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Found water pooling around your AC unit? That’s alarming, and you’re wise to be searching online for “why is my AC leaking water inside house Pompano Beach.” Water leaks from your air conditioner can quickly damage floors, grow mold, and turn into expensive repairs if you don’t address them fast.
It’s true that your AC is supposed to produce water, as that’s part of how it works. When warm, humid air passes over the cold evaporator coils, moisture condenses out. Those water droplets collect in a drain pan, then flow through a drain line to the outside. In a properly functioning system, you never see this water. It just disappears outside where it belongs.
But in Pompano Beach, high humidity means your AC produces a lot of condensation. We’re talking several gallons per day during summer. When something goes wrong with the drainage process, all that water has to go somewhere—and “somewhere” often means your living room floor or ceiling below the unit.
The urgency here is real. According to the EPA, 47% of residential buildings show signs of dampness or mold. (1) And mold can begin growing within just 24-48 hours after water damage occurs. What starts as a small puddle today can become a mold remediation project by the weekend.
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This is the number one cause of indoor AC leaks. Your drain line is a small pipe—maybe 3/4 inch diameter—that handles all the condensation your AC produces. Over time, algae grows inside that pipe. Mold joins the party. Dirt and debris flow through and stick to the slimy walls. Eventually, the buildup gets thick enough to block water flow.
When water can’t drain out, it backs up in the drain pan and overflows. Pompano Beach’s humidity accelerates this process faster than drier climates. Your AC runs almost continuously from spring through fall, producing condensation nonstop. That constant moisture is perfect for algae growth. We see clogged drain lines cause leaks more often than any other issue.
Here’s something that catches people off guard: coils can freeze even when your filter is brand new. Low refrigerant is usually why this happens. Maybe you’ve got a slow leak somewhere in the system. Whatever the cause, when refrigerant levels drop—whether that’s older R-410A or the newer stuff like R-32 or R-454B—your coils can’t absorb heat the way they’re designed to. They get too cold. Way too cold. Cold enough that moisture freezes instantly on contact.
You can also freeze coils by restricting airflow. Close too many vents in your house? Block a return vent with furniture? Same problem—not enough warm air flowing over the coils means they drop below freezing temperature.
Either way, you end up with ice. Sometimes just a thin frost, sometimes thick chunks building up over hours. When that ice eventually melts—and it will—you suddenly have way more water than your drain pan was designed to handle. It overflows fast.
Every drain pan eventually wears out. If your AC is 12-15 years old or older, there’s a decent chance your drain pan has developed rust spots or cracks. Metal pans rust from constant exposure to moisture. Plastic pans get brittle with age and crack.
Once the pan itself leaks, it doesn’t matter if your drain line is perfectly clear. Water drips right through the holes in the pan before it even reaches the drain. You’ll see water damage directly below your air handler—on the ceiling of the room below, or on the floor if the unit is on a ground floor or in a closet.
A lot of Pompano Beach homes and condos have AC units installed where gravity drainage isn’t possible. Interior closets, units in attics above living spaces, pancake units in condos—these all require a condensate pump to move water up or across to a drain point.
When the pump fails, water backs up in its reservoir and eventually overflows. You’ll usually notice this quickly because the water accumulates fast—especially during summer when your AC runs constantly. We covered pumps in detail on another page, but just know that pump failure is a quick path to indoor flooding.
Sometimes the drain line itself is the problem. Poor installation from the start, or a line that’s come loose over time, means water never makes it outside. Maybe the line doesn’t have enough downward slope, so water sits in the pipe instead of flowing. Or the line got damaged during other home repairs and now drips water inside your walls.
We see this occasionally after homeowners have renovated or had other contractors working near the AC. Someone accidentally disconnects the drain line, or bumps it, and doesn’t realize they’ve created a leak pathway.
Coils that are caked with dust and debris don’t cool efficiently. But more importantly for leaks—dirty coils can cause ice formation even when your filter is clean. The layer of grime on the coils acts as insulation, preventing proper heat transfer. The coils get too cold, ice forms, and when it melts you’ve got excess water.
This is less common than a clogged drain line, but it happens. Coil cleaning is part of regular maintenance, but not something most homeowners think to do on their own.
These are the red flags that tell you water isn’t going where it should:
Any of these signs means you need to investigate immediately. Don’t wait.
First thing: shut it down. Turn off the thermostat, then flip the breaker for your AC system to the off position. Continuing to run the system makes the leak worse. Plus, electricity and water together are a safety hazard you don’t want to risk.
Grab towels, buckets, whatever you’ve got handy. Soak up standing water to prevent it from spreading or soaking deeper into your flooring. If you’ve got water dripping from a ceiling, position buckets to catch it.
Take photos of the damage while you’re at it. If you end up filing an insurance claim, you’ll need documentation of what happened and when.
