AC leaking water
AC leaking water in Winter Springs, Florida
Almost always a blocked condensate drain. The primary line clogs with biological growth, the pan overflows, and either the safety float switch shuts the system down or the water finds the ceiling first. A rusted-through drain pan on an old air handler is the other common cause, and that is a repair with a short remaining runway.
Diagnosis
What is most likely wrong
| # | Cause | How common | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blocked condensate drain line | Very common | Water at the base of the air handler or in the secondary pan; system may have shut itself off on the float switch. |
| 2 | Rusted or cracked primary drain pan | Common | Steady drip from under the coil on an air handler past fifteen years. |
| 3 | Iced coil thawing | Common | A puddle after the system was off, following weeks of weak airflow. See freezing up. |
| 4 | Disconnected or sagging drain line | Common | Attic air handler; a PVC joint has let go or the trap has been knocked. |
| 5 | Condensate pump failed | Less common | Where the air handler is below the drain exit — some garage and closet installs. |
| 6 | Missing or dry trap letting air back-draw | Less common | Water pools in the pan and will not drain even though the line is clear. |
Before you call
What you can safely check yourself
- Switch the system off at the thermostat. Water plus electricity is not a wait-and-see.
- Find the drain line outside — a PVC pipe near the condenser or through a wall — and see whether it is dripping at all. No drip on a humid day means blocked.
- If there is a service tee with a cap near the air handler, a wet-dry vacuum on the outside end of the line often clears it. Do not pour bleach into an old metal pan.
- Look at the secondary (overflow) pan under an attic air handler: rust, standing water, or a float switch sitting high.
- If the ceiling is wet, stop the system and call. The pan may already be past saving.
Where the licensed line is
Refrigerant, capacitors and the inside of an electrical panel are not homeowner jobs. A run capacitor holds a lethal charge after the disconnect is pulled. Refrigerant handling requires EPA Section 608 certification. And in Florida the work itself is regulated: an air-conditioning contractor licensed under Chapter 489 may replace, disconnect and reconnect the power wiring at the dedicated disconnect, and repair or replace breakers and fuses on dedicated HVAC circuits — s. 489.105(3). Verify any Florida contractor's licence at the DBPR licensee search before work begins.
In Winter Springs
Why this happens in this housing stock
The drain line is the humidity-season wear point in a city with Lake Jesup on its northern edge and Howell Creek through the middle. The coil condenses water for most of nine months, and the line grows what it grows. Clearing it at a researched $80–$250 is the routine call; the float switch that stopped you before the ceiling did is the best $40 in the system.
The rusted-pan case belongs to old air handlers, and in Winter Springs that usually means the 51.2% of the city built 1970–89 where the air handler is in the garage or a closet and has been replaced fewer times than the condenser. A pan that has rusted through is not a pan problem; it is an air handler at the end of its life, and that is the repair-or-replace conversation.
Source: Seminole County Property Appraiser CAMA extract, files dated 5 September 2026. Improved residential parcels (single-family, townhome and condominium; DOR codes 01xx and 04xx) in tax districts W1 and W2.
Cost
What the fix typically costs
| Job | Researched range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $70–$200 | Usually credited. |
| Drain line clearing | $80–$250 | The routine Central Florida call. |
| Float switch fitted or replaced | $100–$450 | Priced as a control repair; cheap insurance. |
| Drain pan replacement | $300–$800 | Priced as a motor-band repair; often the air handler instead. |
| Air handler / evaporator coil | $700–$2,500+ | When the pan is the symptom, not the fault. |
Researched ranges from HomeGuide, HVAC Calculator Hub and This Old House (national, updated 16 March 2026), checked September 2026. Not our prices.
Read this before you use any number on this page
These are researched market ranges, not our prices and not a quote. The dollar figures come from published third-party cost guides — named and linked at the foot of the page — plus one figure that is not a range at all: the City of Winter Springs’ own published mechanical permit fee. They are here so you can tell whether a quote you have been handed is in the ordinary range for this work. No two houses in Winter Springs cost the same to do, and we do not quote a job before we have seen it.
Problems
Not getting anywhere?
Tell us the symptom, the build year of the house and roughly how old the equipment is. That usually narrows it to two candidates before anyone drives out.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from
Every figure above is either a primary-source document or a named third-party cost guide, and all of it was checked in September 2026. Fee schedules, rebate amounts and market prices change without notice — if you are about to spend money on one of these numbers, open the source and check it.