Finding a pool of water around any appliance or piece of home comfort equipment is never a good sign, but it can be especially concerning when it happens to your furnace. In most cases, it’s usually a simple fix, but we’ve broken down a few of the possible causes for finding water around your furnace to help you troubleshoot the problem.

Drain Pan & Pipe
As your furnace generates heat, it creates condensation as it exchanges hot and cold air. When everything is working properly, this excess moisture collects in the drain pan and gets expelled through the drain pipe. Check to make sure that the drain pan wasn’t knocked out of position by accident, as this would cause the condensation to pool on the ground rather than in the pan. If the pan appears to be located in line with your unit, take a look at the drainpipe to see if it is obstructed with debris. Do your best to align the drain pan and clear the drain pipe if possible, but if water is still collecting around your furnace, it might be time to call in an HVAC technician.

Condensate Pump
High-efficiency furnaces use a condensate pump to push the condensation produced during the heating process away from your furnace and out of a condensate line. These pumps do malfunction from time-to-time, and if yours has, it could be the reason there is water around your furnace. The good news is these parts are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace.

Humidifier
In some cases, finding water around your furnace has nothing to do with your furnace at all, if you’re lucky. A lot of heating systems have a whole-home humidifier installed in line with them and they constantly have water moving through them. If your humidifier is damaged or clogged, it could be dripping water, which could make it appear as though your furnace is leaking. A technician can identify what is causing your humidifier to leak and remedy it in most cases.

Aftercare
If you are able to successfully identify the reason there is water around your furnace and fix the problem, there are a few steps you need to take afterwards. Inspect the outside of your unit for signs of rust that could have been caused by the standing water. In most cases, there won’t be any, but if you notice rust, you should contact a technician to inspect your unit. You should also replace your filter because if the moisture has reached your furnace filter, it could lead to the production of mould and mildew.

Worried about your heating system? Fahrhall is here to help!

Fahrhall has been proudly serving the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions since 1967. We are committed to providing our customers and our community with reliable service and quality equipment.

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