5 Reasons For Water Leaks In Furnaces And How To Solve Them?
If you are living in a cold climate, you might have a furnace working in your home harder to keep your home comfortable. No doubt, these systems help you to keep warm all day. But they can also experience some problems at any point in time. However, one such issue is water leakage from the furnace. It is a common problem but needs immediate attention so that you can identify the root cause.
Though the problem of leaking water from the furnace sounds strange, the issue can cause a serious problem if you don’t hire a best water leak repair services in Los Angeles. However, there are several different reasons that cause the furnace to leak. So, let’s discuss those reasons and how to fix them easily:
Major Reasons Of Water Leaks In Furnaces
1. Condensation Leaks
Does your home have a high-efficiency furnace? High-efficiency typically means an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating which is 90% or higher. If you have this, there are good chances that your furnace will surely generate condensation.
But this problem of condensation is due to two main reasons: damage or clogged tubing or can be due to floor drain clog. In both cases, the furnace will offer a water leak. But you have to keep in mind that condensation only occurs with the high-efficiency furnace, not with standard-efficiency furnaces.
Moreover, if you are unaware of whether your furnace is high-efficiency or standard, have a look at the exhaust pipe. If it is a standard furnace, the exhaust pipe is made of metal; therefore, it will not condensate. But if by chance it condensates, you have to contact a certified water leakage repair services in Los Angeles right away to fix the issue.
In short, both types of furnace need professional attention as it is a serious issue that you need to address.
2. Clogged Filter
Water leaks from the furnace can be due to clogging or a dirty furnace filter. In reality, you use these filters to clean the air, which keeps you and your family members healthy. But with time, debris can get trapped in them, which restricts the airflow via a furnace coil. However, in many cases, the clogged filters cause the coil to freeze, which causes the furnace to leak water.
If you are facing this problem with your furnace, then immediately call the professional of water leakage repair services in Los Angeles to troubleshoot the problem. Moreover, if you want to avoid this problem in the future, go for periodic examination of your furnace filters and replace them when mandatory.
3. Broken Humidifier
If the above issue is not the reason for water leaking from the furnace, then the leakage may be from the internal part of a furnace, especially a humidifier. Most furnaces are equipped with a whole-home humidifier which adds humidity to the warm air that the furnace creates. This whole-home humidifier takes the help of water, and when something is not right with the humidifier, the water will leak onto the floor.
However, if you go for routine maintenance of your furnace, the professional plumber can easily detect a leaking humidifier before it becomes a headache.
But if you don’t maintain your furnace, a leaking humidifier can do serious damage to the internal unit. Also, it causes various issues to the home walls and floor. However, it can also erupt in mold growth. So, if you want your furnace to work efficiently, then the best solution is to contact an HVAC professional to serve the problem and resolve the issue.
4. Malfunctioning Secondary Heat Exchanger
If the above reasons are not the cause of your furnace leak, then a secondary heat exchanger can be the real culprit. If, in reality, this will be the problem with your furnace, then it will be a costly affair, and in many cases, the furnace needs replacement.
Now the question is, how can you decipher between the primary heat exchanger and secondary heat exchanger?
So, to understand this, let’s find out what is the difference between the two:
Primary Heat Exchanger
It is one of the components of the furnace and has the hottest gas located near the burners inside the unit. Because of this, both heat and flame elements of the unit experience stress. It results in cracking with the passing time.
Secondary Heat Exchanger
Furnaces with high efficiency indeed have both heat exchangers inside them. When the combustion starts, it will first enter the primary heat exchanger and then move to the secondary heat exchanger, and this is the point where the most gas is released and, in turn, forms water vapors.
So, if the problem is with the secondary heat exchanger, you have to call water leak repair services in Los Angeles to inspect the furnace and take the necessary steps according to the problem.
5. Plumbing Leak
If you notice a water leak from the furnace, maybe the water comes from the faulty plumbing system. However, you can not ignore this problem at any cost; otherwise, it can create havoc on an entire home with its results which you will come to know later.
In many homes, a plumbing point is located around the furnace, because of which the water leakage is mistakenly taken as a furnace leak. If you are unaware of the main issue, you can call the HVAC professional or technician to find out the main problem as soon as possible.
Unveil The Dangers Of A Leaking Water From Furnace
Indeed, a furnace leak may not pose an immediate risk to homeowners’ safety, but surely, a small leak can compromise comfort. But if this problem is not treated on time, it can become a costly affair that will take your time and hard-earned money.
When the furnace has developed leakage, it can cause rust to develop, which destroys the working area of the unit. With time, this leak damage the working efficiency and finally leads to breakdown and costly repairs. Even more, the worst case is when this rust develops a crack or type of hole on the heat exchanger, which causes exposure to various harmful gases. However, when homeowners inhale these toxic gases, it will adversely impact their health.
In addition to the heat exchanger, the water leak in the furnace also damages electrical components, and it can also cause the furnace to stop working at all. So, whatever the problem is with your furnace, you must call an HVAC professional for water leakage repair services in Los Angeles.
The Bottom Line
A leaking furnace is quite expensive to repair, which wholly depends upon the type of furnace installed in your home. But there are various ways by which you can prevent furnace failures, including scheduling routine maintenance from professional technicians from reputable companies like Cali’s Choice Plumbing and Restoration. The professionals of this company can easily identify signs of any failure and prevent it from various serious problems.
This is the reason thousands of our esteemed customers have named us as the top choice for all types of furnace issues. No matter what type of problem your furnace is facing, we can help you on one call.