With the power off, you can safely take a quick look at potential causes. Is your air filter completely clogged? That’s easy to see and easy to fix. Can you access your drain line outside? Check if water is flowing out—if it’s dry, you probably have a clog.
Look at the drain pan if you can see it. Is there visible standing water? Cracks or rust spots? These quick checks might tell you what’s going on.
This is where you stop and pick up the phone. Most AC water leak causes need professional diagnosis and repair. And here’s the critical part: mold can start growing within 24-48 hours of water damage. You don’t have time to troubleshoot for days. You need someone who can identify and fix the problem today.
When you call us for air conditioning repair services Pompano Beach, we don’t just mop up water and hope for the best.
First, we inspect your entire drainage system. We check the drain line for clogs, test water flow, examine the drain pan for damage, and verify your condensate pump works if you have one. We also look at your evaporator coils for ice, dirt, or damage.
If we find a clogged drain line, we clear it completely—not just push the clog further down the line. We use specialized tools, flush the system, and make sure water flows freely. For refrigerant leaks causing frozen coils, we locate the leak, repair it, and recharge your system with the correct amount of refrigerant. That might be newer refrigerants like R-32 or R-454B, which are mildly flammable and require proper handling.
Dirty coils get thoroughly cleaned. Damaged drain pans get replaced. Failed condensate pumps get swapped out for new ones. We fix the root cause, not just the symptoms.
At Filterbuy HVAC Solutions, we’ve handled hundreds of AC water leak calls in Pompano Beach. We know Florida systems inside and out, and we know what fails in our climate. We also move fast because we understand that mold timeline.
Now you understand why is my AC leaking water inside house Pompano Beach and what causes these leaks. The key takeaway? Don’t wait. In Florida’s humid climate, water damage and mold growth happen fast. What seems like a minor drip today can turn into a major problem by next week.
At Filterbuy HVAC Solutions, we respond quickly to water leak emergencies in Pompano Beach. We’ve got the experience with Florida AC systems to diagnose the problem accurately and fix it right the first time. Whether it’s a clogged drain line, frozen coils, or a broken pump, we’ll get your system draining properly and prevent future leaks.
Contact us immediately at (754) 714-4666 or visit us at 2521 NE 4th Ave, Pompano Beach, FL 33064. We offer same-day service for emergencies because we know you can’t afford to wait.
Q: Is it normal for my AC to leak water outside?
A: Yes—outside is completely normal and expected. Your AC produces condensation, and that water should drain outside your home. If you see water dripping from your outdoor drain line, that’s your system working correctly. Indoor leaks are the problem.
Q: How much does it cost to fix an AC water leak?
A: It depends on the cause:
Always cheaper than water damage repair, which can run thousands of dollars.
Q: Can I fix an AC water leak myself?
A: Depends entirely on what’s causing it. A straightforward drain line clog? Sure, you can probably handle that with a shop vac and some vinegar. We covered the method on our drain line page—it works for basic blockages.
But here’s where DIY ends: frozen coils mean you’ve got refrigerant issues or major airflow problems. That’s not something you troubleshoot with YouTube videos. Refrigerant leaks require specialized equipment to locate and repair, plus proper handling of those newer refrigerants that are mildly flammable. Broken condensate pumps need replacement and correct sizing. Damaged drain pans require accessing your air handler and installing new parts.
Most homeowners call us after trying DIY methods that didn’t work. Save yourself the time and potential water damage—if you’ve checked the obvious stuff (filter, drain line) and water’s still leaking, call someone who fixes these problems daily.
Q: Why is my AC leaking water only at night?
A: Temperature drops when the sun goes down. Your AC doesn’t need to work as hard, so it cycles off more often or runs at lower capacity. That’s when frozen coils finally get a chance to thaw.
Think about it: during the day your system runs constantly trying to keep up with heat and humidity. If you’ve got low refrigerant or restricted airflow, ice builds up slowly over those hours. Everything stays frozen while the system operates. Then nighttime hits, outdoor temps drop, your AC takes a break, and suddenly all that ice starts melting. That’s when you see the puddle—it’s not a new leak, it’s accumulated ice from daytime operation finally thawing out.
This pattern is a dead giveaway that you’ve got frozen coils. The leak isn’t actually happening “only at night”—the ice formation happens all day, you just don’t see the water until it melts.
Q: Will my AC leak water if it’s low on Freon?
A: Yes, but it’s indirect. Low refrigerant (Freon is an old brand name—newer systems use R-410A, R-32, or R-454B) causes your evaporator coils to get too cold and freeze. When that ice melts, you get excess water that overflows the drain pan. So technically the leak is from frozen coils, but the root cause is low refrigerant.
Q: How do I know if my AC water leak caused mold?
A: Watch for these signs:
If you suspect mold, get a professional inspection. Mold remediation needs to happen before you close up any repairs.
(1) https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home
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