Air conditioners cool your home by doing two things at once: removing both heat and humidity. When the moisture is removed from your home, it goes from a gaseous state to a liquid state: water. And this water has to be removed from your home correctly and effectively so that your home properly dehumidifies. This is where the condensate array comes in. The array consists of the condensate tray or pan and the condensate drain line. While the set-up for the condensate array is quite simple, not maintaining the array can lead to some serious problems.
How It Drains
As your air conditioner dehumidifies, condensation (water) forms on the evaporator coils and drips down through the coils to the condensate tray. The tray is slanted so that all water runs down to the corner where the condensate drain line can drain it to your sewer or septic line.
Common Problems
The best way to outline the common problems that can develop with the condensate array is to look at the two separate components: the tray and the drain line. With the tray, a couple of things can happen. Sometimes the tray can shift position, rupturing the connection between the tray and the drain line and allowing the water to spill directly onto the floor instead of draining out. Another problem commonly seen with the condensate tray is corrosion. Should the tray develop cracks and holes, the water will seep through these cracks and holes directly to the floor below (or the air filter, depending on how where your AC air handler is located).
As mentioned above, the drain line can become separated from the tray, but an even more common problem is clogging. Drain lines are great environments for mold and mildew to grow, and if they blossom enough, they can clog the line. This will cause water to back up into the tray and eventually spill over. Clearly all of these problems can result in potentially serious water damage, so it’s important to have an expert check your condensate array annually.
If you are seeing water leakage coming from the area of your air conditioner in Cumming GA, don’t wait to call for an expert. The AC pros at Comfort Zone HVAC are here to help – all you have to do is give us a call!
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