Is your air conditioner leaking more water than you think is right?
All air conditioners create a good amount of condensation, which should exit through a drain tube. The drain tube will go into a floor drain or be carried away by a small pump, but if the water is pooled up at the base of the air conditioner, something may be blocking the water’s flow, or leaking, or the pump may not be working.
1) First you will want to look carefully to see if one of the tubes is leaking. If a tube is leaking you’ve found your problem, now you need to replace the tube. If it’s clear how to remove the tube, remove it and take it to a local h/w store to find a replacement.
2) If you haven’t found the problem yet, you will want to test the pump to see if it’s working. To test the pump pour water into its pan. If the pump doesn’t start, either it isn’t receiving power or it is broken. Be sure that it’s plugged in and test the circuit. If the pump is broken, you will want to call an air conditioning repair service to get it repaired or replaced.
3) If the pump runs but doesn’t empty the pan of water, the ball-like check valve just before the discharge tube is probably stuck. Go ahead and unscrew the check valve, next you need to loosen the ball inside, at this point look for an obstruction.
If it appears that a drain tube is clogged with algae or mold, remove it if possible (you may have to cut it and replace). Run a wire through the drain tube to clear it. You also need to kill the algae and mold to avoid it growing back, pour a dilute solution of bleach (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) through the pipe.
4) Ice could also be blocking the drain tube. So be sure to clean the filter of any ice. If the filter appears to be fine, the air conditioner’s refrigerant supply is most likely low. This is when we recommend to call an air-conditioning technician.