Your faucet drips, but your AC? That’s not supposed to. If you hear a dripping noise, it could lead to big problems down the line. Let’s deal with it right now by explaining what it is, and get a technician out there to determine the cause. This is what you need to know about how to stop a dripping noise from air conditioners.
Your Condensate Line Is Clogged
Moisture accumulates in your air conditioner from its usual operation, but it’s not supposed to stay there. Instead, it runs through a condensate line and sends it outside, away from your air conditioner cabinet.
You might not be hearing a dripping sound like you think. Instead of water droplets coming out of a faucet, the sound might be from continued water backup. If your condensate line is clogged, this can happen.
Fortunately, clearing out a condensate line isn’t too difficult. It can be a DIY solution, but if you want to be sure that it’s done correctly, you should hire a technician. That way they can also inspect your AC to see if the backup caused any damage.
Your Air Filter Needs to be Changed
How could the air filter lead to a dripping sound? When airflow is restricted, your evaporator coil can freeze over. During the process of it freezing, you may hear water dripping inside the unit before the coil begins actually freezing over.
Warm air needs to be pulled in and pushed over the coils to prevent freezing. You can make sure this happens by switching out your air filter every 30–60 days. While it may be tempting to save money by vacuuming or cleaning a filter and putting it back, it’s impossible for you to pull all the dust and debris out of it. Always replace the filters with brand new ones.
Blocked Condensate Pan
The condensate pan holds moisture that’s pulled from the air, just below the evaporator coil. Picture it as a drip tray that helps redirect the moisture away from the coil and into the condensate line.
Dirt and debris will slowly find its way into your air conditioner, and over time, it can build up enough to block your condensate pan. It’s also possible that mold and mildew growth in the condensate pan can build up enough to block the line.
Your condensate pan should be cleaned regularly, but it should also be disinfected to stifle any mold growth. Your condensate pan should drain perfectly after this and no longer give you any issues. If you’ve had problems with this in the past, make sure you bring it up to your maintenance technician.
Don’t Delay That Repair
Dripping sounds coming from your air conditioner could be a sign of a serious problem, but it’s up to a technician to inspect it and tell you for sure. This is something that can usually be caught by regular annual maintenance, so after your repair, be sure to set up a regular maintenance plan.
Contact The A/C Guy of Tampa Bay Inc. today to schedule air conditioning repair and maintenance