Minimizing Your Risk Of Water Damage When Your A/C’s Running 24/7

Minimizing Your Risk Of Water Damage When Your A/C’s Running 24/7

The further the Los Angeles area gets into summer, the more likely it is that you will need to run your air conditioner 24 hours a day. Your air conditioner cools but also dehumidifies your home as condensation forms on the evaporator coil. This water is usually drained away, but if the drains are clogged or if there is too much water for the drains to handle, there can be an overflow or water can leak into your home. Try the following steps to cut down on this around-the-clock risk of water damage from your cooling system.

• Schedule preventive maintenance. Regular maintenance is critical to keeping your air conditioner running well and maintaining its efficiency. Part of the service should include checking and clearing main and emergency drains, cleaning the coils and checking contactors for damage.
• Perform maintenance tasks you can do yourself. Change filters regularly (every three months, or monthly if needed). Clear trees, shrubs, grass and other vegetation from around the outside unit, leaving at least two feet of clearance on all sides and five feet of clearance above the unit.
• Give the system regular treatments with algaecide. This keeps algae from growing in the drainage pipes and clogging them. Ask your HVAC technician about this service.
• Regularly check the emergency drain pipe. If there is water coming out of this pipe, it likely means your primary drain is blocked and a leak or overflow may happen at any time. Turn off your air conditioner and call for service.
• Put a safety float switch in the air conditioner’s drain pan. As the water level in the pan increases, the float switch rises higher. At a specified point, the switch rises high enough to activate and shut off your air conditioner. This keeps water from overflowing the drain pan and alerts you to the need for service.

Air-Tro Inc. has offered professional HVAC design, installation and maintenance to customers in the greater Los Angeles area for 43 years. Contact us today for more information on controlling leaks and preventing water damage from your air conditioner.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about water damage and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County.