Why is my air conditioner leaking water inside?

Where the water normally goes

Air conditioners remove moisture from indoor air while cooling. That condensate should collect in a tray and leave through a drain. A visible drip from the outdoor drain termination can therefore be normal; water running down an indoor wall or from a ceiling outlet is not.

Common reasons for an indoor leak

• Blocked or displaced drain: dust, biological build-up or a physical problem can prevent condensate leaving normally.
• Restricted airflow: a heavily blocked filter can contribute to the indoor coil becoming too cold. Water may appear when ice later melts.
• Drain-pan or connection problem: a cracked tray or poor connection can release water before it reaches the drain.
• Condensate pump fault: some installations use a pump where gravity drainage is not possible.
• Installation fall or drainage issue: a recurring leak from a newer installation needs the drain route and unit position checked.

Water alone does not prove which cause applies. The indoor cover may need to be removed and the drain tested to locate it.

On a wall-mounted split system, the condensate tray and drain connection sit behind the indoor cover, then the drain must maintain a workable route and fall to its discharge point. Water appearing from the casing can therefore come from a local blockage or connection, icing that later melts, or a problem elsewhere along the drain path. The visible drip point is not always the origin.

What to do now

Turn the unit off and contain the water without standing beneath a wet ceiling component. Photograph where the leak appears and note whether it happens immediately or only after extended cooling. If an accessible filter is dirty, clean it according to the manual, but do not restart a system when water could contact electrical equipment.

Our Perth air-conditioning repair service can inspect the drain, airflow, coil condition and any fitted condensate pump.

How the repair should be checked

The finding should identify where the water escaped and why. After the agreed work, the drain should be checked for flow and the system operated long enough to assess the reported leak where conditions allow. If building access, an intermittent fault or hidden damage prevents full verification, that limitation and the next step should be stated rather than promising that a simple clean has permanently resolved it.