Your furnace isn’t one of your home’s water-using appliances, so it can be very surprising if you ever notice water building up on or around your heating system. A leaking furnace is certainly not a good sign, and it is a problem that should be taken care of quickly before it damages your system’s electrical components. Today we’re going to talk about why your furnace would be leaking water and what you should do if you ever notice it happening in your home!
What could cause my furnace to be leaking water?
- Leak in the humidifier. Although your furnace does not consume water, whole-house humidifiers do. If you have a humidifier installed in your furnace, there could be a leak somewhere in the unit that is dripping down to your furnace. This leak might be in the pipes leading to and from your humidifier, or it could be a crack in the humidifier itself. Either way, this can be hazardous to your furnace because the water leaking from your humidifier will drip directly into your furnace’s internal components.
- High efficiency furnace condensation leak. If you have a high-efficiency furnace installed in your home (90 percent AFUE rating or higher), your system’s exhaust gas is cooled down to a liquid (condensation) during the heating process. This condensation is drained out of your home through a PVC pipe. If there is a crack anywhere in the pipes leading from your furnace, or if those pipes are clogged, it will form a leak near the base of your system.
- Leak is coming from your air conditioner. During this time of year, we might switch from using our furnaces to using our air conditioners in the very same week. Air conditioners are prone to water leaks when condensate drain lines get clogged. Because your furnace and air conditioner share the same internal components, the water leak that you notice might be coming from your air conditioner even if you didn’t notice it until your furnace was in use.
What should you do if you notice your furnace leaking water?
Water leaks in your furnace should not be taken lightly. As mentioned above, they can damage your furnace’s electrical components and possibly even be a safety hazard. Give Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning a call as soon as you notice any water buildup around your furnace so that we can take care of the problem before it causes extensive damage to your system.
If you have any questions about your furnace leaking water, or if you’d like a heating system serviced or installed in your home, contact Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, your St. Louis furnace repair and installation company. We service the St. Louis area, including towns like Weldon Spring, Wentzville, and Winghaven, MO.
