The FCU in my apartment ceiling is dripping water onto the floor — how do I stop it?
I'm in a chiller / district-cooling apartment and there's water dripping from the ceiling right where the AC vent is, onto the floor. It's not a huge amount but it's steady when the cooling's running, and there's a damp patch spreading on the ceiling.
What's causing an FCU to leak like this, and is it something a normal handyman can fix or do I need a specialist? Worried about the ceiling.
3 answers
First thing: switch that FCU off at the thermostat to stop the drip while you sort it — standing water will keep spreading on the ceiling and can reach the light fittings.
Nine times out of ten this is a blocked condensate drain, and here's the logic: your fan-coil unit chills the air, and that pulls a surprising amount of water out of our humid air. That water is supposed to run out through a small drain line. When dust and algae block that line, the water has nowhere to go — it backs up in the drain tray and overflows through the ceiling. Exactly your symptom, and exactly why it only drips when the cooling's running.
The fix is to clear and flush the drain line and clean the tray — straightforward for the right person, and they'll usually add a slope/anti-algae treatment so it doesn't recur.
Less common causes if the drain's clear: chilled-water pipes sweating because their insulation has failed (they drip along their length, not just at the FCU), or a cracked drain pan.
This is a chilled-water / FCU job rather than a general handyman one — the FCU sits above a false ceiling and the drain and pan need doing properly. Background on why there's so much water in the first place: the condensate drain explainer.
Had exactly this — turned out to be a completely gunged-up drain line. They cleared it, flushed it and treated it, and it's been dry since. The 'turn it off first' advice is right, I let mine run and it stained the ceiling before I got someone out.
Turned it off straight away — drip stopped almost immediately, which fits the backed-up-drain explanation. Getting a chiller specialist in to flush it properly. Thanks for the quick, clear answer.
People also asked
- My chilled-water AC (FCU) isn't cooling well — could it be a valve or a clogged strainer, not the chiller?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- Chiller AC cools some rooms but barely others — what's wrong?2 answersWater Chiller Service
- Chiller AC running but barely cooling — what's wrong?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- Why is my district cooling (Empower) bill so high?3 answersWater Chiller Service
More in Water Chiller Service
- My district-cooling bill looks way too high — how do I actually dispute it, and what can they recheck?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- How do you actually work out the cooling tonnage for a space — can someone show a worked example?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- How do I tell if my building's chiller is actually performing — what are delta-T and approach temperature?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- Why does cooling-tower / condenser water need treatment — what happens if you skip it?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- District cooling 'capacity charge' vs consumption — what am I actually paying for on a building?3 answersWater Chiller Service
- How many 'tons' of cooling do I actually need for my space — and how is it worked out?3 answersWater Chiller Service