is just a small amount of water, you may not need to do anything. When it gets hot again the pooling will stop. If your seals on the air conditioner are not tight, excess warm air can get inside the unit. This causes the moisture from the air to condense when it meets the cold air inside the air conditioner. The excess moisture then pools below the unit. In this case you need to reseal the outside of the unit and make sure everything is properly closed.prices for new ac unit Pooling water is not the worst thing that can happen to an AC unit, but you do want to take care of it. what the best ac unitIf water is pooling, your air conditioner is not running as efficiently as it could. best in window ac units
This means you are spending more money and your home is likely not the temperature you want it to be. If you don’t want to figure out why it is pooling, call a professional, it is often an easy fix.Popular Expert AnswersMY WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER IS LEAKING WATER ONTO MY CARPETWhy the air conditioner in my window is leaking water?where does the water go if my home air conditioner is leaking it?Roof Air Conditioner Water Leaks A fairly common complaint is that of water leaks from the rooftop air conditioner. These do not have to be nearly as hard to find or fix as people often make them- they simply need to be dealt with in a systematic method. The first question when dealing with this type of leak is- does it leak when it's raining or when the air conditioner is running (or, more rarely, both)? To deal with either, we need to look closely at how the air conditioner is mounted, and how it deals with the condensation generated while running. The main thing to keep in mind, is that the air conditioner is sealed to the roof using a sponge rubber gasket- this gasket is compressable, and really is a long term maintenance item (they can last years, but not forever).
This gasket is compressed by 3 or 4 bolts running from the inside assembly up to the top. For either "rain only" or "while A/C is running" leaks, first make certain there is at least 1/2 inch of gasket left (it is not tightened right down to the roof), then check the bolt for tightness- just make sure they are all snug, but don't over tighten- there must be the gap between the bottom of the A/C and the roof. The reason for this gap is that on most roof top A/C/ units, the condensation drains out the bottom of the unit- between the base of the air conditioner and the roof. For this reason, never, ever seal around the perimeter of the air conditioner- I cannot say how many times I have had to deal with a unit where someone slopped goop around the base of the air conditioner, trapping water in where it has to leak inside. The "inside"coils of the air conditioner sit in a drain pan, to collect the condensation, which then runs out a small hole in the side, and out the bottom. If the leak is both while raining, and while running, and the gasket is still thick enough and tight, odds are there is some roof deterioration underneath the air conditioner- as long as the roof isn't sagging, causing water to puddle up around the air conditioner, which can be checked by pulling a string across the roof, from side to side.
If there is significant sag, the air conditioner needs to be raised, either by installing 2 gaskets or by removing the air conditioner and putting shimmed between the roof material and roof frame- this is the method I usually use, building up with strips of 1/4" plywood, until the air conditioner is high enough that water cannot run in. Of course, roof sag may be an indication of a larger problem, but quite often it is just age, and other than a bit of sag, there are really no structural problems. If the leak is only while the unit is operating, first check all of the above, if everything checks out, odds are that the drain holes are simply plugged up, or that the evaporator coil is very dirty, which will cause enough suction to keep the water from draining properly. To deal with this, we have to get up on the roof, and do some disassembly. You have to remove the plastic shroud, and then the front evaporator cover, which is usually held on by a number of screws. This will get you in to the evaporator and drain pan- it is usually fairly obvious if the drains are clogged, and they are easily cleaned, but if you are going this far, it is a good time to check the evaporator coils for dirt, and clean them if needed (if they haven't been cleaned in a while, it really wouldn't hurt to clean them.
Coleman recommends "Formula 409" cleaner, which works well- I use "VoomRV", but most mild degreaser type cleaners should do fine. I don't like to use the standard coil cleaner products for this, as most of them are acidic, and while they would be fine in a large house air conditioner, I don't like the idea of these products running down the outside of an RV. Another great cleaner that I don't like for this application is "Simple Green"- it has some issues with aluminum. The hardest part of cleaning the coils is rinsing them off without flooding the inside of the RV- being very careful with the water, putting rags in the opening from the top, and putting down a protective cover inside should keep everything A-OK. While you are up there with all these items, cleaning the outside condenser coils is a great idea- on air conditioners only a few years old, I can usually lower the amperage draw by 1 to 2 amps, simply by cleaning these coils (letting them get rid of the heat more easily). So- understanding what kind of leak you have, and where the water is supposed to go in a properly operating system, we can see that solving roof air conditioner leaks really isn't a hard job, as long as you have a bit of knowledge.