Why Is Water Pooling Around Your Furnace?

While you don't expect to see water on the floor around a furnace, this can sometimes happen, especially if you have a condensing unit. This problem can have various causes. What are they?

Condensate Problems

Some furnaces use a dual heat exchanger system. This system naturally creates condensation as it works. So, the furnace will have various parts that channel this moisture safely out of the way.

For example, your furnace might contain a condensate pump, hose, pipe, and trap. If any of these parts develops a problem, then you might see water spreading around the base of your unit.

Leaks and blockages are the most common issues here. For example, if a condenser hose or pipe has a break in it or becomes clogged up, then water might leak out of it. Or, if your pump fails or gets damaged, then it might allow water to overflow out of your system and onto the floor.

In some cases, water pools around a condensate trap. This trap catches condensation water and allows it to drain away. If the water you can see is only around the trap on your floor, then the trap itself might have a blockage. It might not give water a clear drainage path.

Air Filter Problems

Dirty and blocked air filters can cause problems in furnace units that make them leak water onto the floor. The filters themselves don't cause these leaks; they make other parts create a water flow.

For example, if a furnace's filter is so dirty or blocked that it doesn't allow air through it, then air can't circulate around the coil in your unit. If this coil is starved of airflow, then it can freeze up.

A frozen coil will defrost and drip water during your furnace's heating cycle. This water will usually come out of the bottom of your unit. There is nothing wrong with the coil. Once you clean or change the air filter, the leaking should stop.

Humidifier Problems

If you have installed a humidifier as part of your furnace system, then it might be the cause of your pools of water rather than the furnace itself. If the hose that feeds water into your humidifier has a leak or break in it, then water will leak out. If this hose is close to your furnace, then the water might look like it is coming from the furnace when it is really coming from the humidifier.

For more help, contact a residential furnace repair company, such as Bill Rhiner's Plumbing Heating & Cooling, near you.