Returning home tired from work after having a long day could lead to worse things if you walk in to see a pool of water at the base of your furnace. Many home furnace owners end up wondering why there could be water leaking from furnace when heat is on. Some might panic and start worrying over future repair costs.
Calm down because this might be an easy-peasy repair that will barely cost you a fortune. On the other hand, it might be a little complex, and that’s why you have to contact an HVAC professional as soon as possible to troubleshoot the furnace. However, these chances are needle-slim. Therefore, it’s better to contact your manufacturers or the closest HVAC experts to handle leaking cases on your furnace.
Your Furnace Type
The main reason your furnace might be leaking is through determining the type of furnace one owns. Essentially, the pool might result from a condensation leak on your system if you’re using a condensing furnace.
You should know the type of furnace you own by checking if it’s standard efficiency or high-efficiency furnace. One can also inspect the exhaust pipes or vents. If your furnace’s exhaust pipe is plastic, then your furnace must be highly efficient.
Secondly, if your furnace has a metallic exhaust, then it must be a standard efficiency one and thus shouldn’t experience condensation at any point. You can also use the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of different furnaces to determine their model types.
Possible Reasons for Water Leaking from Furnace When Heat is On
Whenever you come around your furnace only to find a pool of water floating around its base, you’ll have to get rid of it without delay. It can turn from bad to worse in a short period if the leaked water is left to sit on the floor for a long time.
It can even introduce cracks to your floor, damage your walls and even your ceiling. Below are a few reasons why your furnace might be leaking:
Broken humidifier
Since your furnace’s humidifier is connected to your house’s plumbing system, clogging or breaking of this part can cause water leakage in your system. Therefore, any breakage or malfunctions to your humidifier might be the main reason for the pool floating around your furnace’s base.
Condensation leak
Condensation leaks are the most popular and one of the primary reasons a furnace leaks in many homes. Since most furnaces run at high efficiency, they’re likely to have double heat exchangers. These exchangers are responsible for the intense heat production in the furnace, resulting in condensation.
The moisture produced should be extracted from the system via your home drainage pipes. If these pipes break or clog, you’ll experience a condensation leak around your furnace.
Malfunctioned heat exchanger
A Heat exchanger breakdown can be the cause of the rapid furnace leak at your home. Unfortunately, it’s the most overpriced repair when it comes to maintaining your furnace.
If you’ve tried troubleshooting your furnace but still can’t find a real problem, then it might be your heat exchanger. You’ll have to reach out to a professional technician to install a new unit or repair the component.
Clogged filters
A clogged or dirty air filter will probably restrict or block airflow through your furnace’s coil. Primarily, this case results in a frozen furnace coil. Sometimes it might lead to a water leakage around your furnace. It would be best to regularly check your furnace’s air filters to ensure they are in perfect condition to avoid water leakages.
Poor vent pipe design
As stated earlier in this article, all conventional furnaces have a metallic flue pipe that carries exhaust gases away from the furnace upon combustion. If your furnace is in good shape, these gases should be exhausted outside your home as soon as possible to avoid cooling and condensation into moisture.
Moreover, if the exhaust pipe lacks a slope or maybe it’s too big, the combustion gases might hang in the flue and end up cooling down. If these gases sit and cool in your duct, they might end up condensing and causing leakage around the base of the furnace.
How to Stop Water Leaking From Furnace When Heat is On
Shut down the furnace
Locate the on/off switch positioned adjacent to your coil and furnace, then turn it off. If you can’t trace the switch, use the circuit breaker to shut the system down.
Drain the leaked water
Letting the leaked water sit on the floor will only cause further damage to your home. Therefore, it would be best to get rid of it to prevent unnecessary losses as soon as you see it.
Inspect your filters
Check your furnace’s filters to avoid airflow restrictions due to dirt blocking or clogging them. Remember to clean your filters more often to get rid of any accumulated or trapped debris.
Set a Vacuum around the PVC drain-line
Use the recommended water-safe vacuum cleaner to extract any available debris or possible clogs. You can turn the system on and see if the leak has been fixed.
Add some water into the condensate pump
It is an approach to check if your condensate pump is working appropriately. If it manages to pump the poured water, then it’s all clear and working. If it fails to pump the water, there must be a mechanical failure in the condensate pump.
Water Leaking from Furnace When Heat is On – Conclusion
Now that you know and understand the causes of water leaking from the furnace when heat is on, you can quickly troubleshoot your furnace and retain its normal state as soon as possible. It could be something to do with your heat exchanger, condensate pump, humidifiers, or even the filters.
Therefore, it would help to conduct a maintenance schedule with an HVAC technician to help repair the furnace and keep it in good shape. Remember to contact the repair experts as soon as possible to prevent water damage across your home.
