Unless caused by a spill, seeing water leak from your furnace is usually a bad sign. It usually is confusing as you may not know where it came from. We are to help you and other homeowners in the Carlyle, IL area figure out why the leak is happening.
Is The Water Leak Coming from Your Furnace?
If your own is equipped with a conventional furnace, the metal exhaust pipe is not meant for water and condensation. This means that water is not involved in the heating process for this standard-efficiency furnace. This means that the water leak that you are experiencing is coming from someplace else. At the same time, however, having a vent pipe that is the wrong size can end up trapping gasses, which can result in a liquid residue.
High-efficiency furnaces are known to only be able to leak water. This is because they are referred to as condensing furnaces because they are equipped with a secondary heat exchanger that results in condensation rising instead of flue gases. You can identify this type of system by the waterlines that are found on the plastic PVC pipe. These types also tend to be larger in size.
What Else Could Be Causing This Problem?
The leak could also be coming from a nearby appliance such as a water heater, pipes, or even a failing roof. The last thing you want to do is schedule a home service that won’t do you any good. This is why we suggest that you observe the area entirely to make sure that the leak is from your furnace and nowhere else.
How Do High-Efficiency Furnaces Leak?
To determine how your high-efficiency furnace is leaking water, you first need to understand how it functions. Condensation develops when exhaust gases are released within the system. This creates moisture in the PVC that needs to be drained by the condensation pump or into a drain on the floor. When water is not able to properly leave the system, this then causes a leak.
Condensation is able to flow past this point leaves the plastic flue pipe and out of the condensate drain hose before then reaching the inducer assembly. In some situations, if there is a cracked inducer or a loose connection then the furnace water will leak from these points. The same will happen if there are breaches or clogs in the drain line or condensate trap.
If you experience a leak, make sure you contact one of our HVAC experts today. We at Mideastern Plumbing, Heating, & AC are here to help you with all of your HVAC needs.