Literally, air conditioners have become part and parcel of our lives, just like technology. We need them in our cars, homes, offices, malls, hospitals, you name it. However, when we least expect it, they break down. Some malfunction and annoyingly keep going on and off, some start generating a lot of noise to mention but a few. Of all these discrepancies the most recurring and annoying of all is water leaks. Leaking problem in aircon is caused by basically three reasons; poor installation, blockage in the drainage and shortage of refrigerant. So how do you stop an aircon from leaking? The following six tips are great and will help you stop your aircon from leaking.
1. Ensure that the aircon is properly installed
When installing an air conditioner, make sure that the window unit’s a front is slightly higher than the rear of the aircon. The difference of 1-inch should be enough to allow proper draining. The benefits of having the window unit’s front slightly higher than the rear of the aircon is to allow the leak to roll out the back of the unit, otherwise, the leak will drip directly into your home causing damages and creating unattractive spots.
2. Clean the dirty filters
From time to time, based on where the air conditioner is, often the filters get dirty blocking the heat exchanger. Blocked heat exchangers restricts air from circulating within making the moisture within to condense resulting to formation of water droplets which later leak. To prevent this, regular cleaning of the filters is a mandatory. In addition, it will be helpful to check the aluminum foil behind the system filters from time to time to ensure that it doesn’t get clogged with dirt. Gently use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dirt. Be sure to read all instructions that come with the product to prevent unpleasant scenarios.
3. Unblock the aircon’s drainage hole
Usually, there is a hole or a groove at the back of the air conditioner that is designed to let out any drip. Unfortunately, the hole can sometimes clog preventing water from coming out. The pilling of water inside the unit often comes out dripping inside the house. To fix this, you will need to confirm whether the plastic drain in your aircon is designed to trap water produced when the unit is in cooling mode and drain it to clear the blockage.
4. Check for icing
Usually, slight decrease in temperature of the cooling coil causes it to ice up and during warm periods, it is bound to melt releasing the water into your house. You can try and locate the aircon’s cooling coil and check whether there is ice forming. If that is the case, you will need a professional to fix that for you.
5. Replace lost refrigerants
Normally, the air conditioner is expected to deliver plenty of cool air when a lot of air flows in. However, in rare occasions this may not be the case. The system gradually develops a problem, some kind of difficulty in cooling the room when a lot of air streams through it. Experts blame that on shortage of the refrigerant. To fix this, a new refrigerant will be needed. Diagnose this by setting up a heat-pump to its lowest possible setting and then run the system for a couple of minutes. If you find any ice piling under the filter, its means that it has a problem and needs a professional to repair it.
6. Have it checked by a professional from time to time
You may want to do all the things stated in this article but due to reasons known only by you, somehow fail to do them; a fixed schedule, busy lifestyle and such. Gladly, in Singapore, there are experts experienced in air conditioner operations and will gladly help you in troubleshooting. Look at it as some sort of servicing/maintenance. Where you call in an expert, they check everything for you, fix any problem while you continue doing what you do and still get the most out of your aircon.
In conclusion, it will also be prudent to seek the assistance of an expert when purchasing an air conditioner; doing this will save you from purchasing counterfeits and ones of poor qualities. Finally read carefully and understand the manual before trying any operation you are not familiar with.