There are several questions that need to be answered about what type of system you have, but i found this posting that may help:
As your gas furnace runs, is there water leaking at the base? Is the furnace's air filter wet, too?There are a few things that could be happening here. But if you have a
high-efficiency furnace, here's the most common cause:
a condensation leak.
We'll explain why a furnace creates condensation, and what's causing it to leak out of your furnace.
Note: You'll know if you have a high-efficiency furnace if:
- The yellow energy guide tag says your furnace's efficiency is 90% or higher AFUE.
- The vent/flue pipe is white PVC as opposed to metal.
Why a high-efficiency furnace creates condensation
How in the heck does a high efficiency furnace create condensation/water anyway?
It's all about how the furnace extracts heat from combustion gases.
A
lower-efficiency furnace extracts some heat from combustion gases and then quickly vents them out the flue pipe.
But a
high-efficiency furnace, to extract
more heat, has 2 heat exchangers. These allow the furnace to extract heat from the gases for a longer period of time.
This causes the combustion gases to cool and then condense.
That condensation then exits out your home through a drain. But if that water is pooling around the furnace, there's a problem preventing it from draining properly.
Causes of a condensation leak around a high-efficiency furnace
- Clogged condensation tubing
- Clogged condensation drain
- Breaks in the condensation line
- Issues with the condensate pump (if you have one)
You'll need a
furnace technician to diagnose which of these is the issue and then fix it.
Other causes of leaking water around a furnace
If you have a conventional, standard-efficiency furnace...then its flue pipe may be incorrectly sized.
If you have a whole-house humidifier connected to the furnace...there may be an issue which is causing the humidifier to leak into your furnace. Your humidifier should be getting annual maintenance from a professional to prevent this.
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