Yes, that water is supposed to drip like that.
I’ve been doing a few apartment community exterior dry rot lists that need to be done before painting this spring. I came across some common issues that can help in reducing your water related damages. This post has to do with your air conditioner condensate lines, I know it is not warm enough for the A/C yet, but it is the perfect time to get the repairs done.
You need to check a few things to prevent water damage to your property.
First, any office, apartment or home with a forced air system has condensate lines that usually lead outside. The primary line will exit the building near the first floor level and drip onto the ground or into a drain. It should be clear of obstructions and you should be able to see the water dripping when in use.
There is a secondary line that is designed to drip when the primary line is not flowing correctly. If this line is dripping, you need to clear the first line. Why? If both lines get clogged, the water will be collecting at the forced air unit and leak water. This can quickly put water in an area where the damage can be extreme and hard to get to.
If your a/c unit is on the second story, attic or upstairs apartment unit; that secondary line will often times be above a first story window. This may seem like a silly place to put it but there is good reason. There is a problem with this though. Too often the pipe coming out from the wall is not installed far enough away from the building drip to the ground.
If the dripping hits the window trim for an extended period of time, many things can happen. The wood will rot, the window will leak, and over time this can get to be severe and costly. Remember, if this pipe is dripping, the primary line is clogged.
So what is the answer? The easiest quickest way to check these lines is to walk around the building while the a/c units are running; you can do this during the summer when the units are running anyway. Check for the dripping lines around the house or office. In an apartment community regularly walk and check for the dripping pipes. Since you are walking around and checking for drips, check to see if there has been damage caused by the condensate lines. The earlier you find the water damage, the quicker and easier the repairs can be to correct.
If you need help in finding and correcting this problem, there are contractors who can help. If you are in the Sacramento area, we would be glad to help you look for problems with water damage and give you recommendations on what you should do.
Sacramento County
El Dorado County
Placer County
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