Why Is My Furnace Leaking Water?!
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- Learn how to know why your furnace is leaking water! At Advantage, We Got You.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Why Is My Furnace Leaking Water?
00:21 - Non-Condensing vs Condensing Furnaces | What’s The Difference?
00:55 - How to Know What Kind of Furnace You Have
02:03 - Easy Repairs for Condensation Leaks
02:26 - More Complex HVAC Leaking Problems
03:21 - Stop My Furnace From Leaking Water!
Leaking water can cause mold growth that could pose a health risk and lead to poor indoor air quality.
The most common cause of a furnace leaking is a condensation leak.
Types of Furnace
The first step in diagnosing what went wrong is to determine what type of furnace you have.
There are two types of furnace condensing and non-condensing. A condensing furnace, also known as a high-efficiency furnace, extracts heat from combustible gas over a longer time. This long process gives time for the gas to cool and condense.
A non-condensing furnace is less efficient. The gas is burned and then quickly vented out the exhaust or flue.
You will need to know what kind of furnace you have because they could leak water for different reasons.
How to Tell What Kind of Furnace You Have
It’s actually pretty easy to determine what kind of filter you have. There are two things you need to look for.
The AFUE (Efficiency Rating)
The Type of Piping
The first thing to look for is the efficiency rating (AFUE). There is usually a yellow sticker on the furnace that lists the AFUE. All furnaces sold in the United States have an efficiency rating and they must have a label.
If the furnace has a rating of 90% or above, it is a high-efficiency furnace.
When looking at the pipes coming out of the furnace, look to see if they are white plastic (PVC) or metal. Keep in mind these separate pipes and not your ductwork. If they are plastic, then they carry condensation away from the furnace. If the pipes are metal, they are the exhaust for a non-condensing furnace.
Remember, if it’s high efficiency with plastic pipes, it’s a condensing furnace. If neither is true, it’s non-condensing.
Low-Efficiency Furnace Leaking Water
Since a low-efficiency furnace does not allow gas to cool and condense, it should not be able to leak condensation.
What might happen is that the exhaust or flue is the wrong size. If the gas cannot get vented and becomes trapped, it will cool over time and condense. The metal piping traps that condensation and it will leak.
High-Efficiency Furnace Leaking Water
High-Efficiency furnaces allow gas to condense, so this could be a symptom of one of many issues. Most of these are easy to fix for an HVAC professional, but it’s also possible that something worse is happening.
Easy Repairs
There are 4 common issues that can lead to a condensation leak.
Clogged Condensation Drain
Break in the Condensation Line
Issues with the Condensate Pump
Break or Build-Up in the Condensate Trap
These fixes should all be fairly easy and quick for a skilled HVAC professional.
Worst Case Scenario
The absolute worst-case scenario is a faulty secondary furnace heat exchanger. This is the portion of the furnace where it pulls heat from gas as it cools. If this portion of the furnace stops working, the repair is going to be costly and intensive. In most cases, this results in a full furnace replacement.
Other HVAC Equipment Problems
As we have discussed in the past, an HVAC system is a bunch of unique pieces of equipment working together. It is possible that something else has gone wrong with another piece of equipment.
Air Conditioner
Some AC units share an internal drain with the furnace. If that drain gets clogged or plugged, it’s possible that the condensation will back up through your furnace. This will look like your furnace is leaking water.
Home Humidifier
Some homes have whole home humidifiers that are connected to the furnace. If you have one of these, it’s possible that the humidifier is leaking. If the humidifier is leaking condensation, it will also look like the furnace is leaking water.
Regular HVAC maintenance can catch this problem early on and prevent it from escalating.
Stop Furnace From Leaking Water
The first thing you should do is contact your local HVAC professional. Not only will they be able to repair the leak, but they will also be able to see if it’s a symptom of something bigger. They will also know where to check to see if there is mold or buildup that will affect your indoor air quality.
Follow these steps in the meantime.
Shut off your furnace
Clean up the water around the furnace
Use a wet/dry vacuum if there is a substantial leak
Clear the surrounding area of items
Here's the original blog: www.advantageheatingllc.com/learning-center/furnace-leaking-water/
If the exhaust is blocked going outside. Will this cause the condensation to come back to the inductor motor?
I have a ton of rust in my furnace, in all of the interior walls.
Show some pictures so we know what to do without calling our local HVAC we’re all HVAC people at heart
No very helpful. Didn't show how to check any of the problems mentioned. Just a commercial.
I discovered that the number 1 reason why this happens is because (hard to believe that almost everyone underlooks) the furnace is sloping the wrong direction. In other words its draining the wrong direction causing condensate to accumulate and overwhelms the gasket.
Its much easier for a installation tech to level it and let it burn or leak and burn the inlet motor. But check the direction of flow of drain. It should be going away from not into furnace
Furnace owners check level of furnace check what direction slope!
We had a fish break into our house once. Awful 🔫🐟
Never buy a high-efficiency gas furnace they don't even last a couple years before problems occur I have had four new ones in a row and every one of them broke down. Low efficiency 80% gas furnaces is the way to go !