As the winter approaches, your furnace becomes more important than ever. Keeping you and your family warm and comfortable. Seeing water forming around the unit may start to worry you. This will usually indicate something is either leaking, dripping or not draining properly. With different furnace units, there are different issues.  Remember that you should never see water around your furnace unit–regardless of the type you have. Although, sometimes the issue can be minor and easily fixed, there are times where it’s a serious problem.

Cause #1: Condensation

With high-efficiency furnaces, the most common cause for water around the unit is condensation. The cause for condensation is usually clogged condensation tubing or drains, breaks in the condensation line and possible issues with the condensation pump if you have one.  Secondly, a standard-efficiency furnace (that has a metal exhaust pipe) shouldn’t have condensation, however, if it does, it is usually because the flue pipe was sized incorrectly. This could cause the hot exhaust to cool down, thus condensing in the pipe, draining into the furnace and then leaking out.

Cause #2: Humidifier

If there is a small device attached to your furnace which has various hookups for water, electricity and drainage–then you have a humidifier. A couple common issues with the humidifier include a clogged filter or drain which causes the unit to leak. If not fixed in time, the leak could cause internal damage to your furnace unit.

Cause #3: Secondary Heat Exchanger

The purpose of a secondary heat exchanger is to remove heat from the exhaust of the furnace.  A faulty secondary heat exchanger is very costly to fix and if the problem is not solved then it may be time to replace your old furnace and install a new one.

Cause #4: Clogged Drain

The last possibility of water around your unit could be an internal drain clog. If you still have your AC unit, it could share an internal drain, causing an internal plug, thus creating the leak. f left untreated, this could also pose further issues and prevent your furnace from working properly.

If you’ve noticed water around your furnace unit and are concerned, it’s important to contact an HVAC contractor to provide furnace maintenance and address the issue. Contact the team at ACT Air Conditioning Texas today.