What to Ask a Customer Whose AC Is Leaking Water Before Sending a Tech

First, the safety questions

• Is water near an outlet, a power strip, the furnace or the electrical panel? If yes: stay out of the water, do not touch anything electrical, and turn the system off at the thermostat from a dry spot.
• Is water coming through a ceiling, or is the ceiling sagging or bulging? If yes: keep everyone out from under it, put a bucket down, and tell the tech before they arrive.
• Does anyone smell burning or see sparks or smoke? If yes: leave the area and call 911.
• Is the indoor unit in the attic over a finished room? Water there reaches the ceiling below fast, so that call moves up the schedule.

Narrowing it down: the quick checks

• Turn the system off at the thermostat. A leak almost always slows once the system stops making water.
• Where exactly is the water: under the indoor unit, from a pipe near it, from a vent in the ceiling, or outside by the house?
• Is there a pan under the indoor unit, and is it full? If it is reachable and safe, they can soak it up with towels. Do not open any panels on the unit.
• When was the filter last changed? If it is gray and clogged, a new one is safe to put in.
• Is there ice on the copper lines or on the indoor unit? If yes, leave the system off and let it thaw with towels down. Do not chip or scrape the ice.
• Is the system running but not cooling, or did it shut itself off? Some units have a safety switch that turns the AC off when the pan fills, and the tech needs to know which one happened.
• Is a white or clear pipe outside the house dripping while the AC runs? If it is dry, the drain line is probably blocked.

What the tech needs to know

• Where the indoor unit is: attic, closet, basement, garage, and whether it is easy to reach.
• Central air, a heat pump, or a ductless unit on the wall, and the brand if they can read it.
• The age of the system, or a photo of the label so the tech can read the model and serial number.
• How much water and for how long: a few drops, a puddle, or water through the ceiling.
• Whether there is a condensate pump, a small box with a tube near the indoor unit, and whether it hums.
• Photos of the leak, the pan, any ice, and any ceiling stain, so the tech and the customer can see if drywall needs attention later.

How it sounds on the phone

The three ways this goes wrong

• Booking a routine visit without asking where the water is going. Water near electrical or through a ceiling sets the priority, so that question comes first, every time.
• Leaving the system running while the customer waits. Off at the thermostat is the one step that slows almost every leak.
• Not asking where the indoor unit is and how much water there is, so the tech arrives without the right part or the customer finds out about ceiling damage later.

An AC leaking water call is where the water is going and what it is near first, then off at the thermostat, the pan, the filter and the ice, then the details. Ask in that order, and the house stays dry and the tech arrives ready to fix it on the first visit.