Central Air help

[TheDean]

When my central air is running, water is coming out underneath and running all over. The hose that runs to the floor drain is not plugged, it's coming from inside. Anyone????

[LiquidSteel]

You probably have what is called an "A-coil" that is dirty. The industry has what is called a "fin comb" that cleans it out, but a good shop vac will work well too. Around the a-coil, is a place for the water to drain into the hose. I would recommend that this area be clean as well so the water can get to the hose.

[H2only]

It could still be the hose, but at the inlet of the drain, ours did this last year, and I opened up the unit and found some gunk at the hole where the water starts to drain at the start of the hose, the water tray filled up with some gunk and collected at that opening, then the water wasnt going anywhere and ran over.

[Fly-Boy-Wray]

Based on what you are seeing, it could be any number of things. Below I’ve listed the 5 most common problems to be diagnosed after finding water in the basement from the furnace unit. Numbers 3 & 4 are the easiest to diagnose and remedy by the average homeowner.

In my opinion it is probably number 2. If there is a lack of refrigerant, things will start icing up. This will start with the inside coil (not visible by the average homeowner but does seem to fit with the description you provided) and will move to the largest copper line near the outside unit (visible by the average homeowner). A lack of refrigerant will also have symptoms to include: extended run time of AC unit and AC not keeping up with cooling demands. Note: you can damage the unit by running when low on refrigerant.

I would suggest that you start with numbers 3 and 4 (as they are the easiest to remedy). Numbers 1, 2 and 5 would require the assistance of a professional. Just an FYI, the average life expectancy of a heating and cooling system is 20 years. If you do find yourself with a refrigerant leak be sure to have it fixed rather than just recharged with refrigerant because it will just leak out again in the future.

1. Lack of airflow
**Dirty furnace filter
**Dirty blower wheel
**Dirty evaporator coil (A-coil or indoor coil)
**Not enough return air (blocked return grills)
**Not enough supply air (blocked supply grills)

2. Lack of refrigerant
**Leak in unit (indoor coil or outdoor coil)

3. Clogged drain line
**Debris can clog the drain line. They should be flushed twice yearly. Use a 50/50 mix of bleach and water. When using bleach mixture just make sure you have adequate drainage as not to cause any additional damage to personal property. (From what you said it probably isn't the drain line).

4. Damaged drain pan
**Most older drain pans are made of metal. Over the years they can rust which can cause a hole to form and water to leak out.

5. Clogged refrigerant metering device.
**Undiagnosable and not visible to the average homeowner.

Hope I didn’t overwhelm you with information. I hope it helps. Good Luck.