Dripping AC Drain Stains Wall
Would you notice this stain on the front of a house in your neighborhood? This stain started as a simple drip and accumulated as the drip was ignored.
This stain is a warning sign! We can help prevent this kind of problem happening to you or your neighbor’s house.
Let me tell you what is happening here.
Air Conditioning systems condense water on an evaporator coil similar to how a glass of ice tea does at dinner. I am sure you have seen a puddle of water around your ice tea glass in the summer… well, your evaporator coil has to deal with a much bigger puddle of water as it cools your home in the summer.
Condensation collects into a drain pan with 2 drains. First is a primary drain which dumps the water into an existing plumbing drain within your house. Then a secondary overflow drain takes over if the primary drain stops up. This secondary drain is run to an exterior wall and, often, right over a window. The intent is to give you a visual warning that your primary drain is clogged and needs cleaning. If you see water dripping from your secondary drain, you should call an air conditioning service company immediately!
Unfortunately, most are not informed about the reason for condensate dripping down an outside wall. Also, most homeowners don’t know where their secondary overflow drain is located. This homeowner used PVC pipe to route the leak around the window which didn’t help much. The drip continued and the wall is stained while the primary drain is still clogged.
A clogged primary drain is also a risk for water damage to your house. If the secondary overflow drain stopped up it could overflow the drain pan and create ceiling damage or cause a mold infestation. We don’t want that!
So walk outside for some exercise and see if you spot any drips. If your reading this blog outside the cooling season, make a mental note to check next summer. Dripping water is not good for your exterior no matter whether the cause is a dripping AC drain or leaking gutters or leaking roof drip edge.
Feel free to pass this info to a friend or neighbor, especially if you see a drip. If we all watch out for each other, we will all experience less aggravation.
-Stacey Pearson sales/estimating
