This Could Be Why Your Furnace is Leaking Water
You’re just getting home after a long day at work, only to discover a basket of laundry at the top of your basement stairs with your favorite slacks that you need for tomorrow’s meeting. It’s laundry time. When you walk down stairs you peer over and notice a puddle of water forming under your furnace that hasn’t been there before.
Should you be overly alarmed? No.
Are you anyways because this isn’t something you’ve experienced before, and the last thing you need right now is something to be broken? Yes.
If water isn’t gushing from your pipes, there’s no reason to freak out! There are many reasons this could be happening. In this article, we’ll point out a few that are easily diagnosed, but our recommendation is to leave repairs to the experts.
If you have any questions about what you see in this article, please contact us.
Before we start talking about why your furnace is leaking water, please be sure that it is your furnace leaking water. Nothing is worse than going through all of these steps, getting frustrated, and calling your energy company for service, just to find out it’s not your heating system.
Gas Equipment
Floor drains being clogged with debris are one of the most common issues that can cause your furnace to leak. To fix this simply check the drain in your equipment and make sure there’s no blockage, and if you find any debris clear it out.
A flue pipe is the furnaces way of expelling any byproducts that come from normal use. If you have a flue pipe that doesn’t quite fit or has wear and tear, it might be the source of your water leak. If signs lead to this being your issue, give us a call at (207) 947-3835 and we’ll be happy to help you out.
Routine maintenance is important for many reasons. One of those reasons it that your furnace’s condensation-bearing pipes could be starting to show their first signs of long-term use. Many of these pipes use either insulation or tape to keep condensation from escaping, and once that barrier starts to wear down, it’s easy for drops of water to accumulate over time.
Oil Equipment - Expert Advice
Oil equipment can be much more complicated. Here’s a word from Matt LaForrest, one of our Certified HVAC Service Technicians at R. H. Foster:
“Oil units do not usually have any sort of condensate drain on them. I would amend that to say that any water leaking from a heating system is something to not panic over, but for sure call a professional to look at the situation. The possible causes of any water leak are multiple and sometimes confusing. The best advice is to have the consumer judge the volume of water leaking, judge whether it can wait for service with putting a bucket under it, and assess the area it seems to be leaking from. Note that all boiler systems should have a means of which to shut the water off to the unit should it require immediate attention, such as when water is pouring out of the unit.”
** If you shut off your water to your system, please remember to also shut off the system. **
Solve the problem before it gets worse! Letting small water leaks persist over time can cause damage to your home and your equipment. If you find your furnace leaking water, contact R. H. Foster today.
