Why is my AC Leaking Water?

ac leaking waterIf the AC is leaking water inside your car that’s a problem.  If got the AC leaking water outside your car onto the ground, it means everything is working exactly like it should be!  Water is a natural byproduct of air conditioning and just part of the process.

Water is produced whenever air is cooled because air always has some moisture in it, even in the driest of climates.  We’ve all noticed that a glass of ice water will seem to sweat if you’ve got it outside on a warm day.  As air is cooled, like when it’s near a cold glass or water, or when it’s passing through the cooling coils in your air conditioning system, it is losing energy.  This means its molecules are moving on average more slowly.  This slowing down of the molecules is measured by having a low temperature.  As the air is cooled, the water which is in vapor form also cools meaning those molecules slow down as well.  When water molecules slow down it is easier for them to group up and form heavy drops that fall out of the air.  We call these drops condensation and that is exactly what is dripping out of your car.

The folks who designed your car planned for this to happen in your air conditioning system so they added a condensate drain to direct the water out of the cabin of your vehicle.  This drain is usually in the air box under your evaporator and will have a hose or pipe that usually leads through the firewall or vehicle’s floor to allow the condensate water to flow out.

If you find your AC leaking water inside your car, you will usually find your vehicle’s floorboard wet with cold water every time you turn on your air conditioning.  This is a sign that your condensate drain is clogged keeping the water from draining outside of your car.  Usually, fixing a clogged condensate drain is an easy project for a do it yourself, and can sometimes be accomplished without any tools!

This first step is locating your condensate drain.  It will be at the rear of your engine bay on the passenger side and is usually between ½” and 1” in diameter.  You might be able to see it from the top of the engine bay, but you may have to crawl under your car to find it.  Once you’ve found it, try squeezing the tube or gently bending it to see if you can feel any debris caught inside.  If it’s possible, you can also try inserting a screw driver or something else long, skinny and ridged to try and clear any clogs.  Make sure you don’t insert your clog remover further than the firewall or floor board to avoid damaging something inside the ventilation system.

The last thing to check is to make sure the condensate drain is properly attached to the rest of your ventilation system.  You may be able to check this from outside the vehicle, or you may have to access your ventilation system from inside.  You will find your ventilation system including the blower motor, cabin air filter, evaporate and heater core on the passenger side of your car behind and beneath your vehicle’s glove box.  The condensate drain will be under the evaporator and often the lowest point in your vehicle’s ventilation system.  Once you’ve located it inside the vehicle, check to make sure the condensate drain is properly attached and runs outside your vehicle without any sharp bends or kinks.

If you don’t have any condensate water coming from your vehicle’s air conditioning system, it’s possible your system isn’t working at peak efficiency and isn’t cooling the air enough to condense any moisture.  If this is the case in your vehicle, your system is most likely simply a little low of refrigerant due to a leak.  Before adding new refrigerant, add Red Angel A/C Stop Leak & Conditioner to seal the leak so you don’t lose any more refrigerant to small leaks.

For more information about Red Angel A/C Stop Leak & Conditioner, click on the banner below!
Red Angel AC Stop Leak & Conditioner

 

 

 

 

 

You can purchase Red Angel A/C Stop Leak & Conditioner at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like:

  • AutoZone
  • Advance Auto Parts
  • Bennett Auto Supply
  • CarQuest Auto Parts
  • NAPA Auto Parts
  • O’Reilly Auto Parts
  • Pep Boys
  • Fast Track
  • Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
  • S&E Quick Lube Distributor
  • DYK Automotive
  • Fisher Auto Parts stores
  • Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
  • Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
  • Salvo Auto Parts
  • Advantage Auto Stores
  • Genuine Auto Parts stores
  • Bond Auto Parts stores
  • Tidewater Fleet Supply
  • Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
  • Any Part Auto Parts
  • Consumer Auto Parts

Pictures Provided By:

AC_leaking_water.jpg -By Dawid ZagA3rski – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link

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