Home / AC repair / Water on the floor
AC leaking water?
Water by the air handler is the drain line, nine times out of ten. Florida humidity grows stuff in there. Here's what to do right now & what it costs to fix properly.
Do this first
- Turn the system off. The float switch may have already done it for you. That's what it's for.
- Find the drain line outside. The white PVC pipe near the outdoor unit or along the wall. On a hot day it should be dripping. If it's dry, the line is plugged.
- If you have a wet/dry vac, put it over the end of that pipe for a minute. A lot of clogs come out right there.
- Look at the pan under the air handler. Standing water means the clog is on the inside end or the pan is cracked.
What it usually is
Clogged drain line
Algae & gunk build up in the line & the water backs up into the pan. We clear it, flush it & check the float switch. Your drain line is going to clog after a summer of long run time if you don't do anything about it. A cup of vinegar down the line once a month pretty much takes care of it.
Cracked or rusted drain pan
On older air handlers the primary pan rusts through & the secondary pan catches it, until it doesn't. Some are a repair, some aren't. We'll see what's possible & give you the number before we start.
A frozen coil thawing out
If there was ice on the lines earlier, the puddle is the thaw. That's a different problem. Ice on the lines is here.
Condensate pump
If your air handler is in a closet with no gravity drain, there's a little pump. When it dies, the water has nowhere to go.
What it costs to find out
Regular hours are Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm. A clogged line is usually cleared on the same visit & you'll see the written price before we touch it.
From the gallery of gross



What a drain line looks like from the inside. Good ol AC soup.
See the gallery of grossQuestions people ask
Think comfort. Think Aphex.
@thinkaphex
Same handle everywhere. Mostly attics.