The air conditioner comes in a compact design which means that not a single piece of equipment hangs outside of its body. The only thing that comes out of an air conditioner is cool air and comfort for the residents.
Apart from this, one other thing is discharged by an AC and it is the water draining through a drain pipe. Although it is completely a normal phenomenon, the question that should be answered by every air conditioner’s owner is how much water should drain from the air conditioner? Well, if you too have the same question, you have come to the right spot.
Do air conditioners drain water
Don’t you ever wonder why air conditioners are not sealed air coolers? Well, there are some solid reasons behind this and this difference is what allows ACs to drain water.
They don’t just cool the air and make the room comfortable but remove humidity which plays an important role in the whole conditioning process.
The air conditioner constantly extracts the moisture from the room because cooling dry air is quick and feels cooler to humans as well.
It is clear that if moisture is being taken out from the room, it has to come out from some point. The drainpipe is the way through which extracted water and condensation is released from the system. So, air conditioners do drain water and if they don’t, there must be some issues.
Should AC drip water outside
AC should drip water outside as there is a great process of condensation going on contentiously inside the unit. The water doesn’t usually come out in huge amounts as there will only be wet places below the drain pipe.
On hot summer days, the water can easily dry up and you may not find a single drop after shutting down the air conditioner unit for just 5 to 15 minutes.
Do keep this fact in mind that AC should only drip water outside through the drainpipe, if it is leaking from any other point of the unit, contacting a professional and getting that leak fixed should be done immediately.
How much water is normal in a drip pan
As its name implies, an air conditioner’s drip pan is there to hold and keep water in it. If you see water standing there while constantly draining out of it as well, this is a normal thing. Things can go wrong if the water is not draining and is flowing out of the drip pan’s edges.
Talking about how much, it can be said that until water is within the edges of the drip pan, it is normal once it rises too high, you should diagnose the issues such as a dirty filter or clogged drain holes, or pipe.
How much water should drain from the split air conditioner
The amount of water that should be drained out of the split air conditioner strongly depends on the climate condition of a specific area. If you are living in a place where the atmosphere is almost dry and there is minimal moisture in the air, your split air conditioner will only drain out about 5 to 7 gallons of water in 24 hours. That too if it remains in operating condition for the whole day. And if you are living at a place with huge moisture in the air, it may drain 10 to 20 gallons of water in a single day.
How much water should drain from the window air conditioner
Although window air conditioners are considered to drain more water as compared to new ACs, the fact is that they drain relatively less as compared to their power and working load. Some experts claim that the main reason behind window air conditioners draining less water is their mechanism.
The water in the window air conditioner remains inside the system being distributed by the fan to lower down the temperature of AC and as a result, enhance its performance.
The water will only drain when the drain pan cannot hold it and it starts dripping from the backside of the AC. It may rarely drain 20 gallons as it usually remains between 10 to 15 gallons a day.
How much water should drain from a portable air conditioner
The portable air conditioner is usually considered more prone to dust and debris which can result in clogged drain pipes and dirty filters. These things can either stop the water at all leading to water overflow or may also drain excessive amounts of water due to narrow paths.
As a portable air conditioner is much better at removing humidity from the room and it has to work more, the water drainage will be relatively high as compared to other kinds of air conditioners.
Depending upon the water conditions, a portable air conditioner can easily drain about 10 to 20 gallons of water in a single day.
How much water should drain from the air conditioner in the car
Car AC drains out water from outside or the bottom of the car’s body especially when there is a lot of humidity in the air. Experts claim that a car AC can drain somewhere between 5 to 12 gallons per day. If you are running the air conditioner constantly for a long time that too in a full burst, this amount may go up.
Do keep the fact in mind that water draining out of the car is normal until you don’t notice any water stains/marks in the car. If that is the case, you should stop and get it checked because ignoring this can lead to some serious issues.
AC drain line clogged symptoms
- A moldy or musty smell in the indoor atmosphere, from the vents or ducts, or directly from the AC indoor unit.
- Water is leaking inside the AC unit or from the indoor part.
- The cooling is not up to the mark or has been degraded.
- The air conditioner is malfunctioning or shutting down on its own.
- The air conditioner is causing issues during the start-up or not turning ON at all.
- Water is not coming out of its specified path, drain pipe.
