Anybody know about window A/C units?

[donna723]

The one I have in my living room is only about a year or two old. But for some reason when it gets very humid like it's been for the last two weeks, instead of the condensation dribbling out the back to the outside, it comes out the FRONT and is soaking the carpet!!!! And it's tilted back a little, so the condensation should go towards the back and drip outside, but it doesn't. And it's not just a little water either! For the last several days I've had to get out the carpet shampooer and use it to s*ck the water out of the carpet! I've tried just putting the A/C unit on the fan setting, but it's just too darned hot and humid to do that! My only consolation is that it's almost October and pretty soon I'll be able to turn it off! Any bright ideas?

 

[Mattsmom277]

is there a small hole or crack in the tray section on the bottom where the water builds up before dripping out the back? This could cause it to pool forward depending on the spot with the problem. My S/O can't imagine anything else that would cause your issue, other than perhaps due to humidity, the water is condensing so much from the AC working extra hard and it isnt' draining fast enough out the back??? He suggests checking it for cracks or a small hole somewhere that you can see visually. If you can't see a problem, he suggests putting something under the front end to tilt it even more. I know mine has been tilted and pooled out the front when I haven't tilted enough. Hope you get it working better. To save your carpet, keep a large towel or old piece of heavy clothing stuffed under the front end to soak the water up and then rotate with another, so you can clean the first one when it soaks through. A true pain I'm sure, but worth it to have the AC running in this humidity, and much easier than trying to replace a carpet if the underlay gets moldy from the water.

 

[GoingNorth]

This happens very frequently with window units as the window sags to accomodate the extra weight.

ALL window units should have an external bracket to take most of the weight off the window frame.

Did you install the unit yourself or did you have someone else do it for you?

 

[donna723]

No, somebody else did it for me. It's done fine up until now. I take that back ... it did it for a few days last summer when we had several days of rain and high humidity, then stopped when the weather got back to normal. And it did fine all this summer until we started having rain every single day and this super high humidity! I've got a plastic trash bag on the floor with a folded towel on top of that and a 9x12 cake pan on the towel to catch the drips - it fills to overflowing overnight!

 

[GoingNorth]

I used to live in TN thirty years ago. The summer heat and humidy's awful. When you get that, it may be that the dehumidifier is pulling out more moisture from the outside air than the unit can handle.

 

[DammitJanet]

Donna...we get this problem here too. First off, make sure your filters are really clean. Then do the leaning it back a tiny bit more but not a whole lot more because the thingy do inside does need water to work. You may want to unplug it and take it out of the window to do some cleaning of it to make sure nothing is clogging up the works. Just spray some 409 on the system and wait a few minutes then hose it off. Let dry. Make sure no leaves or bugs or spider nests.

Do put towels under the unit until this passes.

 

[Hound dog]

We've had issues with it too during high humidity. But we haven't used air conditioning this year at all. I recall husband doing what Janet recommended when the water started coming inside the house. It worked out pretty well for us.

This year we just suffered. We just couldn't afford it.

 

[Marguerite]

Can you put a pot plant under it? A bucket of mint perhaps, mint loves to be under a dripping tap.

At least until you get the problem sorted..

Marg

 

[Marg's Man]

Air Conditioning 101 - apologies now if I say something that you already know. This should give you some ideas that may avoid a service call.
First What kind of AC have you got? A Refrigeration type or the type that blows air through a filter cooled by water from a tank you keep filled, we call those Coolgardies in Australia.

In TN I hope you're using the Refrigeration type that works by cooling the air directly as it blown through chilled coils. Excess water condenses out of the cooled air and has to be drained away, usually via a drain that leads outside. Often this drain is inconveniently located so there is often some sort of tube or pipe to get the water where you want it to be. If you are getting leaks inside the building then something is wrong with this drain system, so this what needs checking. Some ideas have been mentioned already, cracked collecting trays, insufficient slope. You need about a 1 in 40 slope for water to drain reliably, PM me for details on how to work out slope if cannot. If enough people ask I'll post it. The next most common cause is a blocked drain.

Start by locating the point in the tray where the water drains away. This may be a simple hole or have a short (less than an inch long) pipe moulded into the tray. This hole can get clogged with a slimy mixture of algae and dirt. It can be poked out with a finger or a some sort of wooden stick (skewers are perfect) if you are squeamish. Be careful not damage the tray if it is not already damaged. If the tray exit is clear and there is a long tube or pipe then this where the blockage will probably be. Use whatever it takes to make sure this tube is clear.

Another possible cause is due to the coils (the bit that looks a like car radiator) icing up. This is located where the tray cannot catch the water as the ice melts so it runs the wrong way. The most common cause for icing up is loss of the gas in the system, THIS needs a call to the service technician.

If you have a Coolgardie type then there is a simple water leak in the tank or drip tray which you just have to find. I don't think you'll have one of these because they are hopeless in areas that are not desert dry climates. They make humid air even more humid without cooling as well as normal and they don't cool much normally! It's just matter of find and fix the leak - not always easy if at all possible.

Marg's Man