A puddle of water around your furnace can be an alarming discovery. Alexander Siv of Amherst Plumbing and Heating deals with this issue often in his line of work.
“If your furnace is leaking water, you should have a technician come out,” he says. “It might be no big deal, but you’ll want to make sure.”
Read on to learn more from Siv and Joshua Smith from Berkshire Heating and Air Conditioning about reasons why your furnace could be leaking water, if it’s an emergency, and when to call a pro.
Why Does a Furnace Leak Water?
Often, there’s problem with condensation removal. This will only be found on newer, condensing forced-air furnaces with a 90% or higher efficiency rating.
High efficiency furnaces condense exhaust fumes before sending them out the flue pipe. This process creates condensation (or condensate as it’s known in the HVAC industry), which collects before being pumped into a drain. Any problem with the condensate removal hardware will cause a breakdown, and you may find water on the floor near your furnace.
Otherwise, here are the most common reasons why a furnace leaks water:
- Broken pump: This could happen if the condensate pump fails. “If it stops pumping water, it will overflow and spill onto the floor,” Smith says.
- Unplugged pump: “I’ve had customers who were doing their laundry or moving stuff around in the basement and unplugged the pump by accident,” Smith says.
- Drain hose problem: The hose that carries the water into the drain can become clogged or displaced through homeowner error. “If someone’s washing a paintbrush in the basement utility sink, they might knock the drain tube out of position,” Smith says, “The water starts draining onto the floor instead of into the drain.” Drain hoses can also clog with debris or mold.
- Humidifier issues: Less efficient furnaces also leak water without producing condensate. “A lot of furnaces have humidifiers on them to add moisture to the air,” Smith says. “If your humidifier pad gets plugged up or dirty or your humidifier drain gets plugged up, you’ll have water on your floor.”
Is Furnace Leaking Water an Emergency?
It depends.
A small puddle on your concrete basement floor is not an emergency, but should be promptly addressed. “If you see water, it’s best to get it looked at,” Smith says. Furnaces have circuit boards, control boards and electronic motors. Leaking water could short something out and create an even bigger issue.
“It’s a more urgent matter in a finished basement,” Siv says. Seeping water can quickly ruin carpeting and drywall, so it’s best to fix this sooner than later.
Can a Leaky Furnace Make You Sick?
Yes.
The water leaking from a furnace isn’t in and of itself dangerous, nor does it contain bacteria. It can, however, create secondary problems, especially in a finished basement.
“If it leaks and soaks into your carpet or gets into the drywall, over time it can produce mold,” Siv says.
If left unresolved, mold and mildew can grow quickly in a basement environment and lower the home’s indoor air quality.
Can a Dirty Filter Cause a Furnace to Leak Water?
Yes. However, this only happens when the furnace is used for cooling, not heating.
A dirty filter can block or limit the amount of air circulating through the system. The air conditioning condenser relies on this air to prevent it from getting too cold and freezing. If this air flow is limited, the condenser freezes up like a block of ice.
“When the condenser thaws, that water will end up on your floor in a puddle,” Smith says.
How Do You Fix a Furnace Leaking Water?
Here’s what a homeowner can do after finding a leaking furnace:
- First, check the condensate removal pump. “Find the pump and make sure it’s plugged in,” Siv says. The pump is usually a rounded plastic box on the outside of the furnace near or on the floor. It will typically be plugged into a receptacle on the side of the furnace. It should also have a clear tube attached to it. Make sure this drain tube is directed into a sink or drain pipe.
- If the pump drain tube in not the source of the water, Siv recommends videoing the water leak to show your HVAC pro. “I would video it on my phone to show where and how it’s leaking,” he says. “We can often diagnose the problem just from a texted video a customer sends in.” Not every company will do that, but some will, and it can save time and money on repairs.
- If the temperatures aren’t dangerously cold, request a service call, turn off the furnace and wait for a repair professional to arrive. Every furnace has an on/off switch clearly labeled.
Should You Call a Pro To Fix a Furnace Leaking Water?
Yes.
If the pump drain tube is not the problem, you need to call an HVAC specialist to diagnose and repair the issue.
About the Experts
- Alexander Siv owns Amherst Heating and Plumbing in Amherst, Massachusetts. He has a master plumber’s license in Massachusetts and more than 10 years of plumbing experience.
- Joshua Smith is operations manager at Berkshire Heating and Air Conditioning in West Springfield, Massachusetts. He has more than 20 years of HVAC experience and holds a Massachusetts oil burner and refrigeration license.
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