In my house I've noticed the air condition vents are wet and dripping with water. What causes this?

Question

I've just noticed this and am concerned because I've never heard of this. Do I need to call maintenance to come look at it?

Okay so it's caused by condensation but does maintenance need to come out and look at it? Is it gonna cause mold or mildew?

Answer 1

The presence of condensation means that your a/c system is not effectively removing moisture from the air. It accumulates on the vents because they are metal and because the coolest air flows through them.

Since the air is (obviously) cold, the compressor is probably not the problem. Could be water accumulation in the condensate pan or icing of the coils. Icing can be caused by failure to timely exchange filters.

Sounds like there is a maintenance service to which you have access. Do call them; they will likely appreciate your bringing attention to the problem before it becomes much more difficult and expensive to fix.

Answer 2

The problem is likely due to condensation due to the humidity in the air, and the installation of a de-humidifier may be the answer to your problem.
To answer your question about the mold and mildew, yes they will rear their ugly heads. Generally though,the ductwork will dry out as soon as you've turned on the heat, but I'd check into the de-humidifier for sure so you can eliminate this problem.
I've been under many houses in the heat of the summer where the water was almost literally pouring out of the low points in the duct system.

Answer 3

My American regularly happening air handler is gently dripping condensation onto the air clear out fairly than the water being directed to the drain. I truly have already had the handler wiped clean through a professional even with the indisputable fact that it keeps to vacation. Any options?

Answer 4

It was happening at my house a few years ago. My a/c guy said to take the vents down and use caulk around the edges, b/t the cut out for the vent hole and the metal duct coming down. It was so bad that I had to put pans under them to collect the water. After I caulked (used bathroom caulk from HD) them, it stopped happening. I think it has to do w/ the difference in temp in the duct vs the edge around it. If you do this and it doesn't help, then call your a/c guy.

Answer 5

you might have somebody look at it because it may indicate that you have a serious problem.. it could be that your coil is icing up, which can indicate that your fan may not be working properly, or there is low pressure in the system.. if it is low pressure, then the system has been comprimised somehow, and the freon is escaping.. if it is icing then it will continue to get worse and cause the system to fail because of the dynamics of refrigeration..

Answer 6

have you checked the insulation around you vent pipes? The temperature difference between the hot attic are and the cool air-conditioned air in the pipes will cause them to form condensation.

Just an idea...

Answer 7

the most probable cause is that there is a door or window open letting in hot humid air, or the exhaust fan in the bathroom is not on and allowing the humidity to build up.

Answer 8

maybe the drain is plugged. this happened to my moms& water leaked on yhe floor & soaked into the carpet& we had to loosen it to let it dry out.

Answer 9

if you live in a condo, the person upstairs could have a burst pipe or something. it happened to us a while ago.

Answer 10

This is caused by condinsation. You can try using a dehumidifier.