Should You Be Worried About a Leaking Heat Pump?

While both heat pumps and air conditioners produce moisture as a part of their cooling processes, any leaking that you notice is never a good thing. If working properly, this moisture should be removed properly via a drain or pump. If you have gone out to your heat pump and found that it has standing or visibly running water, that is an indicator of a problem.

DRAIN PROBLEMS

One of the more easily fixed problems when your heat pump is leaking during its summer cooling functions is the drain. Typically, moisture is produced during the cooling process, but it is ferried away down a drain. If that drain is blocked, it could be allowing the moisture to pool around it and eventually overflow in a larger amount that forces you to notice it. The drain needs to be cleared as soon as possible. That standing water is causing rust and other damage that may require more serious repair.

ICED EVAPORATOR COILS

The heat pump uses refrigerant when it cools your home. However, if there has been a leak that results in low refrigerant, then this can cause something you might not expect – ice. The evaporator coils will ice over when the refrigerant is low. That ice then melts in the hot summer air and it can cause quite the dramatic pool of water. Unfortunately, if this is the cause, it means you need a rather expensive repair to replace the refrigerant and locate the refrigerant leak.

The good news is that ice and moisture can also manifest from poor maintenance. As the evaporator coils get dirty, they cannot dissipate heat as quickly. This leads to ice and ice melt at times. So you may not have a refrigerant leak, and cleaning off the coils is usually a much cheaper fix.