AC or Air Conditioner is a device used to cool air with the help of a heat transfer within a refrigerant liquid. The main objective of an Air Conditioner system is to provide comfort by adjusting the temperature of the room. Air Conditioner is an essential technology to combat harsh environmental temperatures and is used virtually anywhere.
In this article, we are going to find out how to fix a dripping window air conditioner. The problem can be identified by excessive water dripping on the floor. This problem is by far, the most common problem encountered in the world of HVAC.
First of all, due to how an air conditioner works, condensation can cause water droplets to form on pipes and fall into the base of the body of the air conditioner unit. In fact, that is actually how it intended to work. The air conditioner unit will have a small drain pipe attached to the base of the unit, where the water puddle from condensation forms, so it can drain the water and not leak onto the floor.
How Does It Work?
We must know how it works in order to fix something. A refrigerant liquid or a freon is a special substance that has different temperatures in different states. A freon is injected into the air conditioner tank in gas form. When the air conditioner is turned on, the compressor works to pump and compress the freon into a liquid state.
According to thermodynamics law, when gas is compressed, it heats up. Freon is a substance that is very sensitive to pressure changes, and thus temperature. When the freon is compressed, it became liquid and heats up tremendously.
The compressed hot gas now travels into the condenser to be expelled of the heat with the help of a blower fan behind it. The condenser is a winding pipe with aluminum fins attached to it to increase the conductive contact area. More conductive contacts area means it’s easier to expel the heat with the air current created by the blower fan.
The freon has run its course in the condenser, it now enters the capillary tube. The capillary tube is a tube with a very small diameter designed to throttle the freon in order to drop the pressure, much like the head of a perfume spray bottle. As a result, the freon came out from the tube in the form of gas.
According to thermodynamics law, when gas is decompressed, it cools down. The freon travels through the drier-filter to be cleaned of oil remnants and residues.
Finally, the cooled, gas-state freon now travels through the evaporator, which is basically the same winding pipe-like appearance as the condenser. The evaporator blows cold air into the indoor rooms. Once the freon has run its course, it is sent back to the freon tank via a small suction line.
Common Causes and How to Fix It
Every problem has causes. The instructions below will help you to identify the causes of your broken air conditioner unit and guide you fixing the air conditioner.
Dust and Dirt
The Cause
Just like any other appliances, dust can get into your air conditioner pretty easily. It can clog the evaporator and condenser, making it less effective to expel heat or cold because of reduced conductive contact area.
As a result, the temperature difference clashes inside the unit, and condensation appears on pipes and unit inside walls, creating a massive amount of water droplets. Also, check the air filter for dust build-ups.
The Fix
- Turn off and unplug the air conditioner unit
- Carefully take apart the outer casing of the air conditioner unit
- Clean the coils and filters with compressed air. You can use water to clean it
- Dry the air conditioner unit
- Reattach the outer casing, after that you can plug it on to see if the unit is working properly.
Blocked drainage
The Cause
The drainage pipe is located near the bottom of the air conditioner unit. Its main goal is to drain any water caused by the internal condensation process to keep the air conditioner unit running healthy. The drainage pipe is vulnerable to mold because it is constantly exposed to moisture.
It can also be blocked by the dust collected on the base of the air conditioner unit and carried by the water droplets into the drainage pipe. Do not forget to check the slope or tilt of the drainage pipe so that the water can flow naturally by gravity.
The Fix
- Turn off and unplug the air conditioner unit
- Carefully take apart the outer casing of the air conditioner unit
- Clean the base of the air conditioner unit.
- Take apart the drainage pipe and clean it with a brushing stick or a water jet. Make sure all mold comes off.
- Reattach the drainage pipe and the outer casing, make sure the drainage pipe is tilted down slightly so water can flow naturally.
Frosting
The Cause
Frosting is a moderately severe case of an air conditioner problem. Although it still depends on the source of the problem and how fast you act on it. Frosting usually occurs in evaporator or condenser pipes/coils. It can happen from a lack of airflow, due to broken motors driving the fan, or not enough space to ventilate it, resulting in cold air being trapped in the evaporators and freeze over.
Clogged up air filters can also cause frosting because it messes up with decompressing of the freon. Incorrect electrical wiring can also cause frosting because broken temperature sensing/control makes the compressor run uncontrolled, causing massive icing in the evaporator.
The Fix
Please consider asking for HVAC engineer’s professional help because frosting is a serious problem and could be dangerous because of electrical and refrigerant hazards.
- First, check whether the area has enough airflow to move cold/hot air around, if it doesn’t, consider moving the air conditioner unit somewhere else.
- Unplug the unit, then take apart the casing and inspect the motor and the fan blades, is it working properly? Does the fan rotation make enough airflow?
- Check the motor wirings, the capacitors, the thermostats, and the contactors and test every component with a multimeter to see if it’s working properly.
- If something is broken, you can try to buy a replacement component with the same series/type/specifications.
- Reattach all the components and the outer casing, plug it on and turn it on to see if it’s working properly.
Please note that you should always put your safety first while tinkering with air conditioner units. Wear protective gloves, thick work apparel, and standardized protective boots. The electricity running on the air conditioner unit may give you a dangerous electrical shock. The refrigerant liquid, if improperly handled, could cause you cold-burn. Be sure to have first aid kits nearby and a phone handy in case of an emergency. Or better yet, ask for a professional HVAC engineer help.
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