Fix Your Dripping Air Conditioner Once and for All

Living without an air conditioner in the summer is miserable, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t misery associated with having one, either. The necessary devices require maintenance and care, but even with proper upkeep, there is one gross thing about them that seems inevitable: They’re wet. And they drip. And sometimes, when they’re not functioning properly, they drip inside your home.

Why do air conditioners get condensation in them?

For the same reasons plane cabins get foggy in hot locations, your air conditioner will inevitably become wet. Warm air is meeting cold air and warm air holds more moisture than its cooler counterpart, so that moisture must go somewhere. Typically, it ends up in the coils of the machine itself, which is why air conditioners come with drainage systems. When those pipes get blocked up, you are likely to see water drip out onto your floor, down your wall, or in your windowsill because, again, that moisture must go somewhere.

There are obvious downsides to this phenomenon: First, you don’t want a wet home, especially when you’re already dealing with other summer horrors, like intense heat. Second, standing water can produce mould and dribbling water can really mess up your walls.

How to fix water dripping from an air conditioner

According to the good folks at Absolute Aircon, here’s what you need to do if you want to stop this dripping:

• Make sure the air conditioner is properly installed. This is the “have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?” of air conditioning, but sometimes the basics work. Your window unit’s front should be a little higher than the back of the unit, which will help it drain outward, not inward. Unfortunately, this means your machine will dribble out onto the street, possibly hitting people if you’re up high enough. Please, consider installing a tray or other device to catch the drips, and empty it regularly. Don’t be an arsehole.
• Clean your filters. Filters get dirty over time, which will block some key parts of the machine from working, restricting air and causing condensation — you need to clean them.
• Unblock your drainage equipment. As mentioned, these pipes can get backed up — and that leads water inside to come out in other ways. Read your unit’s instructions, detach the hose if possible, and clean it thoroughly.
• Be aware of icing. If the temps go down slightly, the cooling coils can ice up, then thaw when it gets warm again. That means more water inside the unit, which will eventually mean more water outside the unit. If you can locate the cooling coil and identify some ice, you’re in a better position here, but you’ll have to call a pro to handle the situation.
• Call a professional. You should have your unit serviced by a professional once a year to identify any necessary minor repairs before they turn into major repairs.

And here is our guide to all the other ways to fix a struggling air conditioning unit.