AC leaking water
AC leaking water in Longwood, Florida
Water at or below an air conditioner almost always means the condensate system: a clogged drain line, a full secondary pan, or a frozen coil thawing. In Longwood the stakes are higher than a puddle, because so many air handlers sit in the attic, directly over finished ceilings.
Diagnosis
What is most likely wrong
| # | Cause | How common | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clogged condensate drain line | Very common | Algae and biofilm build up in Florida's humidity; the classic cause of a slow or stopped drain. |
| 2 | Full or cracked secondary drain pan | Very common | Attic air handler, and the tell is a ceiling stain below it rather than a puddle you can see. |
| 3 | Frozen evaporator coil thawing | Common | Follows a period of weak or no cooling; the water shows up as the ice melts, not while it is frozen. |
| 4 | Disconnected or poorly pitched drain line | Common | Often traced to a prior repair or attic work that jarred the line loose. |
| 5 | Failed or clogged condensate pump | Less common | On systems where the drain cannot run to daylight by gravity and uses a small pump instead. |
Before you call
What you can safely check yourself
- Look at the ceiling below the attic air handler for staining or sagging — that is the tell for a full secondary pan, and it means stop running the system until it is checked.
- Find the primary condensate line where it exits outside (usually a PVC pipe near the exterior wall) and see whether it is dripping slowly or not running at all.
- If the coil was recently iced over, switch to fan-only and let it thaw fully before doing anything else — the water at that point is a symptom, not a new problem.
- Do not try to clear a line inside the air handler cabinet yourself; a wet-vac at the outside termination is the extent of a safe DIY attempt.
Where the licensed line is
Refrigerant, capacitors and the inside of an electrical panel are not homeowner jobs. A run capacitor holds a lethal voltage after the disconnect is pulled, and refrigerant handling requires EPA Section 608 certification. In Florida the work itself is regulated: an air conditioning contractor licensed under §489.105(3) may replace, disconnect and reconnect the power wiring at the dedicated disconnect, and repair or replace disconnects, breakers and fuses on dedicated HVAC circuits — that scope exists because this is not general-purpose electrical work.
Verify any Florida contractor’s licence before you let them start work, at the DBPR licensee search.
In Longwood
Why this happens in this housing stock
An attic air handler over conditioned space turns a condensate problem from a nuisance into a ceiling repair, and the City’s own mechanical permit application treats attic-located units differently for exactly this kind of reason — access has to be provided at inspection. More on attic air handlers here.
What clogs the line here is largely canopy debris: leaf litter and pollen from Longwood’s mature oak and pine cover work into the same airstream that keeps the drain pan fed, and algae growth in a humid Florida attic does the rest. Drain line clearing at a researched $150–$250 is one of the routine Florida calls, and it is cheap next to a ceiling repair.
Cost
What the fix typically costs
| What is being priced | Researched range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $75–$200 | Commonly cited Florida diagnostic or service-call fee. Some sources put Florida contractors at $65–$95, and the fee is frequently waived or credited toward the repair if the work proceeds. |
| Condensate drain line clearing | $150–$250 | Condensate drain line clearing — the routine Florida call. |
| Evaporator coil replacement | $1,500–$2,500 | Evaporator coil, parts and labour, Orlando market. |
These are researched market estimates, not a quote
Every money figure on this page is a published third-party range, compiled in September 2026 from the pricing guides listed in the sources at the foot of the page. They are here so you can sanity-check what a contractor offers you before you sign, not so you can hold anyone to a number they did not write. The one exception is the City of Longwood permit fee, which is the City's own published figure and is linked to its fee schedule.
Sources
- Smart Home Air & Heat, AC Repair Cost Orlando 2026 (Central Florida contractor, market ranges from 2025-2026 service data). https://smarthomeairheat.com/our-blog/ac-repair-cost-orlando-2026/
- City of Longwood Mechanical Permit application. https://www.longwoodfl.org/DocumentCenter/View/4604/Mechanical-Permit-application-PDF-
- Seminole County Property Appraiser CAMA extract (Parcels.csv, dated 5 September 2026), tax district L1 — Longwood; improved residential parcels, DOR codes 01 and 04. https://www.scpafl.org/
Figures are dated. Permit fees, rebate amounts and code cycles change — re-check the primary source before you rely on a number here.
Not getting anywhere?
Tell us the symptom, roughly how old the house is and roughly how old the equipment is. That usually narrows it to two candidates before anyone drives out.